Avast Antivirus is a family of

cross-platform In computing, cross-platform software (also called multi-platform software, platform-agnostic software, or platform-independent software) is computer software that is designed to work in several computing platforms. Some cross-platform software ...

internet security Internet security is a branch of computer security. It encompasses the Internet, browser security, web site security, and network security as it applies to other applications or operating systems as a whole. Its objective is to establish rules ...

applications developed by Avast for Microsoft Windows,

macOS macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

, Android and

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

. The Avast Antivirus products include freeware and paid versions that provide

computer security Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, t ...

browser security Browser security is the application of Internet security to web browsers in order to protect networked data and computer systems from breaches of privacy or malware. Security exploits of browsers often use JavaScript, sometimes with cross-si ...

antivirus software Antivirus software (abbreviated to AV software), also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware. Antivirus software was originally developed to detect and remove computer viruses, hence the name. ...

firewall Firewall may refer to: * Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts * Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spr ...

, anti-phishing, antispyware, and

anti-spam Various anti-spam techniques are used to prevent email spam (unsolicited bulk email). No technique is a complete solution to the spam problem, and each has trade-offs between incorrectly rejecting legitimate email (false positives) as opposed to ...

among other services. Avast launched a freeware business product, Avast for Business, in February 2015. It is a cross-platform solution that includes antivirus protection, web threat scanning, browser protection, and a cloud management console. As of 2017, Avast is the most popular antivirus vendor on the market, and it had the largest share of the market for antivirus applications."Avast worth 'upwards of $2 billion'; no IPO before 2017"

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...

. Published on October 29, 2015 In a February 2018, test of various antimalware products by

AV-TEST AV-TEST is an independent organization which evaluates and rates antivirus and security suite software for Microsoft Windows and Android operating systems, according to a variety of criteria. The organisation is based in Magdeburg, Germany. Ever ...

, Avast Free Antivirus has earned 6 out of 6 points in "Protection" category, detecting 100% of malware samples used in this test and earning an "AV-TEST Certified" seal. Avast's Mobile Security & Antivirus app detected 100% of malware samples in January 2018 test of Android malware by

AV-Comparatives AV-Comparatives is an Austrian independent organization that tests and assesses antivirus software, regularly releasing charts and reports that are freely available to the public and the media. Antivirus vendors have to meet various requirements r ...

. In January of 2020, multiple news sources reported that Avast Antivirus, through a subsidiary, was selling the browsing history of Avast Free product users. Though the company claimed all data was "de-identified", it was reported that the sold data could be linked back to people's real identities, exposing every click and search they had made, but this could not be verified. In response, Avast announced that it would close the subsidiary over the data privacy backlash.

References

{{Antivirus software Avast Android (operating system) software Antivirus software Freemium MacOS security software Proprietary software Windows security software Gen Digital software

See also

References