Core Shields are the main protection components in Avast Antivirus. The Core Shields are: File Shield, Behavior Shield, Web Shield, and Mail Shield. By default, all Core Shields are enabled to provide optimal protection. Avast Antivirus shields actively analyze suspicious information both sent from and received to your PC, as well as potentially malicious content stored within your PC. These components detect and block malicious files, dangerous websites, unauthorized connections, and other threats.
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In Avast Internet Security, Avast Pro Antivirus, and Avast Free Antivirus, you can maintain updates manually by clicking the Update button next to each application. Avast aims to cover third-party products whose updates are essential for PC security. Get the best antivirus for Mac 2018.There are many antivirus out there claiming to be the best. Some are free while others will require you to pay a fee. When you do a scan using this best antivirus for Mac, the process will be through in a few seconds. A while back Avira was the best antivirus for mac. Recently however, it has been.
Enable or Disable all Core Shields
Core Shields are your PC's main defense against malware. All shields are enabled by default for your protection, but all the shields can be instantly disabled for troubleshooting purposes. To disable all Core Shields temporarily:
- Open the Avast user interface and go to
☰
Menu ▸ Settings. - Select Protection ▸ Core Shields.
- Click the slider so that it turns to red (OFF), and select the duration of time Core Shields will be disabled.
All Core Shields are now temporarily disabled. To enable all Core Shields, follow steps 1-2 above, then click the red slider so that it changes to green (ON).
Configure Core Shields sensitivity
In this section of the Core Shields settings, you can determine the sensitivity of the shields. The higher the sensitivity, the higher the protection and potential for false positive malware detections. Reducing the sensitivity reduces the chance of false positive detections, but may also reduce the effectiveness of the Core Shields. Sensitivity is set to Medium sensitivity by default, but can also be set to High sensitivity or Low sensitivity. To change your Core Shields sensitivity:
- Click and hold the white marker, then slide it to your desired sensitivity setting.
Configure Core Shields behavior
In this section of the Core Shields settings, select the tab for Virus or Potentially unwanted programs (PUPs), and define the actions to be performed when each type of virus is found on your PC. Configure the following behavior settings:
- Actions: select which action Avast applies when a Viruses and Potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) are detected. We recommend selecting Fix automatically.
- Enable CyberCapture Technology: define how you want to treat a threat on your PC. You can select Always block a threat to allow Avast to block the threat automatically, or Ask me about decision to receive a notification every time a threat is detected on your PC.
- Enable Hardened Mode: uses information based on reputation services to determine which executable files are safe to open.
- Enable Rootkit detection: enables Avast to monitor hidden malicious threats in the system. Unticking this option may resolve potential compatibility issues that can cause system crashes.
- Enable Exploit detection: enables Avast to detect and block attempts to run malicious threats or processes in the memory from exploiting vulnerable applications on your PC. Unticking this option may result in potential compatibility issues that can cause system crashes.
Enable or disable an individual shield
- Open the Avast user interface and go to
☰
Menu ▸ Settings. - Select Protection ▸ Core Shields.
- Scroll to the Configure shield settings section and ensure the Field Shield tab is selected. Choose your preferred action:
- Untick the box next to Enable File Shield to disable File Shield and select the duration of time File Shield should be disabled.
- Tick the box next to Enable File Shield to enable File Shield.
- Open the Avast user interface and go to
☰
Menu ▸ Settings. - Select Protection ▸ Core Shields.
- Scroll to the Configure shield settings section and click the Behavior Shield tab. Choose your preferred action:
- Untick the box next to Enable Behavior Shield to disable Behavior Shield and select the duration of time Behavior Shield should be disabled.
- Tick the box next to Enable Behavior Shield to enable Behavior Shield.
- Open the Avast user interface and go to
☰
Menu ▸ Settings. - Select Protection ▸ Core Shields.
- Scroll to the Configure shield settings section and click the Web Shield tab. Choose your preferred action:
- Untick the box next to Enable Web Shield to disable Web shield and select the duration of time Web Shield should be disabled.
- Tick the box next to Enable Web Shield to enable Web Shield.
- Open the Avast user interface and go to
☰
Menu ▸ Settings. - Select Protection ▸ Core Shields.
- Scroll to the Configure shield settings section and click the Mail Shield tab:
- Untick the box next to Enable Mail Shield to disable Mail Shield and select the duration of time Web Shield should be disabled.
