Avast Makes AI-Driven Scam Defense Available for Free Worldwide
Avast, part of Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), has launched Scam Guardian, a free AI-powered scam protection service integrated into Avast Free Antivirus, alongside a premium version called Scam Guardian Pro. The launch comes as cybercrime statistics show alarming trends, with breached records increasing by 186% and phishing scams surging by 466% in Q1 2025.
The AI-powered solution includes features like Avast Assistant, providing 24/7 protection guidance, and Web Guard for detecting hidden scams. The Pro version adds Email Guard for advanced email protection. The company plans to expand Pro features later this year to include protection against SMS and phone call scams.
Avast, parte di Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), ha lanciato Scam Guardian, un servizio gratuito di protezione dalle truffe basato sull'intelligenza artificiale, integrato in Avast Free Antivirus, insieme a una versione premium chiamata Scam Guardian Pro. Il lancio arriva in un momento in cui le statistiche sul cybercrimine mostrano tendenze preoccupanti, con un aumento del 186% dei dati compromessi e un'impennata del 466% delle truffe di phishing nel primo trimestre del 2025.
La soluzione basata su IA include funzionalit脿 come Avast Assistant, che offre assistenza continua 24/7, e Web Guard per rilevare truffe nascoste. La versione Pro aggiunge Email Guard per una protezione avanzata delle email. L'azienda prevede di ampliare le funzionalit脿 Pro entro la fine dell'anno per includere la protezione contro truffe via SMS e telefonate.
Avast, parte de Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), ha lanzado Scam Guardian, un servicio gratuito de protecci贸n contra estafas impulsado por inteligencia artificial, integrado en Avast Free Antivirus, junto con una versi贸n premium llamada Scam Guardian Pro. El lanzamiento se produce en un contexto donde las estad铆sticas de ciberdelitos muestran tendencias alarmantes, con un aumento del 186% en registros comprometidos y un incremento del 466% en estafas de phishing en el primer trimestre de 2025.
La soluci贸n impulsada por IA incluye funciones como Avast Assistant, que ofrece orientaci贸n de protecci贸n las 24 horas, y Web Guard para detectar estafas ocultas. La versi贸n Pro a帽ade Email Guard para una protecci贸n avanzada del correo electr贸nico. La compa帽铆a planea ampliar las funciones Pro a finales de este a帽o para incluir protecci贸n contra estafas por SMS y llamadas telef贸nicas.
Avast电� Gen (NASDAQ: GEN)鞚� 鞛愴殞靷靹�, Avast Free Antivirus鞐� 韱淀暕霅� 氍措 AI 旮半皹 靷赴 氚╈ 靹滊箘鞀� Scam Guardian瓿� 頂勲Μ氙胳梽 氩勳爠鞚� Scam Guardian Pro毳� 於滌嫓頄堨姷雼堧嫟. 鞚措矆 於滌嫓电� 2025雲� 1攵勱赴 靷澊氩� 氩旍 韱店硠鞐愳劀 雿办澊韯� 鞙犾稖鞚� 186% 歃濌皜頃橁碃 頂检嫳 靷赴臧� 466% 旮夓頃樀鐢 霌� 鞁皝頃� 於旍劯臧� 雮橅儉雮� 臧�鞖措嵃 鞚措（鞏挫鞀惦媹雼�.
鞚� AI 旮半皹 靻旊（靺橃潃 24鞁滉皠 氤错樃 鞎堧偞毳� 鞝滉车頃樀鐢 Avast Assistant鞕� 靾波歆� 靷赴毳� 韮愳頃樀鐢 Web Guard 旮半姤鞚� 韽暔頃╇媹雼�. Pro 氩勳爠鞐惖鐢 瓿犼笁 鞚措⿺鞚� 氤错樃 旮半姤鞚� Email Guard臧� 於旉皜霅橃棃鞀惦媹雼�. 須岇偓电� 鞓暣 毵愱箤歆� Pro 旮半姤鞚� 頇曥灔頃橃棳 SMS 氚� 鞝勴檾 靷赴 氚╈ 旮半姤霃� 韽暔頃� 瓿勴殟鞛呺媹雼�.
