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Avast! Internet Security Review: Internet Security Software |
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| Fast, affordable and easy to use. Best for users who want a simple, user-friendly interface. Discount for NextAdvisor users. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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[Editor's note: Avast! is offering NextAdvisor readers 30% off for one year of protection from Internet Security 6. Just click on any link to Avast! from NextAdvisor.]
Introduction Since Avast!'s interface upgrade last year, the company has had the opportunity to work on improving their extra features and offering their users a richer antivirus and anti-malware experience. Not only is Avast! 6 more user-friendly and easier to navigate than the previous version, its feature upgrades and affordability make it a very popular security software suite. Installation Avast! has one of the fastest and easiest installations we've seen from a security software suite. No annoying surveys. No super long wait time. No issues with other security software. You hit one button, restart your computer and the service is ready to go. It even asks you whether it's a home, office or public computer, so it can determine the risk level. Interface: The interface hasn't changed much, but after the massive makeover from last year, there wasn't much to improve on. The side tabs make it easy to navigate the software, and every button or link is thoroughly explained. The Scan section allows you to choose from 4 distinct scans, which include the obvious (a Quick Scan and Full System Scan), as well as a scan of removable media and a scan of selected folders, which are both unique and helpful options to have. It also features a Real-Time Shield section that breaks down current data from the 8 shields that Avast! employs to protect your computer. The shields include everything from a Mail Shield (to protect email) to an IM Shield. The Additional Protection section houses all the extra features that aren't included in the 8 shields, including the new AutoSandbox and WebRep features. It also includes Antispam, SafeZone and Site Blocking. Antivirus/Anti-malware and Performance With all the protection that Avast! offers, it's no surprise that the software performed well in both the independent testing as well as our in-house testing. Avast! has consistently scored high marks from AV-Comparatives, and they scored 3 out of 3 stars in this summer's Whole-Product Dynamic Test, which takes into account the sum of the product's parts in protecting PCs. They also successfully passed our site blocker and download tests. With all of this protection, you would think the software might weigh down your system, but even with the upgrades, Avast! still scored at the top of the AV-Comparatives Performance Test, garnering 3 out of 3 stars. New Features Avast! made a couple big of improvements this year to their security software. The first major update is an automatic version of their Sandbox software. AutoSandbox will automatically put programs that could be a threat in a virtualized state so that they are walled off from causing harm to your computer. While Sandbox did this same thing in the last version, now the feature is automated so that you don't have to worry about needing to do it manually. Along the same lines but in reverse, another brand new feature, SafeZone, is basically a secure space that keeps viruses and malware from getting in. Avast! hopes that people will use this feature for their most secure transactions, such as online banking. The last big improvement Avast! has made is introducing WebRep, a browser plug-in that rates the websites that you visit and the search terms you enter, based on ratings that Avast! collects from its community of users. The plug-in is a tiny three-bar green graph on the left side of your browser. Three bars means a site is totally secure, while no bars means that the site is untested or unsecure. It's completely unintrusive but absolutely helpful. Conclusion Avast! has everything the average consumer could want from security software. Fast installation. User-friendly interface. Top-rated protection. Quick performance. All combined with enhanced protection features makes Avast! one of the top user-friendly security software suites in our opinion. System Requirements: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 7 AV-Comparatives ratings on a variety of tasks related to the antivirus and anti-malware product. "Known Malware" refers to a product's ability to catch pre-identified viruses, while "Unknown Malware" refers to its ability to detect brand new viruses. Older scores may reflect previous software versions.
Visit Avast! Internet Security Website | Compare to Other Internet Security Software |
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**Score indicates impact of antivirus product on system performance. August 2010 test by AV-Comparatives. 
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