Do I need more than one Avast product?

[Wendy]

I got a reminder that my Avast PRO renewal is coming up. Along with that came a note that I should upgrade to Avast INTERNET SECURITY. I’m renewing PRO so do I really need to also pay for the INTERNET SECURITY program? I can’t tell what would be a real exposure and would is just marketing of a nice but not really necessary program.

[Rustys]

[COLOR=rgb(243, 121, 52)]Internet security via wikipedia

Basically it is a Fire Wall so if you are using the one that came with Windows then why waste money.[/COLOR]

[jmarket]

Pro Antivirus isn’t even on their “Compare” list anymore, and most of the features have been added to the Free version already. I think the only difference between Free and Pro is in-product customer support and the sandbox.

Internet Security provides a bunch of additional features that can be otherwise gotten for free.

Avast 1) Secure your passwords
Free 1) LastPass

Avast 2) Avoid fake sites for safer shopping
Free 2) uBlock Origin

Avast 3) Safely run suspicious apps (sandbox)
Free 3) Sandboxie

Avast 4) Block hackers with advanced firewall
Free 4) Windows Firewall + safe surfing/downloading habits

Avast 5) Block annoying spam and phishing emails
Free 5) Your email provider’s privacy/filter settings

Avast 6) Get an extra layer of ransomware security
Free 6) OSArmor is free and better than Avast’s take on ransomware security

Avast 7) Stop webcam spying
Free 7) Windows Privacy settings

Avast 8) Permanently shred sensitive files
Free 8) CCleaner Portable (or similar) with “Secure file deletion” set to multiple passes.

If you really want to pay for a security product, there are better alternatives out there. Otherwise, Avast Free with some additional free software will provide similar, if not better, protection than Avast Pro/IS.

[Wendy]

Thank you Rustys and Ikjk. I see now that I don’t need the second program. I also saw in checking Windows 7 firewall that it says it is off. I guess (hope) there is a simple way to turn it on and still allow my other computer to access this one and this one to continue to access the other one. It does recognize that my local network is “active”.

[jmarket]

Windows Firewall should re-enable automatically after uninstalling Avast Internet Security. If it doesn’t, here’s a link with instructions.

https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/522-windows-firewall-turn-off.html

[jmarket]

Possibly all you will need Wendy is Avast free which will give you pretty good protection if you don’t mind the popups that persist with Avast, and I guess a lot of other free software these days. You could add a second opinion scanner like Zemana or malwarebytes to run a double check on anything suspicious and/or your system on an as need basis, just don’t run more than one realtime protection app at the same time.

Windows 7 firewall is reasonable but there are other free offerings giving more custom and tighter control. Just depends on how paranoid you want to be.

[Wendy]

Thank you Ikjk for the link. Gus - is there a free offering that you recommend that I look at?

[jmarket]

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download[/URL]
Free Antivirus Software for all Devices | Kaspersky

[jmarket]

Hi Wendy
Dont know if you want a link to a firewall or malware protection?

Firewalls. Which may be overkill for you??
Zonealarm free firewall is here. https://www.zonealarm.com/software/free-firewall/
Comodo free firewall is here. https://www.comodo.com/home/internet...y/firewall.php Some of the options here may be a bit daunting?
Or if you want a great free app that will allow you to customize the built in Windows firewall, there is this https://www.binisoft.org/wfc.php There is a video here showing how it works.

[MEDIA=youtube]Wpsnf_pbGMM[/MEDIA]

or for malware protection.
Avast free is here. https://www.avast.com/en-au/free-antivirus-download
Malwarebytes free is here. https://www.malwarebytes.com/pricing/
and Zemana is here. http://download.zemana.com/api/products/antimalware

If you decide to install Zemana it will work as a full trial for 15 days after which it will revert to a on demand scan only. During install of Zemana ensure to deselect the option to run as full time protection which it will select by default for the trial period..If you do miss the option real time protection can be turned off in the options, so no big deal..

[veeg]

Any updates for us?

[Wendy]

Thank you for all of your recommendations. I will try adding at least the Zone alarm free firewall. Sounds like it’s a good thing to have. I guess this thread can be closed.