On the one hand, we have the standard edition, the free one, or Free. We can use this antivirus without a time limit without having to checkout, and it offers us standard and basic protection against the main threats. What this antivirus includes is:
- Virus and malware protection. It detects and blocks all the threats that can reach our computer to avoid endangering our security.
- Protection against ransomware. It protects us from this dangerous type of malware that hijacks the files on our PC and asks us to pay a ransom to recover them.
- smart analysis. It analyzes the PC in search of vulnerabilities to notify us in case we are exposing our security without knowing it. In addition, it uses advanced AI to detect potential threats based on the behavior of processes.
- Wi-Fi network security. It is in charge of checking the security of the Wi-Fi network to which we are connected to find out if it is a secure network, or if we may be exposing our data to other users connected to it.
- Avoid fake or dangerous websites. This shield is in charge of checking all the websites that we visit from the browser so that, if one of them is dangerous, or may have been impersonated, the connection is blocked to avoid putting ourselves in danger.
- Data breach alert. If any of our information (personal data, passwords, etc.) appears on the network, it notifies us in real time so that we can take action as soon as possible.
If we want more advanced protection, Avast offers us its protection “Premium”. This has a cost of 72.99 euros per year for one device, or 93.99 euros per year for 10 devices, and offers us, in addition to the previous basic protection, the following shields:
- Protection against scams or phishing. This shield is in charge of checking the websites and, if any of them are used to scam, or collect personal data, it blocks it to prevent further damage.
- Blocking remote attacks on the PC. It checks all the connections that are made between our PC and blocks those that could be dangerous.
- Protection for macOS. If we use the Apple operating system, Avast also protects us from threats to this system.
- mobile versions. It also allows us to protect iOS and Android systems.
Finally, we also have a version «Ultimate» of this antivirus. This is the most complete edition that brings us, in addition to all the shields of the “Premium” edition, a series of extras to improve the functioning of our PC and also improve our security. This edition is priced at 103.99 euros for a single PC, or 122.99 euros in its version for 10 devices. The extras we get with it are:
- Secure Line VPN. A VPN with unlimited traffic with which we can browse the Internet with complete privacy and anonymity.
- Cleanup Premium. A tool that will allow us to remove all the junk from the PC to free up space, make it work better, and prevent browsing data that could be private from being saved.
- AntiTrack. A tool thanks to which we will be able to completely hide our identity online.
How Avast works
The antivirus is constantly running in the background so we don’t have to worry about anything. To know that it is active, and that everything is going well, we will have an icon in the lower left part of the screen, and from there we will be able to open the main interface of the program.
Here we can see a summary with the security status of our antivirus. And we can also access all the security shields of the program.
Protection
Within this section we are going to find all the security shields related to the security and general protection of our computer.
Virus scan
From this section is where we will be able to analyze the PC in search of viruses or other threats that can endanger our security. Here we will find the results of the intelligent analyzes that the program has carried out, as well as the different options to analyze the PC in search of viruses. We can carry out complete analysis, analyze specific directories, system startup, etc.
basic shields
In this section we will find the different protection shields that we can find in this program. We can activate or deactivate the shields according to the needs of our moment, although the recommendation is to always leave them activated so that our PC can be correctly protected.
Quarantine
When the antivirus detects a threat, it moves it here. Within the quarantine it is totally isolated and it is impossible for it to affect our computer. We can find all the threats in this directory so that if it is a false positive, we can recover the data. We can also manually add files to this quarantine.
network inspector
This panel will allow us to analyze the network configuration in search of possible failures and security problems that could put us in danger. It will also ensure that all connections with the rest of the devices on the local network are secure and there are no problems with them.
Ransomware Shield
This section allows us to activate protection against ransomware. This works in a very simple way, and what the program does is monitor the most important personal folders on the PC and block any unauthorized process that tries to make changes to them. We can add or remove the folders we want, as well as indicate which applications can or cannot make changes.
firewall
The firewall is nothing more than a frontend to the Windows firewall. From here we will be able to see all the applications that are connected to the Internet, the active networks that are on our PC and a series of reports on the activity of the program. Also, if we pay for the Premium edition, we can unlock additional shields.
remote access shield
This shield is in charge of protecting remote desktop connections, RDP, to prevent hackers from connecting to our computer without permission.
*Only for Premium users.
royal site
Shield that protects us from false web pages when we browse the Internet. This shield is in charge of controlling each time we enter our bank’s website to prevent anyone from taking our personal data and stealing our money.
*Only for Premium users.
Sandbox
Does a file hide a virus? No problem. Sandbox is an isolated space where we can execute the files we want so that, if it was a virus, it can’t get out of the sandbox and affect our real PC.
*Only for Premium users.
Privacy
Here we are going to find all the options that will help us to protect the privacy of our computer much better. Thanks to these shields we will be able to browse the net with greater freedom and with the certainty that there are no other users collecting our data.
hack alerts
This is one of the most interesting shields that we will find in this section. By logging in with our Avast account, the server is in charge of constantly searching for information about us on the web and, in the event that any data breach is detected (email, password, personal data, etc.) it will notify us so that we can take measures as soon as possible.
password protection
Web browsers can save our passwords, something that is very convenient, but insecure. Thanks to this shield we will be able to protect these passwords against much more specific attacks and thefts.
*Only for Premium users.
webcam shield
There is malware that activates the webcam without permission and spies on us while we are sitting in front of the PC. Thanks to this shield we can protect our camera, block it, and prevent anything and nobody from seeing us through the PC’s eye.
*Only for Premium users.
Sensitive Data Shield
A shield that is in charge of detecting all kinds of personal and sensitive information and applying an extra protection shield to avoid that, if a hacker finds this data, he can do us a lot of damage.
*Only for Premium users.
data destroyer
When we delete a file from the computer, they are not completely deleted, but simply marked as “free space”, waiting to be overwritten. This allows, with specialized programs, to recover said data. Thanks to this destroyer we will be able to completely and irretrievably eliminate all this data.
*Only for Premium users.
Performance
Finally, within this section we are going to find useful tools to improve the performance of our PC and make it work as well as possible.
do not disturb mode
There is nothing worse than working, or playing, and having an antivirus warning interrupt our game. Thanks to this function, we can tell the antivirus which programs we want to activate the do not disturb mode so that, when they are executed, we will automatically stop receiving notifications and warnings, although the antivirus will continue to work normally.
software updater
To prevent outdated programs from endangering our computer, Avast includes an updater. This is in charge of searching for new versions of the programs that we have installed on the PC, downloading and installing them in order to have all our software always up to date.
Other options
In addition to all of the above, in the program we will see links to other tools designed to give us greater security and privacy when we connect to the Internet. For example, we will be able to access SecureLine VPN, the premium tracking blocker, Secure Browser (a secure browser running in a sandbox), advanced and optimized cleaning, as well as a tool to update PC drivers.
We can also see access to the store, from where we can buy the “premium” license of the program and the other applications, as well as the download of the mobile app and the antivirus configuration options.
Is this antivirus really safe?
Avast has been in the antivirus market for many years. Therefore, it knows very well the hackers, their way of acting, and how to best protect users. In addition, the purchase of AVG and its merger with Norton have only increased this knowledge. That is why, despite being a free antivirus, it is capable of offering us protection that is more than up to expectations.
If we look at the latest security tests carried out by AV Testwe can see that Avast gives us perfect protection in every way: protection, performance and usability.
If we look at the tests in detail, we can see that in terms of protection, it has been able to detect and block 100% of the threats, both the most common and widespread malware and the zero-day threats that have appeared in network.
Within the performance section, we can see that this security program offers better performance than the average for…
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