Avast Antivirus is a family of

cross-platform Within 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 platform, computing platforms. Some ...

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 Gen Digital Inc. for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

macOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

, Android, and

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

. Avast offers free and paid products that provide

computer security Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and computer network, n ...

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-site s ...

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 spre ...

anti-phishing Phishing is a form of Social engineering (security), social engineering and a scam where attackers deceive people into revealing Information sensitivity, sensitive information or installing malware such as Computer virus, viruses, Computer worm, ...

, 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 ...

, among other services. Avast Free Antivirus is the base product in the

Avast Avast Software s.r.o. is a Czech multinational cybersecurity software company headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, that researches and develops computer security software, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Avast had more th ...

lineup. It provides important security features such as

malware Malware (a portmanteau of ''malicious software'')Tahir, R. (2018)A study on malware and malware detection techniques . ''International Journal of Education and Management Engineering'', ''8''(2), 20. is any software intentionally designed to caus ...

protection,

phishing Phishing is a form of social engineering and a scam where attackers deceive people into revealing sensitive information or installing malware such as viruses, worms, adware, or ransomware. Phishing attacks have become increasingly sophisticate ...

protection,

data leak A data breach, also known as data leakage, is "the unauthorized exposure, disclosure, or loss of personal information". Attackers have a variety of motives, from financial gain to political activism, political repression, and espionage. There a ...

tracking and

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

security scanning. The next level, Avast Premium Security, includes advanced features such as real-time

ransomware Ransomware is a type of malware that Encryption, encrypts the victim's personal data until a ransom is paid. Difficult-to-trace Digital currency, digital currencies such as paysafecard or Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency, cryptocurrencies are com ...

protection, webcam protection, and remote access protection. Avast Ultimate combines Avast Premium Security with additional services such as Avast Cleanup,

Avast SecureLine VPN Avast SecureLine VPN is a VPN service developed by Czech cybersecurity software company Avast. It is available for Android, Microsoft Windows, macOS and iOS operating systems. The VPN can be set to automatically turn on when the user connects ...

and Avast AntiTrack. Avast launched a freeware business product, Avast for Business, in February 2015. It includes antivirus protection, web threat scanning, browser protection, and a cloud management console. As of January 2015, Avast 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. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

. Published on October 29, 2015. In 2016 Avast has more than 400 million users and 40 % of the antivirus market outside China. Avast integrates more than 750 employees at its headquarters in the Czech Republic and has offices in the United States, Germany, China, South Korea and Taiwan. In September 2016 it completed the purchase of AVG Technologies, a historically rival company, for US$1.3 billion. In January 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 possibly in some instances be linked back to people's real identities, exposing every click and search they had made. In response, Avast announced that it would close the subsidiary over the data privacy backlash. In February 2024, the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...

fined Avast $16.5 million for collecting user data and the FTC sent settlement notices Avast customers by email in February 2025.

References

{{Authority control Avast Android (operating system) software Antivirus software Freemium MacOS security software Proprietary cross-platform software Windows security software Gen Digital software

See also

References