#Avast for mac web shield pro
#Avast for mac web shield software
#Avast for mac web shield free

One negative is the soft but distinct upsell of Avast, which is sensible in its Free version, but not necessarily in a Pro. This seems aimed at helping users understand if they’ve joined a network, such as at a coffeeshop, that has compromised or attacking devices on it.

#Avast for mac web shield software

Other anti-virus software packaged with network monitors either whitelist local network activity, or treat it the same as any malicious Internet attacks. This is unique among anti-virus software we tested, and it looks for devices on a network engaged in malicious behavior.

#Avast for mac web shield pro

Outside of core anti-virus features, the Pro version also offers a Wi-Fi Inspector. (Avast could expand the list to include a few more locations by default, too.) Still, it worked well in testing, and most users keep their most precious documents in a few locations. This is an effective way to protect most users’ critical files, but we prefer Sophos’s active monitoring approach, which looks for patterns of behavior and keeps files from being deleted than one that requires anointing folders. Any other app that tries to modify or delete anything in the shielded folders is blocked, giving you an option to whitelist it. By default, Avast allows any Apple and App Store apps to manipulate items in those folders, although you can disable those options. It marks the user Documents and Pictures folders as protected by default, and you can add more folders. If you’re interested in ransomware monitoring, you need to buy the Pro version ($59.99 for one year/one Mac $69.99 for one year/three Macs $99.99 for one year/10 Macs), which relies on folder-based ransomware monitoring. It can be managed from the Avast app, and settings apply to all browsers. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them.Īvast’s browser component, Web Shield, doesn’t seem to rely on plug-ins (there are none to configure), but uses the program’s kernel extension to check at a low level. Note: This review is part of our best antivirus roundup. Siccing it on drives loaded with other anti-virus products, Avast found test malware I’d downloaded that had wound up in cached files that the anti-virus software on those volumes missed. It did as well with malicious files on the web, though it didn’t detect some items at the WICAR test site that require active local components to be dangerous. Immediately on decompression of macOS malware from an encrypted archive, Avast detected it, deleted it, and notified me. AV Comparables says Avast detected 99.9 percent of macOS malware and 100 percent of Windows malware. Disable Firefox Avast Web ShieldĪvast is danged good at catching malware. The software is a rare breath of fresh air in a sea of anti-virus products that haven’t worked hard enough to keep up to date with current threats, or haven’t updated the interface to meet modern expectations of presentation and usability. The big friendly “You Are Protected” green checkmark on Avast Security Pro’s home screen is certainly a plausible statement.