I’ve always found it alarming when something that should be protecting your computer, such as an antivirus program goes rogue, but that is exactly what Avira has done. Learn more about this strange behaviour.
Avira bought by Norton
Avira was developed in 2006 by Avira Operations GmbH, the year I started my business. However, in January 2021 the company was acquired by LifeLock Inc, the company that owns Norton 360.
In 2017, Symantec Corp bought LifeLock, an identity protection company and then Symantec renamed themselves as NortonLifeLock in 2019.
Norton 360 has cryptomining software and now Avira has gained it’s own cryptomining software bundled in.
When your computer is idle, the cryptomining program mines for Ethereum (ETH), a type of cryptocurrency. What isn’t clear though is that the company pockets 15% of all ETH mined on user’s machines.
What is worse is that NortonLifeLock acquired Avast Antivirus, so they control the bulk of the antivirus industry, and can install their cryptomining operation on your computer as part of using their antivirus, should they want to.
Mining cryptocurrency forces your computer to use more energy, especially if you don’t expect your computer to be mining without your knowledge and from your antivirus program you expect to keep your computer safe!
Uninstall antivirus programs
I’ve used the built in Windows Defender on my PCs and then run ADWCleaner occasionally.
Should you feel that you don’t wish to have a cryptomining antivirus installed on your computer, then I suggest running one of the uninstall processes below:
