Sometimes you may need to scan a file on the computer where Avast antivirus is not installed. In this case Avast Online Scanner will be very handy. Avast Online Scanner is. Avast Antivirus for Mac is a “free” software program that protects your Mac from viruses, malware, spyware, and ransomware. The free version doesn’t do much more than allow you to scan for malware that has already made its way into your system. What if those files unable to scan for avast contains malware or something? Many times these are files you do not have permission to access, or are corrupted in some way. If they did contain malware, its not likely to be a threat (but also not likely to contain it anyway in such a case). Avast Mac 'Scan this file with avast' context « on: July 23, 2008, 06:27:16 PM » I would like to see a 'Scan this file with avast' as a context menu option, so, like in windows, you can scan select files by right clicking.

• Install Avast License File
• Scan Mac For Free

Avast Antivirus provides a range of scans to protect your PC from malware. You can also create your own scan and specify the parameters. Refer to the sections in this article for details about the following Virus Scans:

• Smart Scan: a comprehensive scan that detects malware, out-of-date software, browser add-ons with poor reputations, network threats, and performance issues.
• Full Virus Scan: a predefined, in-depth scan of your system that checks your storage drives and memory for malware (including rootkits).
• Targeted Scan: scans the folders you select when you initiate the scan.
• Boot-Time Scan: scans your PC during the next system startup before any malware is launched. Running a Boot-Time Scan during startup improves the chances of detecting and removing malware before it can attack your PC.
• Custom scans: scans your PC according to the parameters that you specified for your scan.
• Explorer Scan: scans specific files or folders directly from your desktop via File Explorer.

Run a scan

1. Open the Avast user interface and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
2. Run your preferred scan:
   • Smart Scan: Click the Run Smart Scan button.
   • Full Virus Scan: Click the Full Virus Scan tile.
   • Targeted Scan: Click the Targeted Scan tile, then select the file or folder you want to scan, and click OK.
   • Boot-Time Scan: Click the Boot-Time Scan tile, then click Run On Next PC Reboot.
   • Custom scans: Click the Custom scans tile, then click Scan Now on the panel for the scan you want to run.

Create a custom scan

To create a custom scan:

1. Open the Avast user interface and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
2. Click the Custom scans tile.
3. Click Create A New Scan.
4. Define the scan parameters. The following parameters are available:
   • Scan name: type a name for your scan into the text box.

   Customize your scan

   • Scan type: select either Full Virus Scan or Targeted Scan depending on what you want your scan to check on your PC.
   • Frequency: define how often your scan runs.

   Advanced settings

   • Sensitivity (Medium by default): the higher the sensitivity, the higher the protection and potential for false positive malware detection. Lower sentivity reduces the potential for false positive detections, but may reduce the effectiveness of the scan.
   • Scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs): enables Avast to scan for programs that are stealthily downloaded with other programs and typically perform unwanted activity.
   • Follow links during scan: enables Avast to scan other files used by the files being scanned for potentially harmful content.
   • Test whole files: enables Avast to scan entire files rather than only the parts typically affected by malicious code.
   • Scan priority: use the drop-down menu to set your Scan priority (Medium priority by default).

   Scan areas

   • All Harddisks: enables Avast to scan all hard drives on your PC.
   • System drive: the options in this section apply to data that is stored on physical devices such as hard drives and USB sticks.
   • All Removable media: enables Avast to scan applications that launch automatically when you insert a USB or other removable device into your PC. Scanning removable media may take a long time due to speed limitations.
   • Rootkits: enables Avast to scan for hidden threats in the system.
   • CD-ROM & DVD drives: enables Avast to scan CD and DVD drives for malicious content.
   • Modules loaded in memory: enables Avast to scan applications and processes that launch after system startup or run in the background.

   Packers and Archives

   • Scan most common used types: archive commonly used file types such as .zip, .rar, and other executable or installer archives.
   • Scan all types of archives: the scan analyzes all archive files, which significantly increases the scan duration.
   • Don't scan archives: disables Full Virus Scan from scanning archive files.

