PassMark's latest antivirus performance tests also suggested some speed issues, with Avast placed a lowly 10th out of But AV-Comparative' October Performance Test results were better, placing Avast 7th out of 17; not the best, but not the worst, either. Avast did better in our self-protection tests, where we launch a number of attacks on the product to see if malware could disable it.
These involve attempting to delete files, change Registry settings, stop or disable services, close processes, unload drivers and more, but none of them made the tiniest difference to the package, which continued to protect us as usual. Avast Premium Security has a clean dashboard interface which keeps most of its complexities out of your way. Launch the main console and you're looking at a large panel containing only your security status and a 'Run Smart Scan' button, while a Notifications icon lists any recent issues you need to know about.
If you're the hands-off type, you could stop there and leave the app to handle everything else itself. The suite's other functions — virus scans, network checks, the sandbox, firewall and more — are organized into three panels, accessed from the left-hand sidebar: Protection, Privacy and Performance. With nine buttons on the Protection panel alone, these can look a little complicated, at least initially.
Still, there's some room for improvement. While Premium Security is supremely configurable more on that later , there's very little you can do with the interface. Why not have the option to launch your favorite tools directly from the main console, for instance? Right now, it takes four clicks to launch a custom scan; having an optional customizable toolbar could reduce that to one. We could do without Avast's upselling attempts, too. The panels have buttons for several features which require additional licenses or payments, including Driver Updater and AntiTrack Premium.
We expect advertising overload in free antivirus, but not so much when paying a significant chunk of cash for a commercial product. The Smart Scan is essentially a combination of a Quick Scan for malware and system-wide checks for unsafe settings and passwords, dubious browser add-ons and missing software patches. The Full Scan checks your entire system; the Targeted Scan examines specific files or folders; the Boot-Time Scan checks for threats before Windows starts.
And, if that's not enough, you can create custom scan types to do whatever you like. There are plenty of configuration options, too. You're able to define what to scan all hard drives, the system drive only, removable drives, archives, more , how to treat any threats, set scan priority to optimize performance, and more.
The engine supports running on-demand scans in parallel, too, a level of flexibility you won't always see elsewhere. If you're running a lengthy full system scan, for instance, you're able to run a separate targeted scan on a removable drive you've just connected, and maybe check some recent downloads, all at the same time. Smart Scans took just 10 seconds on our test system, which is as fast as we've seen.
Regular scans were slower, though, and didn't reduce much over time. Avast scanned 50GB of test data in 40 minutes, falling to 31 minutes on the second run. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus was a very similar 39 minutes on the first run, but dropped to under a minute on second.
Our own tests began with some simple behavior monitoring checks, where a custom executable uses common scripting tricks to download a malicious file. Results were a little mixed, with Avast quarantining our test app immediately for some actions, while allowing others to continue and only detecting an issue when the file hit our hard drive.
Bitdefender and Kaspersky are more consistent, blocking all tests, but others have done much worse Adaware missed all the suspect behavior, although it did detect the files , and Avast was acceptable overall. The second, more advanced test used a simple ransomware simulator we've developed ourselves. As Avast hadn't seen this before, it wouldn't be able to detect it from a file signature alone, making this a useful test of behavior monitoring.
We launched the simulator and Avast Premium Security realized this was something new, and announced that it was being scanned for threats.
A positive start? Maybe, but around 15 seconds later Avast told us the simulator was safe, then did nothing at all as it encrypted thousands of user files. Some antivirus apps perform much better on this test. Bitdefender and Kaspersky not only killed the simulator within a fraction of a second, but they also recovered the handful of files it managed to encrypt five to ten. Our simulator isn't real malware, though, so while we treat successful detections as a plus, we don't significantly penalize apps which fail to detect it.
What's more, this isn't Avast's only ransomware defense. There's another more effective layer available. Install Avast Premium Security and it automatically detects folders with user documents, then protects them with Avast's Ransomware Shield, preventing ransomware or untrusted apps from modifying them without permission. While Avast correctly added our key user folders to its Protected list, it wasn't so smart at detecting others, missing folders containing thousands of documents.
It's easy to browse the Ransomware Shield folder list, though. Is Avast Free Antivirus compatible with Windows 11? Microsoft supports Avast Free Antivirus on all Windows 11 devices. You can easily download and run the installer in minutes and be protected right away. Does Windows 11 need an antivirus? Windows 11 has a built-in security center where you can enable basic security tools.
Luckily, Microsoft makes it easy to install antivirus software that specifically provides advanced protection and security, such as Avast Free Antivirus. This antivirus can detect any security weaknesses in real time and blocks viruses , spyware , Trojans , and other types of malware — all completely free.
Is it safe to upgrade to Windows 11? To make your PC safer, we recommend using an effective free antivirus to add an extra layer of online security and a secure VPN to encrypt your connection for greater privacy. Does Windows 11 have better security than older versions? Windows 11 is a more secure operating system than the older versions of Windows. To get the most secure version of Windows 11, you can find new security features in the Windows Operating System. You can combine the new security features with antivirus software to make your PC even more secure.
It also includes advanced features like web and email shields, Wi-Fi security scanners, and more. Not at all. Overall, the prices for protecting just one device seem costly, especially considering the quality of the application available for free.
Visit Avast. Getting Avast antivirus software set up on your PC or Mac takes very little time and is very easy thanks to the installer provided on its website.
For those who require a mobile version, it is available on both the Apple or Google Play stores. The Avast Premium Security installer starts by asking you whether you want to also install Avast Secure Browser, which will allow you to search the web with added security. We opted to install it to give it a trial run. Installing Avast Premium Security results in you accepting both the Privacy Policy and the End User License agreement more on this is the privacy section below.
Once the installer begins it takes around a minute to complete and launches automatically. You can either opt to use the free trial or to activate using their activation code if they already paid for a subscription.
The secure browser will also now launch automatically. Once you've made a choice, Avast will ask you to perform your first scan. It starts by scanning your browsers. It will also ask you to set your WiFi network to either Private or Public, followed by a scan of that network. Next, Avast will automatically check for outdated software.
Following these updates, Avast will inform you if there are any malware threats, and then recommend any advanced issues that require fixing. This includes securing sensitive folders against ransomware, setting up webcam protection, turning on the advanced firewall, and turning on safe browsing mode to ensure that your online activities are secure.
Clicking Resolve All ensures that those important security features are used. Admittedly, these extra features are not available with the free version. However, because Avast provides a free trial of Premium Security and you will can use all the features during that trial period, it's a great way to get a sense of what the premium antivirus can do and you can upgrade at any time.
The compulsory initial scan that happens as part of the software installation is a superb feature that ensures your device is not only checked for malware but is also set up to make use of other native security features.
We found this stage of the install to act as a walkthrough for getting the antivirus setup correctly, as well as a comprehensive scan of all potentially problematic areas. This makes Avast extremely simple for beginners to use and means that even the most non-techy user will get full protection from the get go with the click of just a few simple buttons. With that initial setup out of the way, you can opt to either scan when you want to or to set up a scheduled smart scan.
Again, setting up the scheduled scan to run once a month is part of the setup phase, meaning you do not need to painstakingly search through a menu to find the scheduling settings. Send questionable files to be examined by specialists. If they are dangerous, we will create a cure and ship it from the total Avast network. Scan your house Wi-Fi system to discover and fix vulnerabilities that make it effortless for malware to slide through.
Eliminate those worthless toolbars, add-ons and browser extensions which were installed without you noticing. Place all of your Avast and Windows alarms on the grip, to find the processing speed and power you want for your gambling experience. Shield your PC in real-time Detect viruses, ransomware, Trojans, and other kinds of malware whenever they look and prevent them before they could do some harm.
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