Avast Free Antivirus Download

Czech security software company

For other uses, see Avast (disambiguation).

Avast Software s.r.o. is a Czech multinationalcybersecurity software company headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic that researches and develops computer security software, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Avast has more than 435 million monthly active users^[2] and the second largest market share among anti-malware application vendors worldwide as of April 2020.^[3] The company has approximately 1,700 employees across its 25 offices worldwide.^[2] In July 2021, NortonLifeLock, an American cybersecurity company, announced that it is in talks to merge with Avast Software. In August 2021, Avast's board of directors agreed to an offer of US$8 billion.^[4][5]

Avast was founded by Pavel Baudiš and Eduard Kučera in 1988 as a cooperative. It had been a private company since 2010 and had its IPO in May 2018. In July 2016, Avast acquired competitor AVG Technologies for $1.3 billion. At the time, AVG was the third-ranked antivirus product.^[6] It was dual-listed on the Prague Stock Exchange and on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by NortonLifeLock in September 2022.^[7]

The company's main product is the Avast Antivirus along with tools such as the Avast Secure Browser and the Avast SecureLine VPN.

Avast produces Avast Online Security, which is its main extension, but it also has extensions like Avast SafePrice and Avast Passwords.

History[edit]

Avast was founded by Eduard Kučera and Pavel Baudiš in 1988.^[8] The founders met each other at the Research Institute for Mathematical Machines in Czechoslovakia.^[8] They studied math and computer science, because the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia would require them to join the communist party to study physics.^[8] At the institute, Pavel Baudiš discovered the Vienna virus on a floppy disk and developed the first program to remove it.^[8][9][10] Afterwards, he asked Eduard Kucera to join him in cofounding Avast as a cooperative.^[9] The cooperative was originally called Alwil and only the software was named Avast.^[11]

The cooperative was changed to a joint partnership in 1991, two years after the velvet revolution^[12] caused a regime change in Czechoslovakia. The new regime severed ties with the Soviet Union and reverted the country's economic system to a market economy.^[9][11] In 1995, Avast employee Ondřej Vlček [cs] wrote the first antivirus program for the Windows 95 operating system.^[9] In the 1990s security researchers at the Virus Bulletin, an IT security testing organization, gave the Avast software an award in every category tested, increasing the popularity of the software.^[9] However, by the late 1990s, the company was struggling financially.^[8] Alwil rebuffed acquisition offers by McAfee, who was licensing the Avast antivirus engine.^[8]

By 2001, Alwil was experiencing financial difficulties, when it converted to a freemium model, offering a base Avast software product at no cost.^[9] As a result of the freemium model, the number of users of the software grew to one million by 2004^[9] and 20 million by 2006.^[11] Former Symantec executive Vince Steckler was appointed CEO of Avast in 2009.^[13] In 2010, Alwil changed its name to Avast, adopting the name of the software,^[11] and raised $100 million in venture capital investments.^[14] The following December, Avast filed for an initial public offering, but withdrew its application the following July, citing changes in market conditions.^[15] In 2012, Avast fired its outsourced tech support service iYogi, after it was discovered that iYogi was using misleading sales tactics to persuade customers to buy unnecessary services.^[16] By 2013, Avast had 200 million users in 38 countries and had been translated into 43 languages.^[8] At the time, the company had 350 employees.^[17]

In 2014, CVC Capital bought an interest in Avast for an undisclosed sum. The purchase valued Avast at $1 billion.^[18][19] Later that year, Avast acquired mobile app developer Inmite in order to build Avast's mobile apps.^[20] Additionally, in 2014 Avast's online support forum was compromised, exposing 400,000 names, passwords and email addresses.^[21][22] By 2015, Avast had the largest share of the market for antivirus software.^[15] In July 2016, Avast reached an agreement to buy AVG for $1.3 billion.^[23] AVG was a large IT security company that sold software for desktops and mobile devices.^[24] In July 2017, Avast acquired UK-based Piriform for an undisclosed sum. Piriform was the developer of CCleaner.^[25] Shortly afterwards it was disclosed that someone may have created a malicious version of CCleaner with a backdoor for hackers.^[26] Avast had its IPO on the London Stock Exchange in May 2018, which valued it at £2.4bn and was one of the UK's biggest technology listings.^[27]

