AVAST releases beta version of Mac antivirus

AVAST Software has released a beta version of its avast! free antivirus for Mac. The new app is available for downloading and testing at the avast! user forum.

“It‟s time for Mac users to start thinking about an antivirus app and this beta shows what they will need for their protection,” said Ondrej Vlcek, CTO of AVAST Software. “The Mac has long had a „cloak of invulnerability‟ because its small market share made it a fringe target for malware. As Mac sales surge it is becoming a natural target for malware such as the Pinhead and Boonana Trojans or the MacDefender fake antivirus.”

avast! Mac beta is a new model, not a facelift of the current product. It comes with three separate shields – Web, Mail, and File system - and an on-demand scanner. The Web Shield is a completely new build, monitoring and filtering all HTTP traffic from the Internet before sending it on to the browser.

“The discussion on Mac security has centered perhaps too long on individual operating systems,” added Mr. Vlcek. “There is already a lot of internet-distributed malware out there based on JavaScript which works across various operating system platforms and this beta protects against.”

avast! Mac beta is a new model, not a facelift of the current product. It comes with three separate shields – Web, Mail, and File system - and an on-demand scanner. The Web Shield is a completely new build, monitoring and filtering all HTTP traffic from the Internet before sending it on to the browser. “The discussion on Mac security has centered perhaps too long on individual operating systems,” added Mr. Vlcek. “There is already a lot of internet-distributed malware out there based on JavaScript which works across various operating system platforms and this beta protects against.”