Redwood City, California, United States, May 14, 2019 – Avast (LSE:AVST), a global leader in digital security products, announced the initial release of its new network-based consumer security product, Avast Omni, to Avast customers in the United States. Avast Omni provides protection and insights for all connected devices in the home and on the go, through a combined hardware-software solution that easily connects to the existing home router without impacting WiFi performance. Avast Omni will initially be offered to Avast users who can pre-order by upgrading their current subscription.

Ondrej Vlcek, President, Consumer, at Avast, said, “There is a mismatch today between how the industry delivers smart devices and how people use them. Until now, the onus has consistently been on the consumer to manage the security of each individual device at the point of connection to the internet. Not only is this complex for a consumer to solve, but it also leaves a lot of room for error. Based on threat intelligence from our base of over 435 million users worldwide, we have created Avast Omni to tackle this problem. It’s a simple to use, comprehensive solution that helps consumers easily manage the security and privacy of their home network and the connected devices on it.”

The need for connected device security is growing; today, 62% of U.S. homes already have five or more connected devices and 35.2% of these homes contain at least one vulnerable device*. Avast Omni provides:

• Home network protection: users can find out which people and what devices are connected to their home network. Avast Omni provides alerts if unusual behavior is detected on any device, and blocks hackers trying to access any device. It connects to the home router, meaning users do not need to replace their router or compromise on their choice of router.
• On-the-go security: Avast antivirus protection extends seamlessly to mobile devices including PC, Mac, Android and iOS to secure them outside the home.
• Parental controls: families can filter content and apps that children can access including social media and videos. They can also pause gaming or the internet at any time. Geo-location services help keep track of children with the option to set up alerts for when they leave or arrive at certain places.

According to ABI Research, 34.9 billion IoT devices will be installed in homes and businesses by 2021**. In the U.S. today, excluding PC, smartphones and routers, Avast has found the most common connected devices in an American household include media boxes (31.1%), TVs (10.2%), games consoles (8.9%) and voice assistants (5.3%). Avast Omni protects connected devices by scanning them through the network and identifying those that have vulnerabilities or have been attacked.

Avast Omni will be available in the U.S. starting in the summer of 2019. Further information is available at: Avast Omni

* Source: Avast Smart Home Report March 2019

** Source: ABI Research, ‘Internet of Everything Market Tracker, 2019 Q1’