We’ve enhanced our all-in-one service, Avast One, by introducing brand new features designed to protect you from online scams, fraud, and other personal privacy threats. A key mobile-first enhancement released on Android, Scam Protection, makes it easier to spot malicious communications so that everyone ⁠— no matter their technical expertise ⁠— can stay safe from scams by proactively scanning web links in messages before they are opened, while on Windows and Mac, Email Guardian blocks malicious attachments sent to and from email accounts.

In releasing the newest version of Avast One, we’re responding to the ubiquitous trend of scamming attempts and other forms of online fraud targeting consumers, which have grown significantly in recent months and years.

“Not only are scams more pervasive, they’re also more sophisticated, to the extent it’s really hard to differentiate between content that’s benign and content designed to exploit,” said Vita Santrucek, Chief Product Officer at Avast.

This is also due to the fact that scammers take advantage of current topics that are top of mind. For example, two years ago we saw a spike in Covid-related scams, and in February and March of this year, we’ve observed a number of scams related to the war in Ukraine. With our newest additions to the Avast One suite, our goal is to help individuals across the globe regain confidence in using the internet and to enjoy their digital freedom online.

Privacy made easy

Avast One is a cross-platform service that goes beyond antivirus to include built-in technologies that improve online privacy, security, identity, and performance for the modern internet.

In addition to scam and online fraud protection, Avast One includes a feature called Online Safety Score, which gives you regular feedback on their digital habits and provides personalized tips to improve online and device safety. Privacy Advisor, an educational tool that offers simple step-by-step instructions to adjust and improve privacy settings on popular platforms such as Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, has also been integrated into Avast One, as well as Smart VPN, a feature that automatically activates a VPN session when visiting banking websites or connecting to public Wi-Fi. We’re proud to report that both of these features are now available on both Windows and Mac.

Powerful, proactive protection

Avast One is available in three different versions: Essential, the free service, and premium services Individual and Family. Avast One Individual supports a single user for up to five devices and Avast One Family for up to six users across 30 devices. Let’s take a look at each of the new features available in the latest update of Avast One Essential: 

• Email Guardian seeks to block malicious attachments to emails received in dedicated email apps installed on the desktop, and prevents you from sending malicious attachments to others. When a malicious attachment is detected, an alert is displayed. The file can still be downloaded if you choose to trust the file. (Available on Windows and Mac.)

• Online Safety Score provides regular feedback on your digital habits and personalized tips to help you take control of their online safety. Online Safety Score provides a ‘digital hygiene’ score calculated by analyzing the cyber hygiene of devices, including software and operating system updates and security settings such as antivirus shields and firewalls; the safer the device, the higher the score. The simple dashboard indicates status using green and red, and provides you with personalized tips for improving online and device safety. (Available on Windows and Android.)

• Privacy Advisor provides a step-by-step guide to enhance privacy settings on popular websites and services like Amazon, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Skype, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit, giving you greater control over your data and how it’s used. (Available on Windows and Mac.)

Furthermore, Avast One Individual and Family now includes:

• Scam Protection, which notifies you when you receive a message (over SMS, social media, or messaging apps) in which a potentially dangerous link has been identified. If a link is deemed safe, it automatically opens in the browser. If the link is deemed dangerous, you’ll be notified so that you can decide whether you’d like to ignore the link or continue at your own risk. (Available on Android.)
• Smart VPN allows you to configure the VPN to automatically connect during a preferred situation, such as when joining a public network or logging onto a banking website. Smart VPN also can be configured to prompt you to turn on the VPN when those scenarios are detected. (Available on Windows and Mac.)

Spreading more digital freedom

Avast is committed to protecting digital freedom for all online citizens. Avast One is available for download now on Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows.