We help you avoid dangerous websites

Steering clear of malicious websites is probably the best way to prevent infection. And all our PC security products help you do just that.

Our Online Security browser extension automatically redirects you to the correct site if you mistype a URL and warns you if you ever land on a malicious website.

Real Site (available to paid users) goes a step further by protecting you against hacked routers that use fake DNS (domain name system) settings to redirect you to fake websites. Real Site uses Avast’s own secure, cloud-based DNS settings to bypass vulnerable router settings and ensure that you don’t unwittingly give your passwords or bank info to fake sites.

We stop threats before they reach your PC

Even legitimate websites can get hacked, so we scan every piece of data that travels to your computer. The scan is so insanely quick, you shouldn’t notice any slowdown when browsing.

Web Shield blocks known malware from downloading to your PC while you browse the web.

Email Shield works with installed email clients like Outlook and Thunderbird to strip malicious attachments from messages before they’re downloaded to — or sent from — your PC.

Threats that get this far are scanned again on your PC

In the unlikely event that you ever manage to download malware, don’t worry. We won’t let it harm your PC.

Whenever you execute a file, File Shield immediately scans it. If the file is malicious, it’s safely moved to our Virus Chest to prevent it from harming your PC (or spreading to other PCs).

We watch all apps for malicious behavior

On rare occasions, a persistent piece of malware may sneak through the usual antivirus defenses. Thankfully, Avast is just as persistent, and never stops watching for malicious behavior.

Behavior Shield uses advanced artificial intelligence to monitor all running apps in real-time for malicious behavior. If any is detected, Behavior Shield immediately stops the app and locks it away in our Virus Chest.

Any malware still around faces another hundreds of millions of layers of security.

The more users we have, the stronger we become. That’s because each of our hundreds of millions of users acts as a sensor to detect even the newest, never-before-seen forms of malware.

If you try to open a file that we don’t recognize (and might be dangerous), CyberCapture will block it and upload it to our servers for deeper analysis. If it’s malicious, we’ll push a cure out to you and our hundreds of millions of users.

Avast Free Antivirus protects against ransomware

Our free antivirus now ensures that your documents, photos, and other important files are protected by advanced ransomware security.

Ransomware Shield (available with Avast Free Antivirus and Premium Security) stops both ransomware and untrusted apps from changing, deleting, or locking personal photos and files in your protected folders.

Premium stops remote access attacks

Avast Premium Security now prevents hackers from being able to remotely take control of your computer and compromise your security.

Remote Access Shield (available with Avast Premium Security) protects you against hackers who attempt to take control of your computer remotely in order to infect it with malware or lock your files with ransomware. It stops brute-force attacks, secures OS vulnerabilities, and blocks IP addresses known to distribute malware by exploiting RDP ports.