phishing URLs

Antivirus protection for personal computers is crucial, and free tools like Avira Free Security offer antivirus capabilities along with features such as a VPN, password management, and ad blocking. However, it lacks a typical security suite experience, missing components like firewall protection, backup, and spam filtering, with many features reserved for paying customers. Alternatives include Avast One Essential for a more streamlined free suite and AVG AntiVirus Free for basic protection, both recognized as Editors' Choice winners. Avira operates under Gen Digital, which includes brands like Avast, AVG, LifeLock, and Norton. The company has undergone several acquisitions since 2016, culminating in Norton acquiring Avast/AVG in 2021. These brands utilize four distinct antivirus engines, with efforts underway to develop a unified engine. Avira's installation process is user-friendly, prompting users to run a Smart Scan after installation. The Smart Scan checks for malware, evaluates privacy settings, identifies performance enhancements, flags apps needing updates, and scans for network threats. In independent lab tests, Avira received perfect or near-perfect scores from three labs, achieving a perfect score of 18 points from AV-Test Institute. It secured Advanced+ ratings from AV-Comparatives and passed tests for banking Trojans and general malware defense from MRG-Effitas. In personal testing, Avira quarantined 73% of curated malware samples, detecting 97% overall, earning a score of 9.3 out of 10. It successfully eradicated all ransomware samples but fell short compared to competitors in overall malware detection. Avira achieved a perfect score of 100% in phishing URL detection, ranking it among the top contenders in phishing protection. Its security features include virus scans, quarantine management, and software updates, though some features require an upgrade to Avira Prime. The privacy suite includes a browser safety extension, VPN with limited functionality, password manager, and file shredder. The performance features aim to optimize system efficiency but are often tied to the separate Avira System Speedup application, which promotes premium features.