- Tick the box next to Enable Mail Shield to enable Mail Shield.
You can also enable/disable all Core Shields, Firewall, and Real Site at once from the system tray. Right-click the Avast system tray icon and select Avast shields control, then select an action from the context menu.
We strongly recommend you keep all crucial security components, such as Antivirus shields and Firewall, enabled to ensure your maximum protection. We do not recommend turning off these components indefinitely by selecting the Stop permanently or Disable permanently options.
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Configure individual Shield settings
File System Shield actively scans all programs and files on your hard drive as they are opened, run, modified, and saved. If malware is detected, File System Shield prevents the program or file from infecting your PC.
To modify your File Shield settings, open the Avast user interface, go to
☰
Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Protection ▸ Core Shields, and scroll to the Configure shield settings section. Select the File System Shield tab. Configure the following settings:- Enable File Shield: turn File Shield on or off.
- Scan auto-run items when removable media is attached: specify whether you want File System Shield to scan removable drives for auto-run viruses.
- Scan recommended extensions: specify if File Shield should scan all files or only those recommended by Avast.
- Scan all files: specify if File Shield should scan all files or only those recommended by Avast
- Scan programs when executing: specify whether you want File System Shield to scan programs, scripts, or libraries each time they are run.
- Scan files when opening: specify which file types you want File System Shield to scan each time the files are opened.
- Scan files when writing: specify the file types you want File System Shield to scan while the files are being created or modified.
- Generate report file: specify whether you want File System Shield to produce reports of scan results.
Behavior Shield monitors programs installed on your PC for suspicious behavior that may indicate the presence of malicious code.
To modify your Behavior Shield settings, open the Avast user interface, go to
☰
Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Protection ▸ Core Shields, and scroll to the Configure shield settings section. Select the Behavior Shield tab. Configure the following settings:- Enable Behavior Shield: turn Behavior Shield on or off.
- Generate report file: specify whether you want Behavior Shield to produce reports of scan results.
Web Shield actively scans data that is transferred when you browse the internet to prevent malware from being downloaded and run on your PC.
To modify your Web Shield settings, open the Avast user interface, go to
☰
Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Protection ▸ Core Shields, and scroll to the Configure shield settings section. Select the Web Shield tab. Configure the following settings:- Enable Web Shield: turn Web Shield on or off.
- Enable Web scanning: specify if Web Shield should scan all downloaded files.
- Enable HTTPS scanning: specify if Web shield should scan encrypted websites.
- Enable QUIC/HTT3 scanning: specify if Web shield should scan communications sent and received via Google's QUIC protocol.
- Enable Script scanning: specify if Web Shield should block malicious scripts from applications and websites. This includes remote threats from the web and outside sources, and local threats saved to disk or in the browser cache. Script scanning can also detect and block malicious scripts that come from HTTPS (encrypted) connections.
- Enable site blocking: allows you to block access to specific websites. Click Show Blocked Websites and type the website address to add a website to the list. Then, click +Add Website to add another website to the list, or Close to confirm the addition and return to Web Shield settings.
- Generate report file: specify whether you want Web Shield to produce reports of scan results.
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Mail Shield scans for threats in your incoming and outgoing email messages. Scanning applies only to messages sent or received using mail management software, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird.
To modify your Mail Shield settings, open the Avast user interface, go to
☰
Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Protection ▸ Core Shields, and scroll to the Configure shield settings section. Select the Mail Shield tab. Configure the following settings:- Enable Mail Shield: turn Mail Shield on or off.
- Scan inbound e-mails (POP3, IMAP4): specify if Mail Shield should scan all incoming emails sent using an SSL/TLS encrypted connection.
- Scan outbound e-mails (SMTP): specify if Mail Shield should scan all outbound emails sent using an SSL/TLS encrypted connection.
- Add a signature to the end of sent emails: includes a message for the recipient in an outgoing email confirming the email has been scanned for malware and is clean.
- Mark in subject of mail containing a virus: specify a specific word or phrase that will automatically be added to the subject of any email containing a virus.
- Scan attachment when attaching (Microsoft Outlook only): enable Mail Shield to scan outgoing email attachments sent with Microsoft Outlook.
- Generate report file: specify whether you want File System Shield to produce reports of scan results.