Ondřej Vlček [cs] assumed the role of CEO and co-owner of Avast Plc in July 2019.^[28] A day later, he changed his annual pay to $1 and pledged his board director's compensation of $100,000 to charity.^[28] In October 2019 Jaya Baloo joined Avast as their Chief Information Security Officer.^[29]

In April 2020, Avast released a new secure, private mobile web browser for Android based on technology acquired from previously unreported acquisition of Tenta, a Seattle-based startup.^[30]

In July 2021, NortonLifeLock, an American cybersecurity company, announced that it is in talks to merge with Avast Software. In August 2021, Avast's board of directors agreed to an offer of US$8 billion. In September 2022, the Competition and Markets Authority approved the proposed takeover by NortonLifeLock so allowing the transaction to be completed.^{[31][32][33][34][35]}

On 16 September 2021, Avast changed its brand identity, with the scope of "protecting digital freedom for all online citizens".^[36]

Products[edit]

Main articles: Avast Antivirus, Avast SecureLine VPN, and Avast Secure Browser

See also: AVG Technologies

Avast develops and markets business and consumer IT security products for servers, desktops, and mobile devices.^[37] The company sells both the Avast product line and the acquired AVG-branded products.^[38] As of late 2017, the company had merged the AVG and Avast business product lines and were working to integrate the corporate departments from both companies.^[39] Additionally, Avast has developed utility software products to improve battery life on mobile devices, cleanup unnecessary files on a hard drive, find secure wireless networks^[40] or create a VPN connection to the internet.^[41]

Avast and AVG consumer security software are sold on a freemium model, where basic security features are free, but more advanced features require purchasing a premium version.^[38] The free version is also supported by ads.^[42] Additionally, all Avast users provide data about their PC or mobile device to Avast, which is used to identify new security threats.^[8] Antivirus scanning, browser cleanup, a secure browser, password management, and network security features are provided for free, while firewall, anti-spam, and online banking features have to be purchased.^[43][44] According to PC Pro, the software does not "nag" users about upgrading.^[41][43] About 3% of Avast's users pay for a premium version (10% in the US).^[8]

The Avast business product family includes features for endpoint protection, Wi-Fi security, antivirus, identity protection, password management, and data protection.^[39] For example, the desktop product will look for vulnerabilities in the wi-fi network and run applications suspect of having malicious software in an isolated sandbox.^[45] The Avast Business Managed Workplace monitors and manages desktops, and assesses on-site security protocols.^[39] The company also sells management software for IT administrators to deploy and manage Avast installations.^[39]

Reception[edit]

PC Magazine gave Avast Free Antivirus software an overall score of 4 out of 5^[46] and gave AVG, which was purchased by Avast in 2016, a score of 4, plus "AVG AntiVirus Free offers precisely the same virus protection engine as Avast Free Antivirus, but it lacks the impressive collection of additional features you get with Avast."^[47] In tests conducted by the AV-TEST Institute in August 2021, Avast and AVG received six out of six points for protection and usability, and six out of six points for performance.^[48][49] A review in Tom's Guide says that the free Avast antivirus product has "good protection against malware" and takes up little space on the system. The review says that Avast has a competitive set of features for a free antivirus product, but the scans are sometimes not very fast.^[50]

The Avast antivirus product for business users received 4 out of 5 by TechRadar in 2017.^[51] The review said that the software had good features, protection, configuration and an "excellent interface", but it took up a lot of hard disk space and did not cover mobile devices.^[51] According to Tom's Guide, the mobile version is inexpensive and packed with features. PC Magazine said that the mobile version "has almost all the security features you could want."^[52]