Avast, faisant partie de Gen (NASDAQ : GEN), a lanc茅 Scam Guardian, un service gratuit de protection contre les arnaques aliment茅 par l'IA, int茅gr茅 脿 Avast Free Antivirus, ainsi qu'une version premium appel茅e Scam Guardian Pro. Ce lancement intervient alors que les statistiques sur la cybercriminalit茅 montrent des tendances inqui茅tantes, avec une augmentation de 186% des donn茅es compromises et une hausse de 466% des attaques de phishing au premier trimestre 2025.
La solution bas茅e sur l'IA comprend des fonctionnalit茅s telles que Avast Assistant, offrant une assistance 24h/24, et Web Guard pour d茅tecter les arnaques cach茅es. La version Pro ajoute Email Guard pour une protection avanc茅e des emails. La soci茅t茅 pr茅voit d'茅tendre les fonctionnalit茅s Pro plus tard cette ann茅e pour inclure la protection contre les arnaques par SMS et appels t茅l茅phoniques.
Avast, Teil von Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), hat Scam Guardian eingef眉hrt, einen kostenlosen KI-gest眉tzten Betrugsschutzdienst, der in Avast Free Antivirus integriert ist, sowie eine Premium-Version namens Scam Guardian Pro. Der Start erfolgt vor dem Hintergrund alarmierender Cyberkriminalit盲tsstatistiken, die im ersten Quartal 2025 einen Anstieg der kompromittierten Daten um 186% und der Phishing-Betr眉gereien um 466% zeigen.
Die KI-basierte L枚sung umfasst Funktionen wie Avast Assistant, der rund um die Uhr Schutzanweisungen bietet, und Web Guard zur Erkennung versteckter Betr眉gereien. Die Pro-Version erg盲nzt Email Guard f眉r erweiterten E-Mail-Schutz. Das Unternehmen plant, die Pro-Funktionen noch in diesem Jahr um Schutz vor SMS- und Telefonbetrug zu erweitern.
- Launch of free AI-powered scam protection service making advanced security accessible to everyone
- Integration into existing Avast Free Antivirus platform expands protection to current user base
- Premium version offers additional revenue stream through enhanced protection features
- Planned expansion of Pro features indicates strong product development pipeline
- Rising cybercrime statistics (186% increase in breached records, 466% rise in phishing scams) indicate growing security challenges
- Free version may cannibalize potential premium subscriptions
- Competitive pressure to offer advanced features for free could impact profit margins
Insights
Avast's AI scam protection tools strengthen its freemium model amid rising cyberthreats, potentially improving user acquisition and retention.
Gen's launch of Avast Scam Guardian represents a strategic enhancement of their security ecosystem during a critical period of escalating cyber threats. The data from their Q1/2025 threat report is particularly alarming - breached records surged by
The technical approach here is noteworthy. Rather than relying solely on traditional URL blacklisting, their AI system analyzes contextual and linguistic patterns to identify deceptive intent while also examining website code for concealed threats. This multi-faceted approach addresses the increasing sophistication of AI-generated scams that traditional detection methods often miss.
From a business strategy perspective, the freemium implementation is particularly clever. By integrating substantial AI capabilities (Avast Assistant and Web Guard) into the free tier, Gen can potentially expand its user base and brand presence. Meanwhile, reserving Email Guard for premium subscribers creates clearer value differentiation that could improve conversion rates to paid subscriptions.
The company's decision to frame this as "democratizing AI protection" aligns with current technology narratives around accessibility and could resonate with both consumers and investors. The phased product strategy, with additional AI tools for SMS and phone call protection planned for later this year, indicates an ongoing commitment to this technology direction.
