Member Avatar for Karlwakim

Hello everybody,
A few months ago, i was reading a computer magazine where they said that avast antivirus is actually a malware.
Is this true ? Is avast hiding as an antivirus to steal data ?
I don't remember exactly which magazine i was reading, but i think it was called hackers.
Thanks

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rubberman

Dani AI

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Short answer: the magazine claim is almost certainly wrong. was right to be skeptical — Avast is a long‑standing antivirus vendor with widely used consumer and enterprise products and a track record in independent lab testing (see AV‑TEST and AV‑Comparatives for historical test results: AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives). Official product and company info is available from Avast.

A factual caveat for readers arriving years later: in 2020 reporting revealed that an Avast-owned analytics unit, Jumpshot, sold aggregated browsing data collected from users of the free product. That unit was subsequently shut down and Avast updated its privacy practices; the event is documented in public sources (summary at Avast — Wikipedia). That episode is about data handling and policy, not Avast functioning as a secret malware app.

Practical checks to confirm a given Avast install is legitimate:

  • Confirm the installer came from the official site or Microsoft Store rather than a random download.
  • Check the program executable’s digital signature (Properties → Digital Signatures) — the signer should identify Avast.
  • Submit suspicious files or hashes to VirusTotal (VirusTotal) to see how multiple engines classify them.
  • Look for unexpected network activity, unknown services, or unusual persistence entries; Sysinternals tools are helpful for that.

For rumor verification, general sites like Snopes can help with urban legends, but for antivirus claims it’s better to check independent AV lab reports and vendor statements first. If there’s doubt about an installation, remove it and reinstall from the official source or use the built‑in Microsoft Defender until the situation is clear.

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Member Avatar for rubberman

Bogus info, AFAIK! Avast has been around for quite awhile, and has been considered one of the better A/V programs out there. I haven't used it myself, but I think that if such rumors are circulating, that you should, until you know otherwise, take them with a very large grain of salt!

Member Avatar for Karlwakim

Thanks, i don't use avast myself.I was just seeing if its real

Member Avatar for rubberman

Sounds like fodder for the Snopes - New Urban Legends web site.

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