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avast! is first Free Antivirus to be Windows 8 Compatible
Avast! is the first free antivirus software to be offered in the Windows store after being tested and passing the rigorous requirements for Microsoft® Windows® 8 operating system compatibility. Avast! Free Antivirus earned the coveted compatibility certification and the right to display the “Windows 8 Compatible” logo.
“Avast has a track record of receiving Microsoft Windows certifications, and Windows 8 is not an exception,” said Ondřej Vlček, Chief Technology Officer of Avast. “Having avast! in the Windows store provides Windows users with a certified PC security solution that is far better than what they would have with the pre-bundled Windows Defender antivirus previously known as Microsoft Security Essentials.”
Windows Defender is basic virus and malware protection that provides similar protection, uses the same antimalware engine, and has a look akin to Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). Performance tests by AV-Test, a respected antivirus software testing lab, show that avast! Free Antivirus has notably surpassed that of MSE in all 2012 monthly Real-World tests. While it does a good job on common widespread malware, as do most good brands, MSE lacks the cutting edge protection against new unknown “zero-day” attacks of which avast! Free Antivirus excels in detecting.
Earning the certification gives avast! Free Antivirus the right to display the “Windows 8 Compatible” logo after passing Microsoft’s technical requirements for compatibility and reliability with Windows 8.
“The logo is an indication that the app has been developed and fully tested to work great on a given platform. Because of all the innovations in Windows 8, getting the logo this time was not simple, but getting it early on shows a clear dedication of my team to our users, making sure they can start moving to this new exciting platform immediately,” said Vlček.
Windows® is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies.
avast! Free Antivirus Outperforms Competitors in Independent Test
avast! Free Antivirus outperformed multiple free and paid-for antivirus products in AV-TEST’s analysis of thirty-one consumer and business internet security products. The test, which concluded in June, included familiar names in the antivirus sector. Even a well-known paid-for ‘Internet Security 2012’ product which sells for $79.99 a year, was bested by AVAST Software’s free antivirus product.
Both home-user and corporate products analyzed by AV-Test.org cover a range of metrics, including protection against ‘real-world’ zero-day malware attacks, detection of a representative set of malware discovered in the last 2-3 months, false positive rates, and scanning speed. avast! Free Antivirus detected 100% of widespread and prevalent malware (such as viruses, worms or Trojan Horses), and its cumulative score earned it the top spot for overall performance among competitors.
AV-TEST uses specially developed processes to examine products in accordance with the high standards of the IT security field. The aim of the research work carried out by AV-TEST is to directly detect the latest malware, to analyze it using state-of-the-art methods and to inform consumers of the results obtained.
Recommending avast! has its rewards
Our 190 millionth registered avast! user, Julie P. and her friend Steve, were given a free trip to Prague, home base of AVAST Software, in appreciation of Steve’s recommendation. Steve recommended that Julie try avast!, and it turned our better than she expected.
“Since three out of every ten new users come because of a friend, it’s time we also recognize a recommender,” said Vince Steckler, CEO of AVAST Software. “I am pleased we have been able to identify both the 190 millionth registered user and the friend that recommended avast!.”
Julie is a British national living in Spain. She decided to get avast! Free antivirus on the advice of Steve, a helpful retired friend. And when it came time to install avast! on her computer, it was Steve that downloaded and installed it.
“As a recommender and IT helper, people like Stephen have a big impact on AVAST and have helped drive growth last year from 141 million to 189 million registered users,” said Mr. Steckler. Read more…
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