   File Types

   • Content based types (slow): scans files that are typically most vulnerable to malware attacks.
   • Name extension based types (fast): scans files with only risky extensions, such as .exe, .com, .bat.
   • Scan all files (very slow): scans all files on your PC for malware.
   • Perform automatic actions during this scan: tick this option to enable it, then define the automatic action Avast will perform when an infected file is found.
   • Shut down computer after scan finishes: enables Avast to shut down your PC after your scan completes.
   • Generate report file: enables Avast to create and store a report file automatically after the scan completes.
   • Exceptions: click View exceptions, click Add Exception, then locate a file, folder, or web page that will not be scanned by your new custom scan.

Parameters for new Custom scans will save automatically and can be reconfigured at any time. To run a new Custom scan, go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans ▸ Custom scans, then click Scan Now next to the scan you want to run.

Process scan results

After a scan completes, Avast displays all found issues. You can resolve the issues directly on the results screen, or configure each Virus Scan to resolve issues automatically upon detection.

Smart Scan

To learn more about resolving found issues after Smart Scan completes, refer to the following article:

Other Virus Scans

You can define how each scan automatically reacts to a found issue.

1. Open the Avast user interface and go to ☰Menu ▸ Settings.
2. Click Protection in the left panel, and ensure Virus Scans is selected.
3. Click the scan you want to define automatic behavior for.
4. Scroll down, tick the box next to Perform automatic actions during this scan, then select which action you want Avast to perform when an issue is found. The following actions are available:
   • Fix automatically: Avast attempts to repair the file. If unsuccessful, the file is moved to the Virus Chest. If that fails, Avast deletes the file.
   • Move file to Virus Chest: Avast sends the file directly to the Virus Chest where the file cannot harm your system.
   • Delete file: Avast permanently removes the file from your PC.

If you want Avast to do nothing when an infected file is found, untick the box next to Perform automatic actions during this scan (not recommended). To manage unresolved scan detections at any time, go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans ▸ Scan history.

Special cases

For incomplete scans, an error message indicating the reason the scan was unable to complete is visible on the scanning screen. Although there are many different reasons a scan may be unable to complete, some of the most common reasons are:

• Archive is password protected: indicates that the file is password protected. Some programs use password protected archives to store their data even if you did not set the password. Depending on your scan settings, only the 'wrapper' file is scanned while the archive content is not.
• Archive is corrupted: indicates that the file may be corrupt because it was only partially downloaded or saved to your harddisk, or that it is a special type of archive.
• The process cannot access the file because of another process: indicates that another process or program was accessing the file during the scan.
• The file is a decompression bomb: indicates that the file was too large to be decompressed for malware analysis. Decompression of large files generates vast amounts of data which can cause your system to be unstable or cause it to crash.

Adjust scan settings

Although customizable settings are available for some Virus Scans, we recommend you only modify settings for Custom scans. To configure scan settings:

1. Open the Avast user interface and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
2. Click Settings (the gear icon) in the top-right corner of the Virus Scans screen.
3. Select the scan you want to adjust settings for.
4. Configure your preferred settings.

For more information about Virus Scan settings, refer to the following article:

Create and use Rescue Disk

If you suspect your PC is infected with malware and all other Virus Scans (including the Boot-Time scan) were unable to resolve the issue, you can use Rescue Disk. Rescue Disk enables you to scan your PC when your system is not running. This method significantly increases your chances of detecting and removing malware because the malware is detected before it is able to counteract.

For more information about Rescue Disk, refer to the following article:

Review scan history

To review scan history:

1. Open the Avast user interface and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
2. Click Scan history.
3. Hover your cursor over a scan panel, then click the down arrow to see the scan details.

Click the red X in the top-left corner to return to the main Virus Scans screen.

• Avast Premium Security 19.x
• Avast Free Antivirus 19.x
• Avast Omni 1.x
• Avast Premier 19.x
• Avast Internet Security 19.x
• Avast Pro Antivirus 19.x

• Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education - 32 / 64-bit
• Microsoft Windows 8.1 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
• Microsoft Windows 8 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic / Home Premium / Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate - Service Pack 1, 32 / 64-bit

• Pros

  Certified by one independent testing lab. Speedy full scan. Excellent phishing protection for Chrome and Firefox. Network security scanner. Password manager. Website rating. Active Do Not Track. Free.

• Cons

  Poor phishing protection in Safari. Password manager includes only basic features.

