Avast antivirus packs a powerful collection of features that come in an streamlined package. Its malware engine earned a perfect score in my tests and its web protection was effective in identifying sites that were phishing that slipped through Chrome and Firefox’s default detection systems. And its performance scanner did a great job of keeping its impact on system speed to a minimum. In fact Avast’s performance scanner was more effective in reducing CPU usage than any other program I tried.
Avast also provides a range of other tools. Avast One is the only one to offer the VPN, an image vault, and a tool to monitor data breaches. The security toolkit it offers is very extensive, including a sandbox to run applications inside and a router security scanner that checks for potential vulnerabilities.
Avast offers a full support website that provides a comprehensive knowledge base for when you encounter issues. The search function makes finding the answers to frequently-asked questions easy. And if you don’t find the answer then the Avast forum is an excellent resource for getting help from other users.
Although Avast claims it no longer sells user information but its past history of doing such a www.alvieprimaryschool.org.uk/understanding-the-basics-of-nonprofit-board-management/ thing is still fresh in the minds of many users. PCMag and Motherboard reported in January of 2020 that Avast had sold personal information as well as location data of its users via its Jumpshot subsidiary. Avast has since stopped this practice and now asks users to opt-in when they download new installations of its desktop AV software. In its privacy policies Avast explains that all data of consumers is “stripped off and de-identified prior to being shared with a third party.”