G AntiVirusDeveloper(s)Gen Digital Inc.Operating systemWindows XP and later, macOS, AndroidTypeAntivirus softwareLicenseFreemiumWebsiteg.com
G AntiVirus (previously known as G, an abbreviation of Anti-Virus Guard) is a line of antivirus software developed by G Technologies, a subsidiary of Avast, a part of Gen Digital.[1][2] It is ailable for Windows, macOS and Android.
History Main article: G TechnologiesThe brand G comes from Grisoft's first product, Anti-Virus Guard, launched in 1992 in the Czech Republic. In 1997, the first G licenses were sold in Germany and the UK. G was introduced in the US in 1998.[3]
The G Free Edition helped raise awareness of the G product line.[4] In 2006, the G security package grew to include anti-spyware as G Technologies acquired ewido Networks, an anti-spyware group. G Technologies acquired Exploit Prevention Labs (XPL) in December 2007 and incorporated that company's LinkScanner safe search and surf technology into the G 8.0 security product range released in March 2008. In January 2009, G Technologies acquired Sana Security, a developer of identity theft prevention software. This software was incorporated into the G security product range in March 2009.[citation needed]
According to G Technologies, the company has more than 200 million active users worldwide, including more than 100 million who use their products and services on mobile devices.[5]
On 7 July 2016, Avast announced an agreement to acquire G for $1.3 billion.[6]
Platform supportG provides G AntiVirus Free for Windows, G AntiVirus for Mac for macOS and G AntiVirus for Android for Android devices. All are freemium products: They are free to download, install, update and use, but for technical support a premium plan must be purchased.[citation needed]
G stopped providing new features for Windows XP and Windows Vista in January 2019. New versions require Windows 7 or later; virus definitions are still provided for previous versions.[7]
FeaturesG features most of the common functions ailable in modern antivirus and Internet security programs, including periodic scans, scans of sent and received emails (including adding footers to the emails indicating this), the ability to repair some virus-infected files, and a quarantine area (virus vault) in which infected files are held.[citation needed]
LinkScannerThe LinkScanner technology acquired from Exploit Prevention Labs and built into most G products, provides real-time updated protection against exploits and drive-by downloads. LinkScanner includes: Search-Shield – a safe search component that places safety ratings next to each link in Google, Yahoo! and MSN search results; plus Active Surf-Shield – a safe surf component that scans the contents of a web site in real-time to ensure it's safe being opened.[8] Concerns regarding web analytics he made LinkScanner a controversial component (see "LinkScanner concerns" below).
LinkScanner concernsWhen G 8.0 was first released, its LinkScanner safe search feature was shown to cause an increase in traffic on websites that appear high in search engine results pages. Since LinkScanner disguises the scans as coming from an Internet Explorer 6 browser when it prescans each site listed in the search results, website usage logs showed incorrect and overinflated site visitor statistics. The prescanning of every link in search results also caused websites to transfer more data than usual, resulting in higher bandwidth usage for web site operators and slow performance for users.[9] G initially said that site administrators would be able to filter the LinkScanner traffic out of their site statistics, leing the problem of excess bandwidth usage still to be solved.[10] Pay-per-click advertising was not affected by the increase in traffic.[11]
G Online ShieldG Online Shield is a feature designed to check files and ensure that they are safe. G Online Shield also ensures the safety of exchanging files via instant messengers and VoIP clients.[12]
In response to complaints, G announced that as of 9 July 2008 "Search-Shield will no longer scan each search result online for new exploits, which was causing the spikes that webmasters addressed with us",[13] releasing a new build on that date that applies a local blacklist, then prefetches and scans only those links clicked on by the user.[14]
ControversyAs of 2014, there are numerous reports dating back to 2012 that the G SafeGuard Toolbar installs itself without the consent of the user, as a side effect of installing other applications. The toolbar program appears to cause significant RAM issues and can be considered an intrusive potentially unwanted program (PUP). Once installed, the G toolbar is virtually impossible to remove. The toolbar uninstaller does not function, instead re-installing the add-on if manually removed. Consequently, many discussions and blog posts he described complex procedures for removal of the G toolbar, each with very mixed results.[15][16][17][18][19][20]
In September 2015, G announced that it would start tracking users for profit, analyzing their data for sale to the advertising industry. This measure received criticism from consumers, the press and security industry, as many users intended to use the software in order to protect themselves from spyware and would not expect the functions of spyware to be "hidden" in security software.[21]
In December 2015, the G Web TuneUp Google Chrome extension (automatically installed with G AntiVirus) was revealed to contain multiple critical security vulnerabilities.[22] Most notably, Chrome users' browsing history could be exposed to any website, cookies from any site the user has visited could be read by an attacker, and trivial cross-site scripting (XSS) issues could allow any website to execute arbitrary code (as another domain).
