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Discover free spyware protection & removal

Stop intruders from stealing your confidential data.

It can be as slick and secretive as 007—but it’s the bad guy: spyware. It sneaks into your system and siphons out sensitive data. Block it now with Avira Antivirus and our free Spyware Cleaner.

Know your enemy

Understanding how spyware works is the first step to protecting yourself.

IT’S THE ULTIMATE PEEPING TOM

Spyware is a type of malware (malicious software) that infiltrates your device and collects and shares personal information about your computer or network. 

  • Monitors your internet activity, tracks your login and password information, and spies on your sensitive information.
  • Commonly used by criminals to steal your name, address, passwords, and bank and credit card details.
  • Also a tool for unscrupulous advertisers and companies to collect and sell market data about you.

IT COMES IN 4 FORMS

Spyware is one of the most common threats on the internet. There are four main types:

Adware: Tracks your browser history and downloads to display ads for similar products.

Trojans: Dressed as legitimate software, such as a Java or Flash Player update, to entice you to download them.

System monitors: Records just about everything you do on your computer, including keystrokes, chat-room dialogs, websites you visited, etc. System monitors are often disguised as freeware.

Tracking cookies: Tracks your web activities, including searches, history, and downloads, for marketing purposes.

SPOT SPYWARE SYMPTOMS

Spyware runs hidden from the user so it’s often difficult to detect. Look out for the following symptoms: 

  • Slower system performance and more crashes (it consumes resources like an annoying house mate)
  • Increase in annoying behavior such as showing pop-ups and re-routinged web pages
  • Altered web pages or default search engines

Why choose anti-spyware from Avira?

It’s part of our award-winning Avira Free Antivirus, so it’s technology you can truly trust for more than just spyware protection. Plus, it’s made in Germany and backed by our 30 years of expertise in protecting your digital world.

BE FOOTLOOSE AND FANCY FREE:

Our real-time antivirus protection blocks viruses, trojans, worms, viruses, ransomware, spyware… in fact all types of malicious software, so you can live your life online with complete freedom and confidence.

BE FAST:

Our spyware scanner doesn’t slow down you or your system, and neither does Avira Free Antivirus, which officially has the industry’s smallest footprint.

BE PART OF A GLOBAL ARMY:

Be part of a global army: Harness the power of collective intelligence! The Avira Protection Cloud is an ever-expanding virtual database of threat “fingerprints.” As soon as new spyware is detected, you—and all our customers—are immediately immunized against it.

Looking for just our spyware cleaner? Here it is!

You’ll find it in Avira Browser Safety. This free, discreet browser extension is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. It identifies and blocks unwanted application downloads and recommends secure alternatives. Also included is the ad blocker that blocks annoying banners and pop-ups on websites.

Please note: After installing your Avira protection, Browser Safety will appear in the Avira Launcher, but it still needs to be manually installed and activated!

Find out more and download Avira Browser Safety here.

Award-winning technology that helps protect millions of users.

Get free antivirus with anti-spyware—download now.

Secure all your devices with Avira.

LOOKING FOR PREMIUM ANTIVIRUS?

Discover Antivirus Profor Mac and Windows

Get free spyware protection with the Avira spyware scanner

Spyware was thrust back into the spotlight after the discovery of Pegasus, the advanced mobile spyware from the Israeli NSO Group. Using this powerful software, several states worldwide have extensively spied on and monitored the Android and iOS devices of journalists, politicians, opposition activists, human rights activists, and their lawyers. For obvious reasons, some authoritarian regimes love spyware. It helps them keep tabs on critics and anyone potentially seeking to undermine them. Many countries worldwide, including Germany, are allegedly using the Pegasus spyware for their own surveillance operations. NSO Group insists that its products are primarily used by law enforcement for legitimate crime-fighting purposes—and only to collect data from the mobile devices of specific individuals suspected to be involved in serious crime.  

However, spyware is not only used by government authorities and cyber criminals. Stalkers find it useful too. By installing spying apps on smartphones without the knowledge and consent of the user, they can monitor internet searches, location history, text messages, photos, videos, voice calls, and more. Often these are harmless apps, like parental monitoring apps, being misused by people wanting to keep tabs on others, like their spouse. To help you protect your online privacy, Avira offers free spyware protection with its spyware scanner. The company has also joined the Coalition Against Stalkerware, which aims to hunt down stalker and tracking software and help protect against domestic abuse. Find out more about Avira’s commitment to ending stalkerware in this blog.

 

Protect your data from online spies and intruders

Avira’s spyware detector freeware is available for Windows and Mac computers, plus mobile devices. Avira Antivirus Security for Android provides online protection against many types of mobile threats, including spyware, and checks the system for other types of malware. In addition to the spyware scanner, this freeware for smartphones offers other security features: The Permissions Manager shows you which apps have access to your personal data and information. Use the Applock feature to PIN-protect apps that may contain confidential information, such as chats, calls, and Skype.

Reading this in a coffee shop or at the airport? If you’re using public Wi-Fi, a VPN offers essential security and comes free (up to 100 MB/day) with the Avira anti-spyware app for Android. VPNs create a virtual tunnel through which your online data travels, keeping it more secure from prying eyes. Additional privacy-boosting features are at your fingertips too, including a breach monitor that checks whether your email address has been leaked, and a network scanner, which displays all devices connected to your home network.

Not content with simply keeping your phone more secure, Avira Antivirus Security also offers a cleanup and optimization tool to help speed up your smartphone and free up more storage space. In addition to web protection, which helps block malicious and phishing websites, the Avira Pro version includes camera and microphone protection. So, you can help prevent unauthorized access to your camera and microphone.

 

How else can you protect yourself from spyware—for free?

Look out for trusted antivirus software that comes with an integrated spyware scanner—like Avira Free Antivirus. But don’t stop there. There’s more (and you still won’t need to spend a penny). Since malware can sneak in via security vulnerabilities in outdated software, regular updating of your programs and drivers is important too. A software and driver updater like Avira Software Updater alerts you to outdated programs and provides secure download links so you know that the software you’re getting is clean. Love online shopping and browsing? You need Avira Browser Safety (for Opera, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge). This extension helps protect you from spyware hidden in harmful advertisements. It also highlights malicious and phishing pages in search results, so you don’t even go there.

 

Thankfully, Avira Free Security takes the headache out of choosing what you need, making staying safer online even simpler. Not only does it come with anti-malware and a software updater, so you can tick those boxes, but it cunningly blends in more: A VPN for more secure, anonymous surfing, a PC cleaner for a faster machine, and a password manager. All for free (of course).  

The integrated Avira Password Manager can generate and securely store your passwords for you and provides spyware protection. How is that possible? Read on. If you enter your details manually, keylogger spyware could record your keystrokes and pass on your details to cyber criminals. Password Manager comes with an autofill function, so your details are automatically entered as you log in to your online accounts. As there’s no typing, there’s nothing for the keylogger to record!

 

Upgrade to cross-platform, all-round protection for your devices

If you’re prepared to invest in a monthly subscription, it’s time to meet Avira Prime: It’s the Avira VIP program that grants you access to all Avira premium solutions for a single fee. Security is vital—so is shielding your privacy. That’s why Prime offers trusted protection, privacy, and performance.

  • Go beyond malware protection: Stay safe from other security vulnerabilities, like outdated software and weak passwords. The ‘Pro-version’ tools let you unlock greater functionality. E.g.: Avira Software Updater Pro automatically updates software and drivers. Password Manager Pro alerts you if your personal data has been found in a data breach. 
  • Protect your privacy: Use unlimited VPN to surf privately wherever you are.
  • Speed up: System Speedup Pro comes with advanced, deep cleaning tools (including registry cleaner), as well as backup and restore options.

Nobody likes being spied on, tracked, or having their data stolen. Thankfully, there are a range of options to protect you from online threats—and many trusted solutions are free.

Learn more about the following

What is adware?

Adware shows annoying or infected advertisements on your device without your permission and you get spammed with banners and pop-ups…

Learn more

What is malware and why is our Malware Scanner important?

Visiting websites and downloading files makes your computer or mobile device vulnerable to threats and attacks…

Learn more

What is phishing and why can it lead to ID theft?

Is that email from your bank? This technique uses deceptive emails and websites to gather personal information…

Learn more

What is ransomware and why do I need ransomware protection?

Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts the hard disk of the infected system…

Learn more

Spyware, also called spy software, is a type of malware that can spy on and monitor infected devices and steal personal data and sensitive information without the user's knowledge or consent. Some comparatively harmless types of spyware, such as tracking cookies and adware, collect information about users' online behavior for commercial gain. However, cyber criminals can also use more harmful spyware variants such as Keyloggers or Trojans to obtain sensitive information like credit cards, bank details, and even login details for user accounts.

Spyware typically gets onto a device through infected or phishing websites, malicious ads, email attachments, or software and apps that disguise themselves as legitimate applications. Sometimes vulnerabilities in browsers, operating systems, programs, or apps are also exploited to inject spyware. The increasing popularity of smartphones has made them an increasingly popular target for spyware. As a rule: Be wary about the apps you’re downloading and if you trust them—and be especially cautious if an app requires access rights to sensitive data that isn’t essential for it to function! Always check app permissions after downloading at the latest and deactivate the app if necessary.

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Big savings. Strong online security: 43% off Avira Prime >
Riesen Rabatt. Starke Online-Sicherheit: 43% auf Avira Prime >