AVG has also generally performed well in lab tests. A review in Tom's Hardware gave the AVG software seven out of ten stars.^[44] The review highlighted that the software has a small system footprint and has good malware protection, but does not have a quick scan option and lacks many additional features.^[44]

Collection and sale of user data[edit]

In late 2019, Avast browser extensions were found to collect user data, including browsing behavior and history, and send it to a remote server. The discovery led to the extensions of the Avast and AVG brands being temporarily removed from the Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera extension stores, however, they returned a short time later as there was no concrete evidence that demonstrated a breach of private data of the users.^[53][54][55]

In January 2020, a joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag found that the Avast Antivirus and AVG AntiVirus Free version were collecting user data, which was being resold to personalize advertising through a subsidiary, Jumpshot.^[56][57][58] The leaked documents showed that Jumpshot offered to provide its customers with "Every search. Every click. On every site." from more than 100 million compromised devices. In response, Avast announced on January 30, 2020, that it would immediately shut down Jumpshot and cease all operations due to the backlash of its users' data privacy.^[59][60]

On the basis of the information revealed, on 11 February 2020 the Czech Office for Personal Data Protection announced that it had initiated a preliminary investigation.^[61]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Avast recommends using
the FREE Chrome™ internet browser.

Download Avast Free Antivirus Latest Version

You say you’ve maxed out your budget buying holiday gifts, and you don’t have anything left to pay for antivirus protection? Don’t worry. You don’t have to go out unprotected into the storm of malware and hackers that the modern internet represents. You can bundle up your computers in the warm, fuzzy protection of an effective antivirus without dipping into your funds. The best free third-party antivirus programs handily outperform Microsoft Defender, the antivirus built into Windows. In fact, they rate better than many commercial programs. We’ve analyzed dozens of products, both free and commercial antivirus, so you can make the best choice for your situation. With free antivirus tools you get the added benefit of taking several out for a spin before making the final choice.

Your antivirus should definitely have the ability to root out existing malware, but its ongoing task is to prevent ransomware, botnets, Trojans, and other types of nasty programs from getting a foothold. All the antivirus programs in this collection offer real-time malware protection. Some take the fight to the browser, working hard to ensure you never even browse to a malware-hosting site, or get fooled into turning over your credentials to a phishing site.

--

Best Aussie Antivirus Deals Available Now

Check out more security software deals available in Australia here.

--

Free Antivirus vs. Paid Antivirus

If free antivirus tools are so great, why should anybody pay? For one thing, quite a few of these products are free only for noncommercial use; if you want to protect your business, you must pony up for the paid edition. At that point, you should probably consider upgrading to a full security suite. After all, it's your business's security on the line.

Even for personal use, most for-pay antivirus tools offer more than their free counterparts—sometimes a lot more. For example, the paid editions of Adaware and ZoneAlarm add protection against malicious and fraudulent websites the free versions lack. And Panda reserves quite a few features for paying customers, among them firewall protection, application control, cross-platform support, and detection of insecure Wi-Fi connections.

In addition, many companies don't offer full-scale tech support for users of the free edition. The first time you need extra help digging a particularly stubborn piece of malware out of your system, you might regret the lack of support.

Independent Antivirus Lab Test Results

Around the world, researchers at independent antivirus testing labs spend their days putting antivirus tools to the test. Some of these labs regularly release public reports on their findings. We follow four such labs closely: AV-Comparatives, MRG-Effitas, SE Labs, and AV-Test Institute. We also take note of whether vendors have contracted for certification by ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs.

Security companies typically pay for the privilege of being included in testing. In return, the labs supply them with detailed reports that can help improve their products. The number of labs that include a particular vendor serves as a measure of significance. In each case, the lab considered the product important enough to test, and the vendor felt the price was worthwhile. The labs don't necessarily test a vendor's free product, but most vendors pack full protection into the free product, enhancing premium versions with additional features.