• Bottom Line

  Avast Security (for Mac) delivers effective malware protection along with unusual bonus features. Phishing protection only works well in Chrome and Firefox, but this free utility is still worth a look.

For years, Mac users basked in the mystique of virus-free computing. It wasn't true, alas, and as time goes on we see more and more Mac-specific malware attacks. The situation may not be nearly as bad as for Window or Android, but prudence still dictates that you install antivirus protection on your Macs as well. Avast Security offers Macs protection against malware along with advanced features including a password manager and a network security scanner, all for a cost of exactly nothing.

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• $29.95
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• $49.99
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• $59.99
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Installation went quickly, though I did find I had to separately activate the password manager and the Online Security browser extension from the Tools page. You'll also find Avast's SecureLine VPN on that page, but it's not free like the others. When you click to activate, you get a choice of signing up for $2.99 per month or starting a 30-day trial.

The product's spacious main window features a large status indicator centered in an otherwise-empty white region, with a menu down the left side. It's a very different appearance from Avast Free Antivirus on Windows, which uses pops of purple and green on a dark gray background.

Pricing and OS Support

Like Bitdefender and Kaspersky, Avast supports macOS versions back to 10.9 Mavericks. If you have an antique Mac that for some reason can't even run Mavericks, consider ESET Cyber Security (for Mac), ProtectWorks, or ClamXAV (for Mac) all of which support versions from 10.6 (Snow Leopard) on. At the other end of the spectrum, Avira, Trend Micro, and Symantec require macOS 10.11 (El Capitan) or better.

Like Sophos and Avira, Avast offers full antivirus protection for free. Avast Security Pro (for Mac) costs $59.99 per year for one license or $69.99 for three. The Pro edition adds ransomware protection and real-time notification when new devices connect to your network. The free edition is strictly for non-commercial use; in a business setting, you must pay up.

Good Malware Protection Scores

When reviewing a Windows antivirus utility, I report how it scored with four independent antivirus testing labs. The very best products earn top scores from all four labs. But even if no test results exist, I can run my own hands-on tests using real-world malware and malware-hosting URLs.

It took years to develop my hands-on tools and tests for Windows. Most of them don't carry over to the macOS platform. Hence lab results become extremely important for my Mac antivirus reviews. Two of the labs I follow, AV-Test Institute and AV-Comparatives, test Mac antivirus, and Avast participates with one of them.

Experts at AV-Comparatives test Mac antivirus products using the latest macOS malware. They also evaluate each product's ability to detect Windows malware. Why? While a Trojan written for Windows wouldn't run on a Mac, the Mac could serve as a carrier.

Avast managed 99.9 percent protection against Mac malware. That's very good—better than most. However, Bitdefender and Kaspersky exhibited 100 percent protection. In the Windows malware test, Avast detected 100 percent of the samples. Most competing products also took 100 percent. However, Webroot only caught 75 percent, and Intego Mac Internet Security X9 got just 18 percent. Like most tested products, Avast received certification from AV-Comparatives for Mac antivirus protection.

Having one certification is good; having two is better. Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Sophos are among the products that received certifications from both labs for Mac malware protection.

Scan Choices

Avast offers several scans to improve your Mac's security. A full scan on the Apple MacBook Air 13-Inch that I use for testing took 14.5 minutes, just a hair over Intego's 14 minutes, and quicker than the 18 minutes required by Avira. The average for recent products is 24 minutes, so Avast proved quite speedy. Norton is the current speed champ, completing a full scan in 10 minutes.

There's a separate scan for removable volumes, though you can configure the full scan to include them. I scanned a thumb drive containing my Windows malware collection and found that it quarantined 85 percent of them. For comparison, Avira detected 82 percent of these, while Sophos Home (for Mac) wiped out every single one.

There's no predefined quick scan, which makes sense given the speed of the full scan. The custom scan settings confused me, though. As with the full scan, you can add file locations to exclude from scanning, and configure it to scan Time Machine backups. But the full scan's settings include those options, and also let you include removable volumes and network volumes, while the custom scan's settings do not. Puzzling.

