avira

Avira 2013 expands features to cover social networking, tracker blocking, and Web site verification

Review: Avira returns to the security field with a second major revamp in as many years of its flagship free antivirus and paid upgrades. Whereas last year's overhaul focused on a breezy new installation and modernizing its interface, the 2013 version is all about offering competitive and forward-thinking security features.

All that sounds well and good, and Avira has even killed off its obnoxious, interrupting pop-up in the free version. However, some aggressive components of those features gave us pause when using the suite.

Installation Last year's improved, zippy install has been changed slightly, and that may cause … Read more

Avira kills its pop-up for 2013, sort of

The competition for the best free Windows security suite just got a lot more intense, as Avira returns to the field with its second major revamp in as many years of its flagship free antivirus and paid upgrades.

Available exclusively from Download.com today, Avira Free Antivirus 2013, along with the paid upgrades Avira Antivirus Premium 2013 and Avira Internet Security 2013, greatly expand the kinds of protection that Avira offers.

Avira wouldn't reveal a precise number of people who use the suite, but Opswat puts them at around 12.1 percent of the worldwide Windows market. Travis Witteveen, … Read more

Avira update blocked Windows applications

Antivirus firm Avira said it has fixed a problem that led several of its products to mistakenly block legitimate Windows applications during an Avira software update.

"This issue has been resolved. Your Avira products should now be functioning normally," the German company said in a note on its Web site. "We deeply regret any difficulties this has caused you. Thank you for your patience and understanding."

Shortly after the company began releasing Service Pack 0 for Avira Version 2012 yesterday, customers began complaining about problems running Windows, Office and Works, as well as a host of … Read more

Avira buys into social controls for kids

German security suite maker Avira has bought SocialShield, which makes software that enables parents to monitor the social-network activity of their children.

Avira said in a prepared statement last week that it intends to incorporate SocialShield into the free version of its security suite, which has around 100 million people actively using it. SocialShield scans numerous social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, Google+, MySpace, and FormSpring, analyzes the activity it has access to, and alerts parents when red flags arise. The company did not reveal a timeline for integration.

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Avira Antivirus Premium 2012 - Protect your computer against viruses, malware, adware, spyware, and phishing: reg.$29.99 Smith Micro … Read more

Avira 12's got new threads, install, and engines

After several years of minor changes that were touted as big improvements, Avira today released a new version with some serious heft behind it that the publisher hopes will position the free antivirus for future growth. Avira Free Antivirus 12, available exclusively today from CNET Download.com, along with the paid upgrades Avira Antivirus Premium 12 and Avira Internet Security 12, bring a new interface, tighter security engines, and an impressively zippy installation process to the suites.

The new installation is much improved and is among the fastest out there. The company says that it developed the two-click installation as … Read more

Avira service pack brings new toolbar

Branded search toolbars are nothing new in the software world, a significant source of revenue for many software publishers, but the Ask.com-branded toolbar that German free antivirus maker Avira launched last week is definitely new to that product. Available in Avira Antivir Personal, AntiVir Premium, and AntiVir Premium Security Suite, Avira's AntiVir Service Pack 2 includes the toolbar and numerous security improvements.

AntiVir SP2 comes as part of the program for new users, while existing users in the United States and Germany should have already received SP2 from the program's update mechanism. People in other countries will … Read more

CNET Exclusive: Buy 1, get 2 free! Avira Premium Security Suite

CNET and Avira have teamed up together to bring you a CNET exclusive offer on Avira Premium Security Suite. For a limited time only, you can get three user license keys for the price of one.

If you bank online or use the Internet to make purchases, then you need maximum security. Avira Premium Security Suite not only offers you comprehensive protection from viruses and malware while surfing and e-mailing, it also has a firewall to protect you from external attack, even when you are surfing external networks using mobile technology. The suite also blocks nuisance spam mail, while the … Read more

First Look: Avira 10 treads water

The popular antivirus suite Avira AntiVir Free updated to version 10, but there's surprisingly little new here. Users will get a faster, simpler installation and a refreshed skin, but feature-wise the latest from Avira merely holds its own rather than pushing ahead.

That's not to say that Avira isn't one of the best free antivirus apps out there, because it is. It remains easy to use, with a robust selection of preset scans, and it continues to fare well in efficacy tests. Don't take our word for it, though: watch this First Look video and tell … Read more