Anti-Phishing Certification Avast 2022
Release date | 2022-07-08 |
Revision date | 2022-07-04 |
Test Period | June 2022 |
Number of Testcases | 253 |
Online with cloud connectivity | |
Update allowed | |
False Alarm Test included | |
Platform/OS | Microsoft Windows |
Methodology | Click here |
Introduction
Taken from Wikipedia:
“Phishing is a way of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. This is similar to Fishing, where the fisherman puts a bait at the hook, thus, pretending to be a genuine food for fish. But the hook inside it takes the complete fish out of the lake. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail spoofing or instant messaging and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to deceive users, and exploits the poor usability of current web security technologies.”
For more information about how not to get hooked by a phishing scam, please have a look at e.g. https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams
Tested Products
The most recent product version of Avast Free Antivirus available at time of testing has been used in this test.
In our test scenario, we simulate the common situation where users rely on the anti-phishing protection provided by their security products while browsing the web (and/or checking their webmail accounts; anti-spam features are not considered, as they are not within the scope of this test).
Testcases
The test took place between the 17th and 26th June 2022. 253 Phishing URLs were tested as soon as we discovered them. All phishing URLs had to be active/online at time of testing and attempt to get personal information. The phishing campaigns targeted various types of personal data, including login credentials etc. for PayPal, online banking & credit cards, e-mail accounts, Dropbox, eBay, social networks, online games and other online services. The set of legitimate online banking websites for the false alarm test consisted of 250 clean URLs (all of them using HTTPS and showing a login form) from all over the world.
Ranking System
Below you can see the percentages of blocked phishing websites (size of test set: 253 phishing URLs). No false alarms were encountered on the tested 250 legitimate online banking sites.
Protection Rate | FPs | |
Avast | 93% | 0 |
Award levels reached in this Anti-Phishing Test
To be approved by AV-Comparatives for Anti-Phishing Protection, at least 85% of the phishing URLs used must be detected and blocked, without causing any false alarms with legitimate online banking sites.
Only products which were submitted for the Anti-Phishing Test, and which passed the test, are published. Ten vendors submitted their products for certification in 2022, of which only seven reached the requirements (incl. Avast Free Antivirus). Vendors can reapply for approval in 2023.
Avast | APPROVED |
Copyright and Disclaimer
This publication is Copyright © 2022 by AV-Comparatives ®. Any use of the results, etc. in whole or in part, is ONLY permitted after the explicit written agreement of the management board of AV-Comparatives prior to any publication. AV-Comparatives and its testers cannot be held liable for any damage or loss, which might occur as result of, or in connection with, the use of the information provided in this paper. We take every possible care to ensure the correctness of the basic data, but a liability for the correctness of the test results cannot be taken by any representative of AV-Comparatives. We do not give any guarantee of the correctness, completeness, or suitability for a specific purpose of any of the information/content provided at any given time. No one else involved in creating, producing or delivering test results shall be liable for any indirect, special or consequential damage, or loss of profits, arising out of, or related to, the use or inability to use, the services provided by the website, test documents or any related data.
For more information about AV-Comparatives and the testing methodologies, please visit our website.
AV-Comparatives
(July 2022)