AVAST Software has released the first public betas of its 2012 security family, in the shape of avast! 7 Free, Pro and Internet Security.
One immediately obvious change comes in the revamped installer. If you’re tired of security tools taking over your entire system then you’ll appreciate the degree of control you get here. Install Internet Security, say, and you can choose precisely which core components you need (firewall, sandbox, spam filter, browsing protection, more), and which real-time shields, making it much easier to create a minimum install which should run alongside other security packages.
The redesigned interface seems to be an improvement, too. The program organizes its functions across a set of tabs on the left hand side: Summary, Scan Computer, Real-Time Shields, Firewall and so on. Clicking any of these gives you a summary of that area right away, and most related options and configuration settings are usually only a click or two away -- it’s all very simple.
Functionality-wise, all the avast! 7 editions now benefit from cloud technologies, including streaming updates for more rapid response to the latest threats, and a file reputation service.
AVAST Software also report more general improvements in sandboxing and browsing protection.
And a little more unusually, there’s a new Remote Assistance option that allows you to connect to and share desktops with other avast! users. A good idea? We’re not sure, but anyway it’s available in all the editions, even avast! 7 Free.
This is the first beta release, so, of course, has plenty of problems. AVAST Software have already detailed some known issues in the official beta release thread on their own forum:
- In some cases, WebRep Chrome plugin is not installed correctly
- The Safezone browser is opening each time when you switch back and to the Safezone
- Plugins for Outlook 2k3 and 2k7 show “runtime error” message
- Sometimes autosandbox toaster does not close correctly
- Problems with avast sounds on Win 7 and Win Vista
- Remote assistance feature sometimes crashes on Win 7 32b, Win Vista 64b
- avast! account functionality is disabled
- The help hasn’t been updated yet, it’s still from v6
- Many of the translations haven’t been updated yet, so you’ll see new items in English
Avast! 7 isn’t something you should install on a production system, then, or use for long-term protection anywhere. But if you’re a fan of the program (or the company) then these new releases definitely merit a few moments of your time: the custom installation options in particular are welcome, and we can only hope that other security vendors will follow suit.