For Gen, this product launch reinforces its position in the consumer security market while modernizing its technological approach. As cybercriminals increasingly leverage AI for attacks, security companies must demonstrate equivalent AI defensive capabilities to maintain relevance. This release shows Gen actively evolving with the threat landscape rather than falling behind.
Avast debuts Scam Guardian and Scam Guardian Pro as data breaches and scams soar
Cybercriminals continue to abuse AI to craft increasingly convincing scam attacks at an alarming rate. Available at no cost, the new service marks a significant step forward in democratizing AI scam protection. A premium version, Scam Guardian Pro, has also been added to Avast Premium Security, giving customers an enhanced layer of AI protection against email scams.
"Today's scams aren't crude or obvious 鈥� they're tailored, targeted, and AI-enhanced, making it harder than ever to tell the difference between truth and deception," said Leena Elias, Chief Product Officer at Gen. "As scammers take advantage of rising data breaches and leaked personal information, anyone anywhere can become a victim of scams. That's why it's never been more important to make powerful AI-powered scam protection available to everyone, everywhere. We're levelling the playing field with world class scam defense that helps people strengthen their digital and financial safety."
According to the recent , breached records of individuals surged by more than
As data breaches rise, so do the opportunities for attackers to exploit leaked information to launch targeted, hyper-personalized scam campaigns that are harder than ever to spot. Like a seasoned scam investigator, Scam Guardian uses proprietary AI trained on scam data from Gen Threat Labs to go beyond just detecting malicious URLs鈥攊t also analyzes context and language to more effectively identify signs of deceptive or harmful intent. Scam Guardian also helps to pull back the curtain on hidden threats in website code and neutralizes them to keep people safer as they browse and shop online.
Key features available in Scam Guardian for Avast Free Antivirus, include:
- Avast Assistant: Provides 24/7 AI-powered scam protection guidance on suspicious websites, SMS messages, emails, links, offers, and more. Allows people to engage in open dialogue when they're unsure about a potential scam and uses natural language to better understand queries and deliver clear advice on what to do next. Available on Windows and Mac.
- Web Guard: Uses the collective power of Gen Threat Labs telemetry and AI trained on millions of frequently visited websites to continuously analyze and detect hidden scams in content and code 鈥� offering unique visibility into dangerous URLs. Available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS2.
Scam Guardian Pro includes everything in Avast Scam Guardian, plus:
- Email Guard: Uses AI to understand the context of emails and the meaning of words to detect scams. Scans and flags safe and suspicious emails before you open them, helping to protect your email wherever you check it, no matter what device you use to log in. Available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS3.
Scam Guardian and Scam Guardian Pro are available to download now as part of Avast Free Antivirus and Avast Premium Security. Later this year, additional AI-powered tools will be added to Scam Guardian Pro for greater protection against sophisticated scams targeting other communication channels, including SMS and phone calls.
For more information, please visit .
About Avast
is a leader in digital security and privacy, and part of Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted consumer brands. Avast protects hundreds of millions of users from online threats, for Mobile, PC or Mac, and is top-ranked and certified by VB100, AV-Comparatives, AV-Test, SE Labs and others. Avast is a member of the Coalition Against Stalkerware, No More Ransom and Internet Watch Foundation. Learn more at .
1听AV-Comparatives, "Top-Rated Product 2024 Award" & AV-Comparatives, "AG真人官方-World Protection 2024 Award" - Jan-Dec 2024.
2 Content and code scanning is only available on Windows and Mac.
3听Email Guard is included, but mobile platforms do not have the Scam Guardian user interface.
Mike Healey听 | Allie Thompson |
Gen | Edelman for Gen |
听
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Gen Digital Inc.
FAQ
What new features did Gen (GEN) announce for Avast Free Antivirus?
How much did phishing scams increase according to Gen's Q1 2025 Threat Report?
What additional features are included in Scam Guardian Pro compared to the free version?
When will Gen (GEN) add new features to Scam Guardian Pro?
How much did data breaches increase in Q1 2025 according to Gen's report?
