Screenshot of Avast Free Antivirus for Mac
Czech antivirus firm Avast has released a free security app for Apple’s OSX platform. The news comes just days after Kaspersky chief Eugene Kaspersky told CBR that Apple is 10 years behind Microsoft when it comes to security.
Avast Free Antivirus for Mac aims to protect users from incoming malware and sending and receiving infected files. while also scanning computers for threats.
Vince Steckler, CEO of Avast, said his company is leading the charge when it comes to Mac security.
"Avast users have been fully protected from malware like the Flashback Trojan – even when our app was just in the beta stage. The popularity of Apple computers have made Macs an interesting – and wide open – target for the bad guys."
It is based on Avast’s version 7 antivirus engine and, according to the company, provides Mac users with three defensive shields: the Web and Mail Shields for incoming data and the File Shield to scan the user’s hard drive.
The new platform also includes the capability to share security features across Mac and Windows machines. The company says that the feature lets users know the operational status of Avast products installed across multiple computers, regardless of operating system.
This move is no surprise. Antivirus companies are rushing to get Mac products out to the market following the recent arrival of the Flashback/Flashfake malware outbreak targeting Apple’s operating system. It is thought the outbreak hit hundreds of thousands of Mac computers around the world.
The outbreak, and Apple’s response to it, led Kaspersky founder, chairman and CEO Eugene Kaspersky to tell CBR that Apple is ten years behind Microsoft when it comes to security. The Cupertino company will have to change its approach to the update and patching cycle if it wants to keep its users secure.
"I think they are ten years behind Microsoft in terms of security," Kaspersky told CBR. "For many years I’ve been saying that from a security point of view there is no big difference between Mac and Windows."
"Apple is now entering the same world as Microsoft has been in for more than 10 years: updates, security patches and so on," he added. "We now expect to see more and more because cyber criminals learn from success and this was the first successful one."
"They will understand very soon that they have the same problems Microsoft had ten or 12 years ago. They will have to make changes in terms of the cycle of updates and so on and will be forced to invest more into their security audits for the software. They had to do a lot of work to check the code to find mistakes and vulnerabilities. Now it’s time for Apple [to do that]," Kaspersky told CBR.