We Test Malware Protection

In addition to carefully perusing results from the independent labs, we also run our own hands-on malware protection test. We expose each antivirus to a collection of malware samples, including a variety of different malware types, and note its reaction. Typically, the antivirus will wipe out most of the samples on sight and detect some of the remaining ones when we try to launch them. We derive a malware blocking score from 0 to 10 points based on how thoroughly the antivirus protects the test system from these samples.

Since we use the same samples month after month, the malware-blocking test doesn't measure a product's ability to detect brand-new threats. In a separate test, we attempt to download malware from 100 very new malicious URLs supplied by London-based testing lab MRG-Effitas, typically less than a few days old. We note whether the antivirus blocked all access to the URL, wiped out the malicious payload during download, or did nothing.

If you're interested in learning more about our testing techniques, you're welcome to read more about how we test security software.

Useful Features

Just about every antivirus product scans files on access to make sure malware can't launch, and also scans the entire system on demand, or on a schedule you set. Once that cleaning and scheduling is done, blocking all access to malware-hosting URLs is another good way to avoid trouble. Many products extend that protection to also steer users away from fraudulent websites, phishing sites that try to steal login credentials for financial sites and other sensitive sites. A few rate links in search results, flagging any dangerous or iffy ones.

Behavior-based detection, a feature of some antivirus products, is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it can detect malware that's never been seen before. On the other hand, if it's not done right, it can baffle the user with messages about perfectly legitimate programs.

Any antivirus should eliminate spyware along with other types of malware, but some products include features designed specifically for spyware protection. Features like encryption to protect your sensitive data and webcam control to prevent remote peeping typically show up in commercial products, not free ones. But some free products include features like a simple on-screen keyboard to foil keyloggers.

One easy way to keep your PC protected is to install all security updates, both for Windows and for browsers and other popular applications. Windows 10 makes it easier than ever to stay up to date, but there are plenty of security holes in older Windows versions, in popular apps, and in add-ons. Scanning for vulnerabilities in the form of missing updates is a feature most often found in commercial antivirus products, but it does turn up in some free ones. In the list below you can see which products include these useful features.

What's Not Here?

Numerous free utilities devoted entirely to ransomware protection have come on the scene in the last few years. Alas, many of those have fallen by the wayside, among them Bitdefender Anti-Ransomware, Cybereason RansomFree, CyberSight RansomStopper, and Heilig Defense RansomOff. In any case, these are useful companion products, but they don't do the job of a full-scale antivirus utility.

There are also numerous free antivirus utilities that work solely to clean up existing malware infestations. You bring out these cleanup-only tools when you have a nasty malware problem. When the malware's gone, they have no further use, since they offer no ongoing protection. Our favorite in this category is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, and it's one you should try if you've got a malware problem. But since they're free, you can keep trying others if the first one doesn't do the job. When the scare is over, you'll need a full-blown antivirus for ongoing protection.

Which Free Antivirus Is Best?

The new Avast One Essential takes the place of Avast Free Antivirus as Editors' Choice for free antivirus utility, while Kaspersky Security Cloud Free remains the other Editors' Choice. Both appear in lab reports from all four labs we follow. Kaspersky earned near-perfect scores, and Avast came close. Both products offer quite a bit more than simple antivirus. If you do have a little cash in your budget for security, the best paid antivirus software does offer more and better protection. If not, try a few of these free tools and see which one you like best.

Worried you might already be infected? Check out our article on the signs you have malware.

Avast recommends using
the FREE Chrome™ internet browser.

Avast recommends using
the FREE Chrome™ internet browser.