You can schedule a daily, weekly, or monthly scan if desired. Settings for a scheduled scan include two additional choices. You can set it to skip scanning if your device is running on batteries, and you can have it wake from sleep if necessary, to perform its scheduled scan. Avira Free Antivirus for Mac not only offers scheduled scanning, it defaults to a weekly scan with no effort on your part. Sophos skips scheduled scanning, relying instead on real-time protection.

Network Security Scan

The final scan choice doesn't look for malware. Rather, it collects information about all the devices on your network and flags any security problems. On my own network, the scan finished in just under three minutes.

The scanner correctly reported that my main router has an open port that could theoretically become a point of attack. It's true that the port is open, as my ISP uses it to run remote diagnostics when necessary. But that function requires a key that only the ISP has.

More interestingly, it found serious problems with a network storage device (fortunately, one that I'm not currently using). Not only does this device have numerous open ports, it's vulnerable to a buffer overrun attack. Avast advised updating the firmware; I just unplugged it.

The report also serves as a list of everything that's connected to your network, identifying each by name and type. It's similar to the output of Bitdefender Home Scanner. With both products, I found devices with names like unknown6542990b6483—not much help! Bitdefender includes an option to edit the name and type, and it remembers your edits in subsequent scans. I'd like to see that ability in Avast.

Excellent Phishing Protection in Chrome and Firefox

In the Windows realm, one thing that differentiates Avast's premium product is better protection against phishing sites, those fraudulent sites that imitate secure sites and try to steal your login credentials. The free Windows edition scored very poorly, while the premium edition did an extremely good job. Based on initial round of testing, the Mac product's phishing protection, both free and Pro, seemed to match that of the free Windows product, meaning it's not very good.

I learned later that Avast's phishing protection is not fully functional in Safari. The developers are working on making it completely browser-independent. In the meantime, they advise using Chrome or Firefox. Norton was also having problems during my original test, so I tossed those results and started fresh.

My phishing protection test uses URLs reported as fraudulent, but not yet verified. Typically, these are only a few hours old. That's important, because phishing sites are ephemeral. Once they've been identified and blacklisted, the fraudsters just create new ones.

I simultaneously launch each URL in Safari on the Mac and in a browser protected by long-time antiphishing champ Symantec Norton Security Premium. I also launch each in Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer, relying on the browser's built-in protection. If any of the five browsers throw an error message, I discard the URL. A true phishing fraud masquerades as a secure site and tries to capture your login credentials. Any URL that doesn't match that profile also gets junked.

I've written a Windows-based tool that handles launching URLs and capturing results. On the Mac, I copy and paste each URL into Safari and manually record the result. When I have enough data, I dump the five reports into Excel for comparison.

The malefactors that perpetrate these phishing frauds are clever. They're always devising new techniques to get past security software. That being the case, I report results not as hard figures but as the difference between the product under test and the others.

Tested using Safari's incomplete phishing protection, Avast's detection rate lagged Norton's by 32 percent, and Norton itself was having a bad day. All three browsers soundly drubbed Avast. When I retested using Chrome, Avast tied with Norton and beat the detection rates of the three browsers. That's impressive. Of the Mac security products I've tested, only Bitdefender did better, beating Norton by 5 percentage points.

While phishing is browser-agnostic, phishing protection is not. Bitdefender beat Norton by 5 percentage points, but its Windows cousin more than doubled that gap. Even Symantec Norton Security Deluxe (for Mac) didn't detect many frauds that its Windows edition caught.

Site Rating and Do Not Track

Like McAfee AntiVirus Plus (for Mac), Avira, Trend Micro, and several others, Avast marks up results in popular search engines with green for safe, red for dangerous, and gray for unknown. You can click to vote a page up or down. Simple!

Clicking the Online Safety toolbar button displays the status for the current page. It also lists all the elements on the site that can track your online activity, including analytics, social media, ad trackers, and more. By default, it doesn't do anything, but you're free to block any tracker or category. Websites are free to ignore the official Do Not Track header sent by your browser, but Avast's active Do Not Track feature has teeth. Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac offers a similar active Do Not Track feature.

Digging into the settings for Online Safety reveals a hidden gem: SiteCorrect. If you mistype a site name, this feature offers to change to the correct name. You can even set it to automatically make the fix, with no prompt. However, in testing, I couldn't tease it into action. I tried pyapal.com, pcmga.com, whitehous.gov, wallmart.com, and many others, with no reaction from SiteCorrect.

