Installed on
a Windows 10 PC, the Nitro Update to Avast Antivirus Means the Computer Performs
Faster than Without Avast
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 21, 2016 – Avast Software, maker of
the most trusted mobile and PC security in the world, today announced an update
to its flagship product that delivers on new technology to fight threats in a lightweight,
high-speed solution that utilizes the cloud to identify and analyze threats. The
Avast Antivirus Nitro Update will arm
users with security software that is smaller in size and designed to improve speed,
boot time, download time and system performance, while providing state-of-the-art
protection from today’s never-ending attacks. Along with the Nitro Update come
security and performance enhancements to Avast’s SafeZone browser, which isolates
browsing sessions and gives users a much safer and more private browsing
experience than a standard browser.
Independent research conducted by testing
institution AV-Comparatives found that PCs run faster with the Avast Antivirus
Nitro Update than with Windows Defender, which is on by default on Windows 10 PCs.
In the test, Avast’s impact on the system was two times smaller than that of
Windows Defender. Avast Nitro Update takes a part of its background security
analysis to the cloud to identify and analyze threats, which in turn frees up the
system processing power for each user’s computer. As a result, that freed-up
processing power can be used to continue working faster, without interruption online,
and with minimal impact to the overall system.
The Nitro Update to Avast Antivirus also offers
increased threat detection and analysis, through a new technology called
CyberCapture. Cyberattacks have become a profitable business for cybercriminals
and the security landscape is, therefore, rapidly changing and threats are
becoming more sophisticated. Thus, the ability to identify and respond to threats
that have never been seen before, in real time, is mission critical for consumer
protection. With the new CyberCapture feature, running in the cloud, users benefit
from zero-second threat detection from yet-unknown security threats. Rather
than relying on the latest definition updates, CyberCapture isolates unknown files
in a safe environment and automatically establishes a two-way communication
channel with the Avast Threat Labs for immediate analysis, providing a first-response
line of defense against new threats.
Once a file is analyzed, Avast’s team will
communicate with users to provide an update as to whether a file is considered
“safe” or “dangerous.” Users benefit from direct access to Avast’s security
experts within the Threat Labs; this mechanism allows for faster response times
to emerging threats and a more secure ecosystem overall.
“At Avast, our priority has always been to
provide users with the best possible protection by staying on top of new and
emerging threats,” said Vince Steckler, chief executive officer of Avast. “With
that, we also want to ensure that our product works seamlessly within a user’s
system, and we understand that no one wants an antivirus to slow down his or
her PC. With the Nitro update to our flagship Antivirus, we are bringing users
a tool that has minimum system impact and actually helps PCs perform faster,
with the same strong protection they have grown to associate with Avast.”
Along with the protection users have come to
love, the Nitro update is packed
with additional features such as:
- Lower System Impact: With the new version of Avast Antivirus, PC boot time is now, on average, 11%
faster. In addition, the Avast Antivirus download is faster due to a smaller
file size, and the cloud-based security analysis frees up the processor for
other things. According
to independent research from testing institution AV-Comparatives, Avast has
half as much system impact as Windows Defender on Windows 10.
- CyberCapture: A leading technology developed by Avast’s Threats
Labs to analyze unrecognized files, CyberCapture defends and warns users about
new threats. It allows Avast’s team of expert security analysts to communicate
with users in real-time and ensure that they are protected from any new threats
before opening a potentially dangerous file.
- New Monthly Product Updates: Avast will now release new software updates
and features on a monthly basis for more convenient threat detection and
security to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. The updates are applied
automatically.
- Leading HTTPS Security: With Web Shield, Avast scans all HTTPS sites
for potential malware and threats. Around 30% of all the web traffic today runs
through HTTPS. Avast detects an average of 50,000 infected unique HTTPS URLs
every day, and each month, Avast protects around 3.2 million users from
downloading malware or accessing malware distribution sites using HTTPS. An
independent study by Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, has shown that
Avast provides the market’s most secure HTTPS Scanner.
- Improved Home Network Security: The Nitro update brings with it improved
router security, including detection of 12 more types of router vulnerabilities,
protecting users from threats like DNS hijacks and banking hacks, and to keep
network drives and routers fully secured.
- Enhanced SafeZone browser: SafeZone browser is available for all Avast
Free or Premium users. In its new version, the browser runs faster, protecting
people’s privacy in isolated sessions while they are shopping, banking and
browsing online. The browser also offers a nicer browsing experience by giving
the option to block ads.
The Nitro
Update for Avast Antivirus is available to all current Avast users and can also
be downloaded for free at www.avast.com.