Download Avast Free Avast antivirus download Latest Version

You say you’ve maxed out your budget buying holiday gifts, and you don’t have anything left to pay for antivirus protection? Don’t worry. You don’t have to go out unprotected into the storm of malware and hackers that the modern internet represents. You can bundle up your computers in the warm, fuzzy protection avast antivirus download an effective antivirus without dipping into your funds. The best free third-party antivirus programs handily outperform Microsoft Defender, the antivirus built into Windows. In fact, they rate better than many commercial programs. We’ve analyzed dozens of products, both free and commercial antivirus, so you can make the best choice for your situation. With free antivirus tools you get the added benefit of taking several out for a spin before making the final choice.

Your antivirus should definitely have the ability to root out existing malware, nox app apk its ongoing task is to prevent ransomware, botnets, Trojans, and other types of nasty programs from getting a foothold. All the antivirus programs in this collection offer real-time malware protection. Some take the fight to the browser, working hard to ensure you never even browse to a malware-hosting site, or get fooled into turning over your credentials to a phishing site.

--

Best Aussie Antivirus Deals Available Now

Check out more security software deals available in Australia here.

--

Free Antivirus vs. Paid Antivirus

If free antivirus tools are so great, why should anybody pay? For one thing, quite a few of these products are free only for noncommercial use; if you want to protect your business, you must pony up for the paid edition. At that point, you should probably consider upgrading to a full security suite. After all, it's your business's security on the line.

Even for personal avast antivirus download, most for-pay antivirus tools offer more than their free counterparts—sometimes a lot more, avast antivirus download. For example, the paid editions of Adaware and ZoneAlarm add protection against malicious and fraudulent websites the free versions lack. And Panda reserves quite a few features for paying customers, among them firewall protection, application control, cross-platform support, and detection of insecure Wi-Fi connections.

In addition, many companies don't offer full-scale tech support for users avast antivirus download the free edition. The first time you need extra help digging a particularly stubborn piece of malware out of your system, you might regret the lack of support.

Independent Antivirus Lab Test Results

Around the world, researchers at independent antivirus testing labs spend their days putting antivirus tools to the test. Some of these avast antivirus download regularly release public reports on their findings. We follow four such labs closely: AV-Comparatives, MRG-Effitas, SE Labs, and AV-Test Institute. We avast antivirus download take note of whether vendors have contracted for certification by ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs.

Security companies typically pay for the privilege of being included in testing. In return, the labs supply them with detailed reports that can help improve their products. The number of labs that include a particular vendor serves as a measure of significance. In each case, the lab considered the product important enough to test, and the vendor felt the price was worthwhile. The labs don't necessarily test a vendor's free product, but most vendors pack full protection into the free product, enhancing premium versions with additional features.

We Test Malware Protection

In addition to carefully perusing results from the independent labs, we also run our own hands-on malware protection test. We expose each antivirus to a collection of malware samples, including a variety of different malware types, and note its reaction. Typically, the antivirus will wipe out most of the samples on sight and detect some of the remaining ones when we try to launch them. We derive a malware blocking score from 0 to 10 points based on how thoroughly the antivirus protects the test system from these samples.

Since we use the same Avira Prime License key month after month, the malware-blocking test doesn't measure a product's ability to detect brand-new threats. In a separate test, we attempt to download malware from 100 very new malicious URLs steganos safe 22 by London-based testing lab MRG-Effitas, typically less than a few days old. We note whether the antivirus blocked all access to the URL, avast antivirus download, wiped out the malicious payload during download, or did nothing.

If you're interested in learning more about our testing techniques, you're welcome to read more about how we test security software.

Useful Features

Just about every antivirus product scans files on access to make sure malware can't launch, and also scans the entire system on demand, or on a schedule you set. Once that cleaning and scheduling is done, blocking all access to malware-hosting URLs is another good way to avoid trouble. Many products extend that protection to also steer users away from fraudulent websites, phishing sites that try to steal login credentials for financial sites and other sensitive sites. A few rate links in search results, flagging any dangerous or iffy ones.

Behavior-based detection, avast antivirus download, a feature of some antivirus products, is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it can detect malware that's never been seen before. On the other hand, if it's not done right, it can baffle the user with messages about perfectly legitimate programs.

