Avast facts for kids
Logo used since 2021
|
|
Enterprise Office Center building, Gen Digital co-headquarters in Prague
|
|
|
Formerly
|
Alwil Software |
|---|---|
| Subsidiary | |
| Traded as |
|
| Industry | Computer software |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters |
,
Czech Republic
|
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
|
Key people
|
|
| Products | Cybersecurity software |
| Services | Computer security |
| Revenue |  US$892.9 million (2020) |
|
Operating income
|
 US$335.4 million (2020) |
| US$169.6 million (2020) |
|
| Total assets | US$2.707 billion (2020) |
| Total equity | US$1.195 billion (2020) |
|
Number of employees
|
~1,700 (2021) |
| Parent | Gen Digital |
| Subsidiaries |
|
Avast Software is a company from the Czech Republic. It creates computer programs that help keep your computers and phones safe from bad stuff online. They use smart technology like machine learning and artificial intelligence to do this.
Lots of people use Avast! In April 2020, over 435 million people used their programs every month. They were one of the biggest companies making software to fight against harmful programs. By 2018, about 1,700 people worked for Avast in 25 offices around the world.
In July 2021, another cybersecurity company called NortonLifeLock wanted to join with Avast. By August 2021, Avast's leaders agreed to this deal, which was worth about US$8 billion. The companies officially joined together in September 2022.
Avast was started by Pavel Baudiš and Eduard Kučera in 1988. At first, it was a small group working together. It became a private company in 2010. In May 2018, Avast offered its shares to the public for the first time.
In July 2016, Avast bought another company that made antivirus software, AVG Technologies, for $1.3 billion. AVG was the third most popular antivirus product at that time. Avast's main product is Avast Antivirus. They also make other helpful tools like the Avast Secure Browser and the Avast SecureLine VPN.
Avast also creates browser extensions. These include Avast Online Security, Avast SafePrice, and Avast Passwords.
Contents
The Story of Avast
Avast was started by Eduard Kučera and Pavel Baudiš in 1988. They met while studying math and computer science in Czechoslovakia. Pavel found a computer virus on a floppy disk. He then created the first program to remove it. After that, he asked Eduard to help him start a company.
Their company was first called Alwil. Only the software itself was named Avast. In 1991, the company changed from a small group to a partnership. This happened after big changes in Czechoslovakia, which became a market economy.
In 1995, an Avast employee named Ondřej Vlček created the first antivirus program for the Windows 95 computer system. In the 1990s, experts who tested computer security software gave Avast many awards. This made the software more popular.
Growing the Company
By 2001, Alwil was having money problems. They decided to try something new: they offered a basic version of their Avast software for free. This idea worked very well! By 2004, one million people were using the software. By 2006, that number grew to 20 million.
In 2009, Vince Steckler became the CEO of Avast. In 2010, Alwil changed its name to Avast, using the name of its popular software. They also received $100 million from investors. By 2013, Avast had 200 million users in 38 countries. Their software was translated into 43 languages. At that time, the company had 350 employees.
In 2014, a company called CVC Capital bought a part of Avast. This deal valued Avast at $1 billion. Later that year, Avast bought a company called Inmite to help them build mobile apps. By 2015, Avast had the biggest share of the market for antivirus software.
In July 2016, Avast bought AVG for $1.3 billion. AVG was another big company that made security software for computers and phones. In July 2017, Avast bought Piriform, the company that made CCleaner.
In May 2018, Avast offered its shares to the public on the London Stock Exchange. This made it one of the biggest technology companies listed in the UK. In July 2019, Ondřej Vlček became the CEO and co-owner of Avast. He decided to take only $1 as his yearly pay. He also gave his director's pay of $100,000 to charity.
In April 2020, Avast released a new secure web browser for Android phones. This browser was based on technology from a company called Tenta that Avast had bought earlier.
In July 2021, NortonLifeLock, an American cybersecurity company, announced plans to join with Avast Software. In August 2021, Avast's leaders agreed to the offer of US$8 billion. In September 2022, the deal was approved, and the companies officially merged.
Avast Products and Services
Avast creates and sells computer security products for businesses and regular users. These products work on servers, desktop computers, and mobile devices. The company sells both the Avast products and the AVG-branded products they bought.
Avast and AVG security software for regular users are sold using a "freemium" model. This means that basic security features are free to use. However, if you want more advanced features, you need to buy a premium version. The free version also shows ads.
All Avast users share some information about their computer or phone with Avast. This helps Avast find new security threats faster. You can get free features like antivirus scanning, browser cleanup, a secure browser, and password management. Other features, like a firewall or anti-spam tools, need to be purchased. About 3% of Avast's users pay for a premium version.
Business Products
Avast also has products for businesses. These include tools for protecting all the computers in a company, Wi-Fi security, antivirus, and managing passwords. For example, their desktop product can check for weak spots in a Wi-Fi network. It can also run suspicious programs in a safe, isolated area. Avast also sells software that helps IT managers set up and manage Avast programs for many users.
What People Think of Avast
In 2021, PC Magazine gave Avast Free Antivirus software a good score of 4 out of 5. They noted that AVG AntiVirus Free uses the same protection as Avast Free Antivirus. However, Avast has more extra features.
Tests by the AV-TEST Institute in August 2021 showed that Avast and AVG were very good at protection and easy to use. A review in Tom's Guide said that the free Avast antivirus product offers "good protection against malware" and does not slow down your computer much. The review also mentioned that Avast has many features for a free product, but scans might not always be super fast.
The Avast antivirus product for business users also received a good rating from TechRadar in 2017. They said the software had good features, protection, and an "excellent interface." However, it took up a lot of space and did not cover mobile devices. According to Tom's Guide, the mobile version is affordable and has many features. PC Magazine said the mobile version "has almost all the security features you could want."
User Data and Privacy
In late 2019, it was found that Avast's browser extensions were collecting some user information. This included what websites people visited. This led to Avast and AVG extensions being temporarily removed from popular browser stores like Google Chrome and Firefox. They were put back later because there was no clear proof that private user data was misused.
In January 2020, an investigation found that the free versions of Avast Antivirus and AVG AntiVirus were collecting user data. This data was then sold to help create personalized ads through a company called Jumpshot, which Avast owned. The investigation showed that Jumpshot offered to provide details like "Every search. Every click. On every site." from over 100 million devices.
Because of this, Avast announced on January 30, 2020, that it would immediately close Jumpshot. They stopped all its operations due to concerns from their users about data privacy. In February 2024, the Federal Trade Commission in the US fined Avast $16.5 million for collecting and selling user data.
See also
In Spanish: Avast Software para niños
- Comparison of antivirus software
