Did you know that Avast Antivirus has two types of hardened mode? They are moderate and aggressive hardened modes. Let’s find out more about the antivirus software as well as what these modes mean and how they differ in the article below.
The general overview of Avast Antivirus
Avast is one of the leading antivirus providers in the world. One of the reasons for this position is its free version which manages to deliver great malware protection. However, the paid version is also great and comes with so many extra features. They include:
- Antivirus,
- Software Updater,
- Wi-Fi Inspector,
- Real Site,
- Sandbox,
- Rescue Disk, etc.
In complex, they deliver versatile protection from all sorts of online and offline threats, malware, viruses, phishing sites, etc. A user can run 4 types of scans to make sure there are no viruses on the PC or external drives. Moreover, there is a full package that also brings Password Manager, Cleanup Master, Game Mode, VPN, File Shredder, and a Firewall.
Avast Antivirus has lots of advantages. No wonder hundreds of millions of people rely on it daily. Moreover, the software has 2 additional modes for cases when you need extra security. They are moderate hardened mode and aggressive hardened mode.
Moderate hardened mode: the peculiarities
This mode in Avast Antivirus has pre-installed settings. Unlike the regular mode when the detected threat gets into the DeepScreen, this mode doesn’t have any further scanning. It is immediately blocked. Even suspicious files get this reaction. So the difference is that if the DeepScreen doesn’t find any malicious problem it restores the file. In a case with the hardened mode, the file won’t stand a chance and will be immediately blocked.
Aggressive hardened more: the main features
This type of hardened mode also differs from the rest. Here the system is only based on the whitelist database from Avast cloud. In this situation, the antivirus sees the file and searches it in the database. In case it finds the file in that cloud and it’s marked as safe, the computer will be able to run it. In case there is no such file in the list or it’s marked as a threat, the antivirus will block it. This is probably the most secure mode.
However, this mode has one slight drawback. If you use very old or very new software, the antivirus will have trouble defining it as well as its category (safe or threat). If you run software that is used by thousands of people, you are unlikely to have any issues.
The main difference between the modes
Aside from different ways to distinguish safe files and viruses, there is one more difference. Surprising enough, the moderate mode is more paranoid than the aggressive one. It often blocks reliable and very safe programs. This mode is triggered by suspicious characteristics of the files. Aggressive mode, on the other hand, will simply ignore these files.
The verdict on the software
As you can see, the numerous advantages and tons of features have brought wide popularity to Avast Antivirus. Its hardened modes can come in handy when you need to be extra careful and protect your PC from all sorts of suspicious files. The company has also managed to build a trustworthy reputation. You can easily use it with other Avast products without risk of software conflicts.