Any antivirus should eliminate spyware along with other types of malware, but some products include features designed specifically for spyware protection. Features like encryption to protect your sensitive data and webcam control to prevent remote peeping avast antivirus download show up in commercial products, not free ones. But some free products include features like a simple on-screen keyboard to foil keyloggers.

One easy way to keep your PC protected is to install all avast antivirus download updates, both for Windows and for browsers and other popular applications. Windows 10 makes it easier than ever to stay up to date, but there are plenty of security holes in older Windows versions, in popular apps, and in add-ons, avast antivirus download. Scanning for vulnerabilities in the form of missing updates is a feature most often found in commercial antivirus products, but it does turn up in some free ones. In the list below you can see which products include these useful features.

What's Not Here?

Numerous free utilities devoted entirely to ransomware protection have come on the scene in the last few years. Alas, many of those have fallen by the wayside, among them Bitdefender Anti-Ransomware, Cybereason RansomFree, CyberSight RansomStopper, and Heilig Defense RansomOff. In any case, these are useful companion products, but they don't do avast antivirus download job of a full-scale antivirus utility.

There are also numerous free antivirus utilities that work solely to clean up existing malware infestations. You bring out these cleanup-only tools when you have a nasty malware problem. When the malware's gone, they have no further use, since they offer no ongoing protection. Our favorite in this category is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, and it's one you should try if you've got a malware problem. But since they're free, you can keep trying others if the first one doesn't do the job. When the scare is over, you'll need a full-blown antivirus for ongoing protection.

Which Free Antivirus Is Best?

The new Avast One Essential takes the place of Avast Free Antivirus as Editors' Choice for free antivirus utility, while Kaspersky Security Cloud Free remains the other Editors' Choice. Both appear in lab reports from all four labs we follow. Kaspersky earned near-perfect scores, avast antivirus download Avast came close. Both products offer quite a bit more than simple antivirus. If you do have a little cash in your avast antivirus download for security, the best paid antivirus software does offer more and better protection. If not, try a few of these free tools and see which one you like best.

Worried you might already be infected? Check out our article on the signs you have malware.

Avast recommends using
the FREE Chrome™ internet browser.

Czech security software company

For other uses, see Avast (disambiguation).

Avast Software s.r.o. is a Czech multinationalcybersecurity software company headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic that researches and develops computer security software, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Avast has more than 435 million monthly active users^[2] and the second largest market share among anti-malware application vendors worldwide as of April 2020.^[3] The company has approximately 1,700 employees across its 25 offices worldwide.^[2] In July 2021, NortonLifeLock, an American cybersecurity company, announced that it is in talks to merge with Avast Software. In August 2021, Avast's board of directors agreed to an offer of Supremo 3 mb billion.^[4][5]

Avast was avast antivirus download by Pavel Baudiš and Eduard Kučera in 1988 as a cooperative. It avast antivirus download been a private company since 2010 and had its IPO in May 2018. In July 2016, Avast acquired competitor AVG Technologies for $1.3 billion. At the time, AVG was the third-ranked antivirus product.^[6] It was dual-listed on the Prague Stock Exchange and on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by NortonLifeLock in September 2022.^[7]

The company's smart game booster 4.4 license key product is the Avast Antivirus along with tools such as the Avast Secure Browser and the Avast SecureLine VPN, avast antivirus download.

Avast produces Avast Online Security, which movavi video editor 12 tutorial pdf its main extension, but it also has extensions like Avast SafePrice and Avast Passwords.