- Avast Premium Security 19.x
- Avast Free Antivirus 19.x
- Avast Omni 1.x
- Avast Premier 19.x
- Avast Internet Security 19.x
- Avast Pro Antivirus 19.x
- Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8.1 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic / Home Premium / Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate - Service Pack 1, 32 / 64-bit
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Avast Free Mac Security doesn't break a lot of new ground. As is the case with most free software, it does an OK job and — like popular free-to-play games — aims to pull money from your pockets after it's installed.
The one major perk of Avast Free Mac Security is that it can identify attacks in your email inbox, a feature that we'd like to see in all Mac antivirus services. At the end of the day, though, Avast's Mac malware protection rate isn't quite as good as its competitors', which is the most important part of antivirus software.
![Avast Antivirus For Mac Scan While Sleeping Avast Antivirus For Mac Scan While Sleeping](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126019755/676704307.png)
Avast Free Mac Security costs and what's covered
Avast Free Mac Security is free. It supports Macs running any version of macOS, as long as they have 128MB of RAM and 750MB of available disk space.
Antivirus protection
Avast Free Mac Security keeps Macs free of malware using traditional signature-based detection by unpacking Mac-specific file formats and scanning them for malicious content. It also uses its artificial-intelligence system to apply lessons from its user base to train its software.
Avast also thwarts PC malware on Mac, to prevent it from spreading on networks, and scans unopened ZIP files. It performs system protection scanning in the background, permits both on-demand and scheduled scans, and can scan your router to protect you against DNS hijacking and other threats.
Antivirus detection
Mac Antivirus
Avast Free Mac Security's on-demand malware-scanning engine has a mixed record in recent lab tests. It stopped 100% of malware in tests conducted by Austrian lab AV-Comparatives in July 2018 and June 2019.
Results from German lab AV-Test were less consistent: 100% of Mac malware was detected by Avast in June 2018 and June 2019, but Avast caught only 96.3% of malware in December 2018.
That means Avast tied with Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac on the AV-Comparatives test (both hit 100%). However, it failed to match Bitdefender, Kaspersky and Norton 360 Deluxe on the AV-Test study, in which all three earned 100% scores.
Of all the Mac antivirus programs we tested, Avast Free Mac Security was the only one that flagged items already on our system as threats. Specifically, it found three email messages in my old, inactive, Outlook database that contained links to phishing websites.
![Avast Antivirus For Mac Scan While Sleeping Avast Antivirus For Mac Scan While Sleeping](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126019755/365460060.jpg)
Security and privacy features
Avast Free Mac Security includes Avast's Online Security browser extension, which automatically installs itself in Chrome unless you opt out, while Firefox provides a confirmation prompt to make sure you approve the extension. The Avast extension appears as a button that is green when you're safe and red if a site is potentially harmful. Similar flags will appear next to search results.
If you're wary of sites that monitor your actions, the Avast browser extension also displays a counter badge that tallies the number of activity trackers found in a website and provides an additional option to block social network-based tracking.
Not only does Avast scan activity on your hard drive and web browsers, but it also monitors POP3 and IMAP email clients, including Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Postbox and Airmail, and scans email attachments as well as email messages.
Avast monitors your computer and its network connections in the background, scans new files upon installation and lets you schedule scans. However, Avast Free Mac Security doesn't have any of the extra features offered by paid competitors, such as parental controls, a VPN service, firewalls or webcam blockers.
Performance and system impact
Avast Free Mac Security had a moderate impact on system performance, which we assessed by running our custom Excel VLOOKUP benchmark test, which matches 60,000 names and addresses on a spreadsheet. Our test machine wasa 2017 MacBook Air with a 1.8-GHz Intel Core i5 CPU and approximately 54GB of data stored on a 128GB SSD.
With Avast Free Mac Security installed on our MacBook, but without any active scans running, the VLOOKUP test finished in an average of 3 minutes and 38 seconds, 1 second longer than without any antivirus software installed. That's a passive system hit of less than 1%, and not something you would likely perceive.
MORE: Hackers Say They've Breached Three Antivirus Companies
Other antivirus products' passive system impacts ranged from 5% (Sophos Home Premium) to zero percent (Bitdefender). This is overall great news for Mac users: Most of the time, you'll never notice that you've got antivirus software running.