The XSS vulnerability allowed a user's mail from "mail.google.com" to be read by any website, or financial information to be read from the user's online banking site. The G team fixed this by only allowing "mysearch.g.com" and "webtuneup.g.com" to execute these scripts. Despite this remediation, attackers could leverage any of these attacks if an XSS vulnerability was found on the G sites. As of April 2016, Web TuneUp was still not ailable for download from the G website.
See also Internet Security Comparison of antivirus software References ^ "Avast Closes Acquisition of G Technologies". Business Wire. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016. ^ "FREE 2016: Developer: Avast Software s.r.o." Google Play. Retrieved 31 October 2016. ^ "G Technologies Celebrates 15 Years of Internet Security Success". Avg.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2012. ^ "GRISOFT viert 15 jaar van successen met internetbeveiliging | G Nederland". Avg.com. 5 December 2006. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2012. ^ "G Surpasses 200 Million Users Worldwide". Now.g.com. Retrieved 11 March 2015. ^ "Avast Announces Agreement to Acquire G for $1.3B". Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017. ^ "G ends support for Windows XP & Windows Vista". G Blogs. G Technologies. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2019. ^ "Veelgestelde vragen | G Nederland". Avg.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2012. ^ "G Disguises Fake Traffic As IE6". Theregister.co.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2012. ^ "G update disguises LinkScanner traffic as IE6". Techspot.com. 27 June 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2012. ^ "LinkScanner could be behind surge in web traffic". virusbulletin.com. Retrieved 30 September 2018. ^ "G security features". G.com. Retrieved 10 February 2015. ^ "G Responds to Fake Traffic Spikes". Networkinstruments.wordpress.com. 5 July 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2012. ^ "Grisoft modifies its free G product after complaints". News.cnet.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012. ^ ""G Secure Search" is obviously a kind of malware that attaches itself to FF. Is Mozilla working on killing it?". Retrieved 17 December 2015. ^ "G Toolbar & Secure Search: How do I remove it from my browser & PC?". ReviverSoft Blog. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2015. ^ "How to remove Nation Toolbar — Search.nation.com redirect (Removal) - Tech & Internet Security — News & Guides". Retrieved 17 December 2015. ^ "How to Remove G SafeGuard Toolbar and G Secure Search". Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2015. ^ "Completely Remove G safeguard toolbar". answers.microsoft.com. ^ Emil Protalinski. "G Security Toolbar is the worst foistware I've ever seen". ZDNet. Retrieved 17 December 2015. ^ Beuth, Patrick (22 September 2015). "Antivirensoftware benimmt sich künftig wie Spyware". Die Zeit. Retrieved 23 September 2015. ^ "Issue 675: G: "Web TuneUP" extension multiple critical vulnerabilities". 15 December 2015. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015. External links Official website vteAntivirus softwareCompanies Bitdefender Check Point ZoneAlarm Cisco ClamWin Comodo Dr.Web ESET F-Secure Fortinet FRISK G Data CyberDefense Gen Avast G Avira Norton Intego Kaspersky Kingsoft Lasoft Malwarebytes McAfee Microsoft NANO Security Panda Quick Heal Qihoo 360 Sophos Trend Micro VIPRE VirusBlokAda Webroot ProductsDesktop,server 360 Total Security Avast Antivirus G AntiVirus Avira Internet Security Bitdefender ClamTk ClamWin Clam AntiVirus Comodo Antivirus Comodo Internet Security Dr.Web ESET NOD32 F-Secure F-PROT Fortinet G Data Immunet Mac Internet Security Kaspersky Anti-Virus Kaspersky Internet Security Malwarebytes McAfee VirusScan Microsoft Defender Antivirus Microsoft Security Essentials NANO Antivirus Norton AntiVirus Norton Internet Security Panda Sophos Symantec Endpoint Protection Spyware Doctor Trend Micro Internet Security Vba32 AntiVirus VirusBarrier ZoneAlarm Mobile,tablet Avast Antivirus G AntiVirus Avira Free Android Security Bitdefender Mobile Security CM Security Comodo Mobile Security Dr.Web Mobile Security Suite ESET Mobile Security F-Secure Mobile Security FireAMP Mobile G Data Mobile Security McAfee Mobile Security Trend Micro Mobile Security VirusBarrier Related Comparison of antivirus software