History[edit]

Avast was founded by Eduard Kučera and Pavel Baudiš in 1988.^[8] The founders met each other at the Research Institute for Mathematical Machines in Czechoslovakia.^[8] They studied math and computer science, because the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia would require them to join the communist party to study physics.^[8] At the institute, Pavel Baudiš discovered the Vienna virus on a floppy disk and developed the first program to remove it.^[8][9][10] Afterwards, he asked Eduard Kucera to join him in cofounding Avast as a cooperative.^[9] The cooperative was originally called Alwil and only the software was named Avast.^[11]

The cooperative was changed to a joint partnership in 1991, two years after the velvet revolution^[12] caused a regime change in Czechoslovakia. The new regime severed ties with the Soviet Union and reverted the country's economic system to a market economy.^[9][11] In 1995, Avast employee Ondřej Vlček [cs] wrote the first antivirus program for the Windows 95 operating system.^[9] In the 1990s security researchers at the Virus Bulletin, avast antivirus download, an IT security testing organization, gave the Avast software an award avast antivirus download every category tested, increasing the popularity of the software.^[9] However, by the late 1990s, the company was struggling financially.^[8] Alwil rebuffed acquisition offers by McAfee, who was licensing the Avast antivirus engine.^[8]

By 2001, Alwil was experiencing financial difficulties, when it converted to a freemium model, offering a base Avast software product at no cost.^[9] As a result of the freemium model, the number of users of the software grew to one million by 2004^[9] and 20 million by 2006.^[11] Former Symantec executive Vince Steckler was appointed CEO of Avast in 2009.^[13] In 2010, Alwil changed its name to Avast, avast antivirus download, adopting the name of the software,^[11] and raised $100 million in venture capital investments.^[14] The following December, Avast filed for an initial public offering, but avast antivirus download its application the following July, citing changes in market conditions.^[15] In 2012, Avast fired its outsourced tech support service iYogi, after it was discovered that iYogi was using misleading sales tactics to persuade customers to buy unnecessary services.^[16] By 2013, Avast had 200 million users in 38 countries and had been translated into 43 languages.^[8] At the time, the company had 350 employees.^[17]

In 2014, CVC Capital bought an interest in Avast for an avast antivirus download sum. The purchase valued Avast at $1 billion.^[18][19] Later that year, Avast acquired mobile app developer Inmite in order to build Avast's mobile apps.^[20] Additionally, in 2014 Avast's online support forum was compromised, exposing 400,000 names, passwords and email addresses.^[21][22] By 2015, Avast had the largest share of the market for antivirus software.^[15] In July 2016, Avast reached an agreement to buy AVG for $1.3 billion.^[23] AVG was a large IT security company that sold software for desktops and mobile devices.^[24] In July 2017, Avast acquired UK-based Piriform for an undisclosed sum. Piriform was the developer of CCleaner.^[25] Shortly afterwards it was disclosed that someone may have created a malicious version of CCleaner with a backdoor for hackers.^[26] Avast had its IPO on the London Stock Exchange in May 2018, which valued it at £2.4bn and was one of the UK's biggest technology listings.^[27]

Ondřej Vlček [cs] assumed the role of CEO and co-owner of Avast Plc in July 2019.^[28] A day later, avast antivirus download, he changed his annual pay to $1 and pledged his board director's compensation of $100,000 to charity.^[28] In October 2019 Jaya Baloo joined Avast as their Chief Information Security Officer.^[29]

In April 2020, Avast released a new secure, private mobile web browser for Android based on technology acquired from previously unreported acquisition of Tenta, a Seattle-based startup.^[30]

In July 2021, NortonLifeLock, an American cybersecurity company, avast antivirus download, announced that it is in talks to merge with Avast Software. In August 2021, Avast's board of directors agreed to an offer of US$8 billion. In September 2022, the Competition and Markets Authority approved the proposed takeover by NortonLifeLock so allowing the transaction to be completed.^{[31][32][33][34][35]}

On 16 September 2021, Avast changed its brand identity, with the scope of "protecting digital freedom for all online citizens".^[36]

Products[edit]

Main articles: Avast Antivirus, Avast SecureLine VPN, avast antivirus download, and Avast Secure Browser