You would be more likely to notice the slowdowns created by Avast's active scans. During full-system scans, the VLOOKUP test finished in an average of 4 minutes and 59 seconds, resulting in a big performance dip of 37 percent. That's not as bad as McAfee AntiVirus Plus' 47% fall (the worst offender), although it wasn't as good as Sophos' 7% full-scan system hit.
Avast's full-scan completion time, which took an hour and 11 minutes on average, was on the longer end of scores but was not the longest we found — Sophos' 2-hour-and-56-minute time was the longest. Malwarebytes for Mac Premium's full scan took a miraculous 16 seconds, while Bitdefender closed its full scan in 4:25. Kaspersky (41:20) and Norton (25:49) fell in the middle of the pack.
Interface
Avast Free Mac Security may not be the prettiest antivirus app, but it provides a number of functions and options. Its main window shows users a Protected status, as scans are enabled by default. All other features, including on-demand scans, are located in a menu bar on the left.
Avast's main window presents users with their status — Protected or otherwise — and a 'Run scan' button that pushes you to Avast Cleanup Pro. You'll be confused by this abrupt switch of apps if you weren't paying attention to the fine print, and you'll soon realize that Cleanup Pro is a paid product that looks to tidy up your hard drive and costs between $2.99 or $3.99 per month.
MORE: Best Free Antivirus Software
After you click that Run scan button once, it changes to an Upgrade button for Avast Security Pro, which features anti-ransomware protections and Wi-Fi and network scanning. To avoid further confusion, click on Scans in the left-hand menu, which opens that section as well as other sections of the app, such as Reports, Virus Chest, Shields and Preferences.
In Scan, you can select from a number of different types, such as scans of custom directories, scans of removable volumes and scans of your home network. Avast also includes scheduled scans, an increasingly rare option these days.
Clicking on New Scan presents a Start button for activating a Quick Scan and a Change Scan Type button to switch to a full-computer scan.
You'll find database updates and analyses of scans performed on your system in Avast's Reports. Avast places files it flags as malicious into the Virus Chest quarantine section, where you can delete or restore them (if you think Avast is mistaken).
Open the Shields section to see real-time analysis of scanned files. Annoyingly, if the file directory is especially long, Avast won't give you the full directory, so you can't go look up the offending file for yourself. You may not need to, but we'd prefer to have the option.
In the Preferences tab, you'll find options to change the frequency of notifications, system updates and scans. Here, you can also disable hard-drive, email and web protection, although Avast wisely makes you enter your system password first. Additionally, you can disable Avast's menu-bar icon from this window (it's under Miscellaneous).
If you create an account with Avast, you can check the status of any systems you've logged into in the Account tab as well as at my.avast.com. Avast's menu-bar button provides links to open the main interface window, see current activity and application information, and review previous notifications.
Installation and support
To install Avast Free Mac Security, you open Avast.com and click Download, which will place the installer DMG on your Mac. (Thankfully, you won't have to go through download.com anymore, an annoying part of the previous model.) After you click through the end-user-license agreements, the installer will download more files and install Avast.
No restart is required, and the whole process took about 2 minutes for me, which felt about normal. In the middle of the installation, you get the option to not install Avast's unlimited Password Manager and the company'sSecureLine VPN client. The Avast Online Security browser plug-in is free, but you get only a seven-day trial of SecureLine VPN service, which otherwise starts at $60 per year.
To get technical support, click Help in the menu bar, select Avast Technical Support and then select Contact Help to open Avast's Support site. Here, you can find a FAQ, ask for help in the forums and call a customer-support line that will provide free advice for installing, configuring, updating and removing Avast.
Free Antivirus For Mac
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If you need more help than that, Avast offers paid support starting at $79 for any call that isn't related to removing a virus or malware, or at $119 per call for virus-related calls. For more support, you can spend $199 for a year of unlimited service, or $10 per month plus a $99 setup fee.
Bottom line
Avast's email scanning gives it an edge over competing Mac antivirus products. It needs such an advantage when the rest of its package is such a mixed bag.
Not only does Avast's software continually push you to spend money on additional services (unlikely if you've already chosen to use free antivirus software), but its malware detection rates aren't great overall.
If you're going to pay, you should instead choose Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac, which gives you excellent protection and a low system impact for $40 a year. If
you'd rather not pay, then Avast is the best free option, but only because Sophos Home, which has a more full-featured free tier, has undetermined malware-protection abilities on Macs.