Install Avast License File

Basic Password Manager

Like Avast's Windows antivirus, this product includes a password manager. Where the Windows product invites you to install on Android, the Mac one suggests adding password management to your iPhone. On Windows, the password manager is integrated with the antivirus; under macOS, it's a separate app.

There's no limit on the number of devices, and you can sync your passwords between them all, macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Avast doesn't keep your passwords in the cloud. Rather, it uses your Avast account to authorize syncing data that's stored locally on your devices.

Once you've enabled syncing on a device, that device becomes an authenticator for adding more devices. The new device displays a numeric code, and the existing device gets a notification with the same code. If the numbers match, just click to approve. What if you lose all your devices? On installation, Avast sends an email with a recovery link; don't lose that email!

On each of your devices, you create a master password to protect the local password stash. The master passwords need not be the same, but who'd want the confusion of making them different? Avast offers advice on creating a strong password, with a color-coded line representing the strength of what you've typed. It's not easy to get all the way to green, but Avast doesn't require it. In fact, it accepted 'Password' as a master password.

Avast offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. When you log in to a site, the extension offers to save your credentials. If you come back to the site, it fills your saved credentials. Clicking the key icon in one of the fields brings up a menu showing all the credentials you've saved. And it handles two-page logins like what Google uses.

Avast doesn't use the typical menu of logins attached to its toolbar button. Rather, you click the button and launch the main application. Unlike the Windows edition, this is a separate app, not integrated with the main antivirus. Its main window is seriously tall and skinny, like something you'd find on a smartphone, and you have only limited control over its size. Clicking an item opens its details, with a link to open the site itself.

You can also use the password manager to sync and share secure notes between your devices. These are simple, unformatted text snippets, suitable for saving such things as locker combinations and non-digital passwords.

The left-rail menu offers simple icons to manage passwords and secure notes, and one to bring up the password generator. By default, it generates 18-character passwords using all character types. You can set the length anywhere from four to 30 characters using a slider.

Avast analyzes the strength of your master password when you first create it, but not when you update it. Avast Pro Antivirus on Windows can analyze your passwords, flagging any weak or duplicate ones. The free Windows edition used to include this feature, but it was recently enhanced and redefined as a Pro-only feature.

This password manager handles all the basic tasks and no more. Fancy features like secure sharing, two-factor authentication, and password inheritance aren't here. But you do get it along with the antivirus, at no charge, so if it does enough for you, go ahead and use it.

Avast Security for Mac uses kernel extensions for real-time protection features. To ensure that Avast Security for Mac can fully protect your system, you need to manually allow Avast Software extensions. Allow Avast Software extensions. Click Go To System Preferences from the warning dialog that appears in Avast Security. Avast security for mac allow fpt. Our free Mac antivirus protects on 3 fronts. Malware isn’t the only threat to your Mac. Malicious websites and vulnerable Wi-Fi networks can also jeopardize your safety. Avast Security provides essential free protection against all 3 threats, and our new Pro version goes the extra mile to expose Wi-Fi intruders and stop ransomware.

Scan Mac For Free

Worth a Look

AV-Comparatives certified Avast Security as an effective Mac antivirus. Impressively, it offers a network scanner and password manager, features often reserved for full security suites. On the other hand, the password manager handles basic functions only—nothing advanced. And while Avast earned great stores in my hands-on antiphishing test, that function currently works well in Chrome and Firefox, but not Safari. But the pros outweigh the cons. If you're looking for free Mac antivirus protection, give it a try, along with Sophos and Avira, and see which you like best.

For truly top-notch Mac security, you'll need to lay out some cash. Our Editors' Choice products in this realm are Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac and Kaspersky Internet Security for Mac. Both received certification from two labs. Both scored well in our hands-on antiphishing test. Bitdefender's AutoPilot mode means you can set it and forget it. And Kaspersky goes above and beyond feature-wise, with full-scale parental control, protection against webcam peeping, a network attack blocker, and more.

Bottom Line: Avast Security (for Mac) delivers effective malware protection along with unusual bonus features. Phishing protection only works well in Chrome and Firefox, but this free utility is still worth a look.

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