Avast!
Encyclopedia
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 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 and West Coast Lab's Checkmark process and incorporates anti-spyware
technology, also certified by West Coast Lab's Checkmark process, 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 derived from "Anti-Virus – Advanced Set". 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.
Avast! Antivirus is a widely used antivirus program, with over 165 million users worldwide as of October 2011.
played by the program whenever an event happens (such as the detection of malware, or whenever the program's database is updated). Official voiceovers are available in 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.
for thirty days. This limit can be eliminated by registering using a form in Avast's website. The program must then be re-registered every year.
However, if a user has version 4.8 and upgrades to the latest version, then they are given an automatic 14-month license.
A comparison of the three products can be found below.
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
developed by AVAST Software a.s. (formerly known as ALWIL Software a.s.), a company based in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. It was first released in 1988 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 and West Coast Lab's Checkmark process and incorporates anti-spyware
Spyware
Spyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's...
technology, also certified by West Coast Lab's Checkmark process, as well as anti-rootkit
Rootkit
A rootkit is software that enables continued privileged access to a computer while actively hiding its presence from administrators by subverting standard operating system functionality or other applications...
and self-protection capabilities. It is a multiple recipient of the Virus Bulletin
Virus Bulletin
Virus Bulletin is a magazine about the prevention, detection and removal of malware and spam. It regularly features analyses of the latest virus threats, articles exploring new developments in the fight against viruses, interviews with anti-virus experts, and evaluations of current anti-malware...
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 derived from "Anti-Virus – Advanced Set". 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
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
version of the Avast! antivirus software available to Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
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.
Avast! Antivirus is a widely used antivirus program, with over 165 million users worldwide as of October 2011.
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 protectionReal-time protectionReal-time protection, on-access scanning, background guard, resident shield, autoprotect, and other synonyms refer to the automatic protection provided by most antivirus, antispyware, and other antimalware programs, which is arguably their most important feature...
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-mailE-mailElectronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
/Microsoft Outlook/ExchangeMicrosoft Exchange ServerMicrosoft Exchange Server is the server side of a client–server, collaborative application product developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Servers line of server products and is used by enterprises using Microsoft infrastructure products...
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 P2PPeer-to-peerPeer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
files from file share programs. - IM Shield — Instant MessagingInstant messagingInstant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
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
- File System Shield — Real-time protection
- Anti-spywareSpywareSpyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's...
capabilities - Anti-rootkitRootkitA rootkit is software that enables continued privileged access to a computer while actively hiding its presence from administrators by subverting standard operating system functionality or other applications...
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 "Caution, a virus 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 browserChromium (web browser)Chromium is the open source web browser project from which Google Chrome draws its source code. The project's hourly Chromium snapshots appear essentially similar to the latest builds of Google Chrome aside from the omission of certain Google additions, most noticeable among them: Google's...
. 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.
- 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 voiceoverVoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
played by the program whenever an event happens (such as the detection of malware, or whenever the program's database is updated). Official voiceovers are available in Belarusian
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
, Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese is a group of Portuguese dialects written and spoken by most of the 190 million inhabitants of Brazil and by a few million Brazilian emigrants, mainly in the United States, United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, Japan and Paraguay....
, Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
. Avast allows its users to submit voiceovers in different languages. Themed voiceovers are also available; these include "Aussie
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
", "Californian
California English
California English is a dialect of the English language spoken in California. California is home to a highly diverse population, which is reflected in the historical and continuing development of California English.-History:English was first spoken on a wide scale in the area now known as...
", "Canadian
Canadian English
Canadian English is the variety of English spoken in Canada. English is the first language, or "mother tongue", of approximately 24 million Canadians , and more than 28 million are fluent in the language...
", "Pirate
Pirates in popular culture
In American and British popular culture, the modern pirate stereotype owes its tradition mostly to depictions of Captain Hook and his crew in theatrical and film versions of Peter Pan, Robert Newton's portrayal of Long John Silver in the film Treasure Island, and various adaptations of Sinbad the...
" and "Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
".
Version 4 allowed users to customize its graphical user interface
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
with different skins
Skin (computing)
In computing, a skin is a custom graphical appearance achieved by the use of a graphical user interface that can be applied to specific software and websites to suit the purpose, topic, or tastes of different users....
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 modeShareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
for thirty days. This limit can be eliminated by registering using a form in Avast's website. The program must then be re-registered every year.
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:- Avast! Free Antivirus 6.0 — freewareFreewareFreeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
for personal, non-commercial use only - Avast! Pro Antivirus 6.0 — sharewareSharewareThe term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
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 | |||
| Anti-rootkit protection | |||
| File System/Mail Shield | |||
| Web Shield | |||
| IM Instant messaging Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet... /P2P Peer-to-peer Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application... Shield |
|||
| Network Shield | |||
| Behavior Shield | |||
| Script Shield | |||
| AutoSandbox | |||
| Sandbox | |||
| SafeZone | |||
| Command-Line Command-line interface A command-line interface is a mechanism for interacting with a computer operating system or software by typing commands to perform specific tasks... Scanner |
|||
| Silent Firewall | |||
| Antispam | |||
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 ServerWindows ServerWindows Server is a brand name for a group of server operating systems released by Microsoft Corporation. All are part of Microsoft Servers.- Members :This brand includes the following software:* Windows 2000 Server* Windows Server 2003...
- 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 kernelsKernel (computing)In computing, the kernel is the main component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources...
only. Packages are available as RPM, DebianDebianDebian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
or in Tarball form. - Avast! for Kerio — Shareware designed to work with KerioKerio TechnologiesKerio Technologies, Inc. is a software company in San Jose, CA that offers security, messaging, voice and collaboration products for small and medium businesses...
products such as their secure mail servers. - Avast! U3 Edition — Shareware for the protection of U3U3U3 was a joint venture between SanDisk and M-Systems , producing a proprietary method of launching Windows applications from special USB flash drives. Flash drives adhering to the U3 specification are termed "U3 smart drives"....
smart drives from viruses and other forms of malware. - Avast! 4 PDA Edition — Shareware for Windows PocketPC/Windows MobileWindows MobileWindows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
, WinCE and Palm OSPalm OSPalm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
. - 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.
- In February 2009, Avast! antivirus was awarded the "Advanced" rating by AV Comparatives. This is the second-highest rating awarded by AV Comparatives.
- In August 2009, Avast! antivirus was again awarded the "Advanced+" rating by AV Comparatives.
- In December 2010, Avast! free antivirus was awarded the VB100 award, conducted by Virus Bulletin.
- In December 2010, Avast! Internet Security was awarded Silver for proactive detection rate of new/unknown malware (~56%, with 21 false positives)
- In 2010, Avast! made the top 10 most-downloaded list on CNET Downloads.