~ AVAST has protected its users’ sensitive data for more than 2 years and adds nearly 200,000 downloads per day ~

REDWOOD CITY, CA, September 4, 2014 – AVAST Software, the world's most-trusted security company, today announced that avast! Mobile Security has surpassed 100 million downloads. This milestone was achieved in less than 2.5 years, faster than any other security application in the history of Google Play. With its app, AVAST protects users from mobile vulnerabilities that make them prone to device theft, data loss and privacy threats, which have recently made headlines as an increasing number of celebrities have had their private content leaked without their knowledge--or consent.

“We are pleased that we achieved this milestone so quickly,” said Vince Steckler, CEO of AVAST. “People have chosen AVAST because we provide real value and protection, great products, and have a powerful global brand.”

AVAST has helped millions of people -- not just celebrities -- keep their phone safe

“News of recent celebrity phone hackings demonstrates that there is a very real need for strong protection. We developed mobile security to protect millions of users from both physical theft, to cyber crime and hackers, who steal your digital content,” said Jude McColgan, President of Mobile at AVAST.

AVAST has helped tens of millions of users to backup their data, protect their information, and find their lost phones. The anti-theft technology that AVAST pioneered two years ago will soon become a legal requirement, as California passed a state bill that requires all phones sold in the state have a “kill switch” to make stolen phones inoperable.

“The kill switch bill confirms that we truly understand our users’ needs and innovate quickly to protect their security and privacy,” McColgan said. “It is vital to use third party tools, like AVAST, to fully secure your devices.”

More specifically, AVAST has tracked and found more than 2.2 million lost or misplaced smartphones, and users took more than 54,000 “thefties” of thieves trying to unlock their phones to aid with recovery. AVAST users have also remotely locked their lost phones more than 600,000 times and remotely wiped data from their phones to protect their valuable data and privacy.

Top-rated protection against increasing mobile threats

AVAST has built a database of more than one million malware samples, and currently detects 2,500 new threats each day. avast! Mobile Security is top-rated by users on the Google Play Store and by independent testing organizations including AV-Test and AV-Comparatives.

AV-Comparatives, one of the leading testing labs in the world, published a global survey earlier this year that ranks AVAST as the most-trusted mobile security provider in North America, South America, and Europe. In Asia, a new market for AVAST, the company ranked third behind two Chinese companies.

AVAST’s mobile solutions are available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store.