Editing Avast (section)

{{short description|Czech security software company}}
{{Redirect|AVST|the ISO 15924 code <code>Avst</code>|Avestan alphabet}}
{{About|the antivirus company|the company's main antivirus product|Avast Antivirus|other uses|Avast (disambiguation)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Avast Software s.r.o.
| logo = Avast logo 2021.svg
| logo_caption = Logo used since 2021
| image = Praha Nusle Pikrtova 1a.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| image_caption = Enterprise Office Center building, Gen Digital co-headquarters in Prague
| former_name = Alwil Software
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| industry = [[Computer software]]
| products = [[Cybersecurity software]]
| services = [[Computer security]]
| founded = {{start date and age|df=yes|1988}}
| founders = {{plainlist|
* [[Pavel Baudiš]]
* [[Eduard Kučera]]
}}
| revenue = {{increase}} {{US$|link=yes}}892.9&nbsp;million (2020)<ref name=results>{{cite web |url=https://investors.avast.com/media/1402/avast-fy-20-results-final.pdf|title=Annual Results 2020 |publisher=Avast |access-date=3 March 2021}}</ref>
| operating_income = {{decrease}} {{US$|link=no}}335.4&nbsp;million (2020)<ref name=results/>
| net_income = {{decrease}} {{US$|link=no}}169.6&nbsp;million (2020)<ref name=results/>
| assets = {{decrease}} {{US$|link=no}}2.707&nbsp;billion (2020)<ref name=results/>
| equity = {{increase}} {{US$|link=no}}1.195&nbsp;billion (2020)<ref name=results/>
| num_employees = ~1,700 (2021)<ref name="avastataglance">{{cite web |title=At a glance |url=https://investors.avast.com/our-story/at-a-glance/ |website=Avast |access-date=24 February 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623143149/https://investors.avast.com/our-story/at-a-glance/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| num_employees_year = 
| parent = [[Gen Digital]]
| hq_location = 
| hq_location_city = [[Prague]]
| hq_location_country = Czech Republic
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = {{ubl
  |{{wd-chairperson|entity=Q55103384}}
  |{{wd-ceo|entity=Q55103384}}
  }}
| subsid = {{Unbulleted list|[[AVG Technologies]]|[[Piriform Software]]|[[HMA (VPN)|HMA]]}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.avast.com}}
}}
[[File:Eduard Kučera, Milada Kučerová, Jarmila Baudišová, Pavel Baudiš, foto Milan Bureš.jpg|thumb|Avast founders [[Eduard Kučera]] (left) and [[Pavel Baudiš]] (right) in 2016 with their spouses, who run the [[Foundation (nonprofit)|non-profit]] Avast Foundation for [[community development]]]]

'''Avast Software s.r.o.''' is a Czech [[Multinational corporation|multinational]] [[Computer security|cybersecurity software]] company headquartered in [[Prague]], [[Czech Republic]], that [[Research and development|researches and develops]] computer security software, [[machine learning]], and [[artificial intelligence]]. Avast had more than 435 million monthly active users<ref name="avastataglance"/> and the second largest market share among [[Antivirus software|anti-malware application]] vendors worldwide as of April 2020.<ref name="Statista">{{cite web | title=Market share held by the leading Windows anti-malware application vendors worldwide, as of April 2020| website=Statista | url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/271048/market-share-held-by-antivirus-vendors-for-windows-systems/ | access-date=2 July 2020}}</ref>  As of 2018, the company had approximately 1,700 employees across its 25 offices worldwide.<ref name="avastataglance"/> In July 2021, [[Gen Digital|NortonLifeLock]], an American cybersecurity company, announced that it was in talks to [[Mergers and acquisitions|merge]] with Avast Software. In August 2021, Avast's board of directors agreed to an offer of US$8 billion.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ray|first=Tiernan|title=NortonLifeLock and Avast PLC to merge in $8.4 billion transaction|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/nortonlifelock-and-avast-plc-to-merge-in-8-billion-all-stock-transaction/|access-date=2021-09-10|website=ZDNet|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-08-10|title=NortonLifeLock and Avast to Merge to Lead the Transformation of Consumer Cyber Safety|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210810005994/en/NortonLifeLock-and-Avast-to-Merge-to-Lead-the-Transformation-of-Consumer-Cyber-Safety|access-date=2021-09-10|website=www.businesswire.com|language=en}}</ref>

Avast was founded by [[Pavel Baudiš]] and [[Eduard Kučera]] in 1988 as a [[cooperative]]. It had been a [[Private limited company|private]] company since 2010 and had its [[Initial public offering|IPO]] in May 2018. In July 2016, Avast acquired competitor [[AVG Technologies]] for $1.3 billion. At the time, AVG was the third-ranked antivirus product.<ref>{{cite news|title=Avast Buys Piriform, the Company Behind CCleaner and Recuva|url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/business/avast-buys-piriform-the-company-behind-ccleaner-and-recuva/|work=BleepingComputer|language=en-us}}</ref> It was [[Dual-listed company|dual-listed]] on the [[Prague Stock Exchange]] and on the [[London Stock Exchange]] and was a constituent of the [[FTSE 100 Index]] until it was acquired by NortonLifeLock in September 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://research.ftserussell.com/products/index-notices/home/getnotice/?id=2605498|title=NortonLifeLock Inc (USA): Merger with Avast (UK) - Update Changes in FTSE UK Index Series|date=7 September 2022|access-date=9 September 2022}}</ref>

The company's main product is [[Avast Antivirus]], along with tools such as the [[Avast Secure Browser]] and the [[Avast SecureLine VPN]].

Avast produces Avast Online Security, which is its main [[Browser extension|extension]], but it also has extensions like Avast SafePrice and Avast Passwords.