If you want to get proactive protection and advanced security-related features, you should upgrade to Kaspersky Internet Security or Kaspersky Total Security – both of which are compatible with Mac platform, too. What’s Included in Avast Antivirus Suites? First, let’s look the Avast’s security suites for Windows users.
The system requirements for Avast Security and Avast Premium Security are:
To download and install Avast Security or Avast Premium Security:
avast_security_online.dmg
.For detailed installation instructions, refer to the following article:
If you have purchased Avast Premium Security, activate your subscription by going to ☰ Menu ▸ Activate paid features and entering your activation code.
No, a subscription is not necessary for the free version of Avast Security. After installation, Avast Security is ready to use. You can connect Avast Security to your Avast Account to benefit from the device management feature.
For additional features, upgrade to a paid subscription of Avast Premium Security. You must activate this product with a valid activation code.
To upgrade to Avast Premium Security:
After purchase, Avast Premium Security automatically activates. If necessary, you can manually activate the product by going to ☰ Menu ▸ Activate paid features and entering your activation code.
To manually activate Avast Premium Security:
To view the duration of your subscription, go to ☰ Menu ▸ My subscriptions. For detailed activation instructions, refer to the following article:
After you download and install Avast Security, you can connect the product to your Avast Account to benefit from the device management feature.
To connect Avast Security to your Avast Account:
For detailed instructions, refer to the following article:
Avast Security is a free product that does not require a paid subscription to use.
Avast Premium Security includes additional features and requires a paid subscription. The additional features include Ransomware Shield and Wi-Fi Inspector.
File Shield is the main layer of active protection in Avast Security. It scans programs and files saved on your Mac for malicious threats in real-time before allowing them to be opened, run, modified, or saved. If malware is detected, File Shield prevents the program or file from infecting your Mac.
Web Shield is an additional layer of active protection in Avast Security. It scans data that is transferred when you browse the internet in real-time to prevent malware, such as malicious scripts, from being downloaded and run on your Mac.
Email Shield is an additional layer of active protection in Avast Security. It scans your incoming and outgoing email messages in real-time for malicious content such as viruses. Scanning applies only to messages sent or received using a mail management software (email clients, such as Mail, Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird). If you access your web based email account via an internet browser, your Mac is protected by other Avast Security shields.
Ransomware Shield, available in Avast Premium Security, secures your personal photos, documents, and files from being modified, deleted, or encrypted by ransomware attacks. This feature automatically secures your Pictures and Documents folders and allows you to specify which other folders you want to protect from untrusted applications. Additionally, you can specify which applications are allowed to modify the files in your protected folders.
Wi-Fi Inspector, available in Avast Premium Security, is an active protection component which continuously monitors your network and connected devices for threats.
The Virus Chest is a safe place for storing potentially harmful files, completely isolated from the rest of the operating system. Files inside the Virus Chest are not accessible to any outside process, software application, or virus.
For more information about the Virus Chest including how to send files to the Avast Threat Labs, refer to the following article:
To run an Avast Security scan:
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(three dots) next to Run Mac Scan.You can run a quick scan of the most vulnerable areas of your Mac, or a thorough scan of the whole system, or quickly scan a particular folder or removable drive, or create and schedule your own scans.
For more information about each type of scan as well as scan settings, refer to the following article:
To check which version of Avast Security is installed on your Mac, go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings and select the General tab. The version number is displayed at the top of the screen.
To set an exclusion for a Core Shield:
For detailed instructions on how to set exclusions for Core Shields, refer to the following article:
To set an exclusion for one of the pre-defined scans:
For detailed instructions on how to set exclusions for the pre-defined scans, refer to the following article:
The status message 'Unable to scan' means that the file could not be scanned, possibly due to an encrypted ZIP archive or because the files are currently in use. The status does not mean that there is anything wrong with the file, only that it is not available for scanning.
If you see the status You are in passive mode, you need to manually allow Avast Software extensions on your Mac. For detailed instructions, refer to the following article:
Avast Security shields detect and block suspicious files, dangerous websites, and unauthorized connections. In some cases, a Core Shield may cause connectivity issues. If you are unable to use online software or browse certain sites, use the troubleshooting steps below to determine if a shield is causing the issue:
When you determine which shield is causing the connectivity issue, you can set an exclusion for a certain file, site, or mail server by using the steps in the following article:
Avast Security cannot be fully uninstalled by dragging the application to the Trash. To uninstall Avast Security:
For detailed uninstallation instructions, refer to the following article: