Avast!
Avast! is an antivirus computer program developed by AVAST Software a.s. (formerly known as ALWIL Software a.s.), a company based in Prague, Czech Republic. It was first released in 1988[1] although back then it was just a tool to remove the Vienna malware. In 1995 Ondrej Vlček wrote the first anti-virus software for Windows 95 while he was still busy finishing his university studies.
Avast! is based on a central scanning engine that is certified by ICSA Labs[2] and West Coast Lab's Checkmark process[3] and incorporates anti-spyware technology, also certified by West Coast Lab's Checkmark process,[4] as well as anti-rootkit and self-protection capabilities. It is a multiple recipient of the Virus Bulletin VB100 Award for its detection of 100% of "in-the-wild" viruses, and is a past winner of the Secure Computing Readers' Trust Award. The name Avast is a backronym of "Anti-Virus – Advanced Set".[7] Its trademarked name is styled in all lower-case and includes an exclamation mark, and a slogan 'be free'.
Avast! Free Antivirus is the freeware version of the Avast! antivirus software available to Microsoft Windows and Linux users, while Avast! Pro Antivirus is offered to businesses and users who want additional features. Priority updates are delivered automatically using PUSH update technology in Avast! Pro Antivirus. Avast! Pro Antivirus also has a command line scanner and a script blocker; however, in version 6, the script blocker is available to users of the free version.[8]
Avast! Antivirus is a widely used antivirus program, with over 165 million users worldwide as of October 2011.[9]
In December 2011, the company filed with the SEC to raise up to $200 million in an initial public offering.[10]
Features
- Antivirus kernel based on certified antivirus engine.
- Resident protection comprising individual modules or "shields", each of which can be individually configured or disabled:
- File System Shield — Real-time protection against viruses and other malware threats. Scans files as they run on your computer to keep viruses from being able to execute.
- Mail Shield — Scans messages and attachments in E-mail/Microsoft Outlook/Exchange for viruses.
- Web Shield — HTTP protection (local transparent proxy). Version 4.8 also allows the blocking of URLs. Scans URLs and incoming data for viruses, and aborts connections to the site if one is found.
- P2P Shield — Scans P2Pfiles from file share programs.
- IM Shield — Instant Messaging protection. (Scanning of files transferred through instant messaging applications)
- Script Shield — Scans webpages for malicious scripts, and disables them from infecting your computer, though they can still be used. (for example, a clickable button)
- Network Shield — Basic protection against well-known network worms. Acts as an Intrusion Detection System.
- Behavior Shield — Reports suspicious behavior by analyzing the behavior of programs
- Anti-spyware capabilities
- Anti-rootkit capabilities
- Self-Protection — Prevents malware from terminating avast! processes and damaging avast! files.
- Automatic incremental updates — Updates of both the program and the virus database which is used to identify potential threats — Avast! updates its virus definitions on a regular basis (sometimes multiple updates daily) and this process is automated by default.
- Audible alarms — Vocal warnings and notices such as "Threat has been detected!" and "Virus database has been updated."
- Boot-time scan — Users can schedule a boot-time scan to remove infections that load during Windows startup.
- Virus Chest — Quarantine; folder where infected files can be stored. The virus chest also stores vital system files to protect them from damage by malware. Users can also add their own files to the virus chest. Once in the chest, a file cannot be executed; double-clicking the file will instead display information about the file.
- SafeZone — SafeZone is special web browser in avast! Pro Antivirus 6.x and avast! Internet Security 6.x based on the Chromium web browser. It allows users to browse the web in a private, secure environment, invisible to the rest of the users' system.
- WebRep browser plugin — WebRep is a community-based website reputation tool implemented in version 6.0 of Avast! Antivirus.[11]
- Avast! antivirus monitor;— Avast! antivirus monitor is a sidebar gadget for Windows 7 and Windows Vista. It comes with Avast! antivirus 6.
- Consumer Alert - Gives the user information if their credit may have been tampered with (US Customers Only)
Customization
Version 5 and version 6 of Avast! Antivirus allows its users to customize the voiceover played by the program whenever an event happens (such as the detection of malware, or whenever the program's database is updated).[12] Official voiceovers are available in Hungarian, Belarusian, Brazilian Portuguese, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian. Avast allows its users to submit voiceovers in different languages. Themed voiceovers are also available; these include "Aussie", "Californian", "Canadian", "Pirate" and "Santa Claus".
Version 4 allowed users to customize its graphical user interface with different skins from the Avast! website.
Registration
The free version of Avast! Antivirus is only intended for personal, non-commercial use. After installation, the program can be used in trial mode for thirty days.[13] This limit can be eliminated by registering using a form in Avast's website.[13] The program must then be re-registered every year.[14]
However, if a user has version 4.8 and upgrades to the latest version, then they are given an automatic 14-month license.
Versions
The latest stable Windows version is 6.0. The Avast! product range comprises the following:[15]
- Avast! Free Antivirus 6.0 — freeware for personal, non-commercial use only
- Avast! Pro Antivirus 6.0 — shareware for both personal and commercial use
- Avast! Internet Security 6.0 — Shareware for both personal and commercial use
A comparison of the three products can be found below.
| |
Free Antivirus |
Pro Antivirus |
Internet Security |
| Antivirus and anti-spyware engine |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Anti-rootkit protection |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| File System/Mail Shield |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Web Shield |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| IM/P2P Shield |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Network Shield |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Behavior Shield |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Script Shield |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| AutoSandbox |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Sandbox |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| SafeZone |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Command-Line Scanner |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Silent Firewall |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Antispam |
No |
No |
Yes |
Other versions
- Avast! 4 Windows Home Server Edition — Shareware for use on Windows Home Servers.
- Avast! 4 Professional Family Pack — Shareware for use in the home by families with multiple computers. Includes 10 licenses of Avast! Professional Edition and one license for Avast! Windows Home Server Edition. {No longer offered}
- Avast! Mac Edition — An antivirus solution for Apple Macintosh machines running Mac OS X. It is based on a central virus-scanning daemon and includes a mail scanner, an on-demand scanner and an on-access scanner all controlled through a simple user interface. Although designed as a solution for individual desktops, and priced accordingly, the level of performance is closer to that normally delivered by server antivirus software. The Mac+PC Edition is for Mac users with both the Mac operating system and MS Windows installed on the same machine. It comprises both the Mac Edition and Professional Edition.
- Avast! 4 Server Edition — Shareware for businesses running Windows Server - may be extended by additional modules for MS Exchange Server 2000/2003/2007, MS Proxy/ISA Server, SMTP Server, MS Sharepoint Server (Portal Server 2001/2003, Windows Sharepoint Services 2003 and MS Office Sharepoint Server 2007)
- Avast! Distributed Network Manager — allows network administrators to manage the Avast! antivirus product line across the whole enterprise.
- Avast! 4 Small Business Server Edition — Shareware for Windows Small Business Servers, including Exchange server or ISA server
- Avast! Linux Home Edition — Freeware for personal, non-commercial use only — for use on Linux workstations.
- Avast! for Linux/Unix Servers — Shareware designed to run on Linux and BSD servers running x86 kernels only. Packages are available as RPM, Debian or in Tarball form.
- Avast! for Kerio — Shareware designed to work with Kerio products such as their secure mail servers.
- Avast! U3 Edition — Shareware for the protection of U3 smart drives from viruses and other forms of malware.
- Avast! 4 PDA Edition — Shareware for Windows PocketPC/Windows Mobile, WinCE and Palm OS.
- Avast! BART CD (Bootable Antivirus and Recovery Tool) — Shareware to detect and remove virus infections.
Awards and tests
- In 2006, Avast! antivirus won the Secure Computing Readers' Trust Award for best antivirus.
- In August 2008, Avast! antivirus was awarded the "Advanced+" rating by the independent testing company AV Comparatives. This is the highest rating awarded by AV Comparatives.[17]
- In February 2009, Avast! antivirus was awarded the "Advanced" rating by AV Comparatives.[18] This is the second-highest rating awarded by AV Comparatives.[17]
- In August 2009, Avast! antivirus was again awarded the "Advanced+" rating by AV Comparatives.[19][20]
- In December 2010, Avast! free antivirus was awarded the VB100 award, conducted by Virus Bulletin.[21]
- In December 2010, Avast! Internet Security was awarded Silver for proactive detection rate of new/unknown malware (~56%, with 21 false positives)[22]
- In 2010, Avast! made the top 10 most-downloaded list on CNET Downloads.[23]
See also
References
External links