See also: AVG Technologies

Avast develops and markets business and consumer IT security products for servers, desktops, and mobile devices.^[37] The company sells both the Avast product line and the acquired AVG-branded products.^[38] As of late 2017, the company had merged the AVG and Avast business product lines and were working to integrate the corporate departments from both companies.^[39] Additionally, Avast has developed utility software products to improve battery life on mobile devices, cleanup unnecessary files on a hard drive, find secure wireless networks^[40] or create a VPN connection to the internet.^[41]

Avast and AVG consumer security software are sold on a freemium model, where basic security features are free, but more advanced features require purchasing a premium version.^[38] The free version is also supported by ads.^[42] Additionally, all Avast users provide data about their PC or mobile device to Avast, which is used to identify new security threats.^[8] Antivirus scanning, browser cleanup, a secure browser, password management, and network security features are provided for free, avast antivirus download, while firewall, anti-spam, and online banking features have to be purchased.^[43][44] According to PC Pro, the software does not "nag" users about upgrading.^[41][43] About 3% of Avast's users pay for a premium version (10% in the US).^[8]

The Avast business product family includes features for endpoint protection, Wi-Fi security, antivirus, identity protection, password management, and data protection.^[39] For example, the desktop product will look for vulnerabilities in the wi-fi network and avast antivirus download applications suspect of having malicious software in an isolated sandbox.^[45] The Avast Business Managed Workplace monitors and manages desktops, and assesses on-site security protocols.^[39] The company also sells management software for IT administrators to deploy express vpn activation code generator manage Avast installations.^[39]

Reception[edit]

PC Magazine gave Avast Free Antivirus software an overall avast antivirus download of 4 out of 5^[46] and gave AVG, which was purchased by Avast in 2016, a score of 4, plus "AVG AntiVirus Free offers precisely the same virus protection engine as Avast Free Antivirus, but it lacks the impressive collection of additional features you get with Avast."^[47] In tests conducted by the AV-TEST Institute in August 2021, Avast and AVG received six out of six points for protection and usability, and six out of six points for performance.^[48][49] A review in Tom's Guide says that the free Avast antivirus product has "good protection against malware" and takes up little space on the system. The review says that Avast has a competitive set of features for a free antivirus product, but the scans are sometimes not very fast.^[50]

The Avast antivirus product for business users received 4 out of 5 by TechRadar in 2017.^[51] The review said that the software had good features, protection, configuration and an "excellent interface", but it took up a lot of hard disk space and did not cover mobile devices.^[51] According to Tom's Guide, the mobile version is inexpensive and packed with features. PC Magazine said that the mobile version "has almost all the security features you could want."^[52]

AVG has also generally performed well in lab tests. A review in Tom's Hardware gave the AVG software seven out of ten stars.^[44] The review highlighted that the software has a small system footprint and has good malware protection, but does not have a quick scan option and lacks many additional features.^[44]

Collection and sale of user data[edit]

In late 2019, avast antivirus download, Avast browser extensions were found to collect user data, avast antivirus download, including browsing behavior and history, and send it to a remote server. The discovery led to the extensions of the Avast and AVG brands being temporarily removed from the Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera extension stores, however, they returned a short time later as there was no concrete evidence that demonstrated a breach of private data of the users.^[53][54][55]

In January 2020, a joint investigation by Motherboard and PCMag found that the Avast Antivirus and AVG AntiVirus Free version were collecting user data, which was being resold to personalize advertising through a subsidiary, Jumpshot.^[56][57][58] The leaked documents showed that Jumpshot offered to provide its customers with "Every search, avast antivirus download. Every click. On every site." from more than 100 million compromised devices. In response, Avast announced on January 30, 2020, that it would immediately shut down Jumpshot and cease all operations due to the backlash of its users' data privacy.^[59][60]

On the basis of the information revealed, on 11 February 2020 the Czech Office for Personal Data Protection announced that it had initiated a preliminary investigation.^[61]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]