Avast! Free Antivirus description
Core and detection:
· Antivirus and anti-spyware engine
· State of the art scanning engine provides reliable protection against viruses, spyware and other forms of malicious software.
Real time anti-rootkit protection:
· Unique "on access" technology checks all kernel-mode drivers that the
operating system is loading for signs of rootkit behavior. This enables
even unknown rootkits to be detected and stopped before they can do any
damage.
avast! Community IQ:
· Most samples we process come from sensors deployed throughout the
avast! community in the Behavior shield and anti-rootkit modules. This
is a unique source of data made possible only thanks to our huge user
base. Most of the collected samples are analysed by a number of
automated processes and only a small fraction of the samples need to be
processed manually by our virus analysts.
Code emulator:
· When a suspicious executable is encountered (during both on-demand and
on-access scanning), avast! is able to emulate the program’s code in an
isolated environment. The code emulator is used for two purposes.
First, it is used for generic unpacking. Secondly, it is used in the
heuristics engine. Technically, this is done using dynamic translation, a
method much faster than traditional emulation techniques.
Heuristics engine:
· avast! features a new heuristics engine designed to proactively detect
malware undetectable with normal definitions. The heuristics engine is
able to cover both binary (executable) and script malware.
Potentially unwanted programs detection:
· avast! detects potentially unwanted programs, such as remote admin
tools and commercial key loggers. Custom rules can be set for dealing
with these types of programs.
Scanning:
· Boot-time scanner
· Allows you to scan your computer for infections before the operating
system has started and before a virus can be activated (32-bit operating
systems only).
Command-line scanner:
· Enables you to run a scan directly from the command line.
Wake-up for scan:
· Microsoft Windows is woken from sleep or hibernation mode, performs a scheduled scan, then returns back to sleep mode.
Scheduled scanning:
· Allows users to define the scan time and files to be scanned.
avast! Intelligent Scanner:
· Can reduce the number of required file scans by up to 80% through a
white list of proven safe applications. Files identified as safe are not
rescanned unless they change.
Shields:
·
Behavior Shield
· Monitors activity on your computer using a number of sensors (file
system, registry and network based) and reports/blocks any suspicious
behavior.
·
Behavioral Honeypots
· avast! sensors identify and monitor suspicious file activity on
selected computers, automatically submitting files to the Virus Lab for
additional analysis.
·
File System Shield
· Real-time scanning of opened/executed files.
·
Mail Shield
· Scans all incoming/outgoing e-mails for malware. For MS Outlook, a
special plug-in is used. Other email clients are protected by a generic
POP3/IMAP4/SMTP proxy. New in version 5, the proxy also supports
scanning of SSL communication (gmail.com, sympatico.ca, ….)
·
Web Shield
· Scans all visited web pages and checks all files, pages and java
scripts downloaded from the internet. Thanks to the Intelligent Stream
Scan feature, the Web shield doesn't slow down your web browsing.
·
P2P Shield
· Checks files downloaded using P2P programs. - ABC, Ares, Azureus,
BearShare, Bit Torrent, BitComet, BitLord, BitPump, CZDC++, Direct
Connect, eDonkey, eMule, iDC++, iMesh, Kazaa, Kceasy, LimeWire,
Morpheus, Opera's DC++, Overnet, Qtrax, Shareaza, SoulSeek, StrongDC++,
uTorrent, Vuze, WinMX, Winny2, Zultrax.
·
IM Shield
· Checks files downloaded while using instant messaging or “chat”
programs. - AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), Gadu-Gadu, gaim/Pidgin, Google
Talk, ICQ, IM2 Messenger, Infium, Miranda, mIRC, MSN/Windows Messenger,
Odigo, PalTalk Messenger, Psi Jabber Client, QIP, QQ, SIM, Skype, Tlen,
Trillian, WengoPhone, XFire, Yahoo! Messenger.
·
Network Shield
· Provides protection against network-based viruses. The module has two
main components: a URL blocker, designed to block malicious URLs (as
defined by the Virus Lab), and a lightweight intrusion-detection system.
Updates:
·
Smart virus definition updates
· Incremental updating system minimizes the size of regular update files.
·
Fast application of updates
· New format for the virus definition file speeds up application of
updates into avast! 5.0 and reduces demand on CPU/memory, resulting in
uninterrupted computer use.
· New format for the virus definition file means faster updates and
reduces demand on CPU/memory, resulting in uninterrupted computer use.
Gaming:
· New Silent/Gaming Mode automatically detects full-screen applications
and disables pop-ups and other on-screen notifications without degrading
security.
Optimized for latest Intel Core i7 CPUs:
· Critical sections of the avast! scanning engine code have been
optimized to deliver unrivaled performance on the latest Intel chips.
CPU optimization:
· Multi-threaded scanning optimization
· avast! runs faster on new multi-core CPUs. A new avast! feature allows
the splitting of large individual files between cores, accelerating the
scanning process.
Green computing:
· Reduced demands on the disk drive result in lower energy consumption.
Miscellaneous:
· avast! iTrack - Real-time graphic scanning reports.
· Graphical user interface - Easy to navigate graphical interface.
· Automatic processing - Infected files are processed automatically without requiring user instructions.
Requirements:
· Processor Pentium 3
· 128 MB RAM
· 200 MB of free hard disk space
What's New in This Release: [
read full changelog ]
· Improved File System Shield speed
· Improved AutoSandbox stability
· Improved AutoSandbox controls
· Improved gadgets
· Compatibility with Win 8 Consumer Preview
· Greater stability of Outlook plugins
· Other security and stability-related improvements
The good:
The bad:
Final score: 8 / 10
Controller support: No 
System requirements:
