Avira is also adding a crypto miner to its products

Et Tu, Avira? Ashwin reported last week that Norton was adding a new component, called Norton Crypto, to its security products. Norton Crypto is a cryptocurrency miner that will run when the system is detected to be idle. It seems that Avira is doing the same thing.

Avira Crypto is a crypto mining component that is integrated into (some?) Avira products.

Originally announced in October 2021, Avira Crypto was launched to help consumers “more safely and easily mine cryptocurrencies, directly through the Avira platform.”

Avira goes on to explain the ease of use of the integrated Crypto component in an official blog post Avira Blog in October 2021.

With Avira Crypto, miners can now turn downtime on their PCs into an opportunity to earn digital currency. It is designed to be easy to use, secure and reliable, allowing customers to mine cryptocurrencies in just a few clicks and bypass blanket barriers that might otherwise prevent their entry into the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

The company has created a FAQ on its support site that provides some additional details about the integration. According to the FAQ, Avira Crypto is mining Ethereum on the systems and comes with a personal wallet.

Avira does not reveal how much, if any, of the mined currency he is keeping for himself. Norton revealed last week that it is taking 15% of the currency earned from Norton Crypto users.

Participation in Avira Crypto and Norton Crypto is voluntary. Security expert Brian Krebs notes that the voluntary nature “ultimately depends on how these crypto programs are launched and whether users really understand what they’re doing when they enable them.”

Whether mining is profitable depends on a number of factors, including the cost of electricity, but also hardware wear and tear.

Both companies have been criticized for integrating crypto mining components. Previously, security products blocked malicious attempts to run cryptominers on client PCs. The integration can add a bit of revenue for the companies, but it can also affect the reputation of both companies.

closing words

I installed the latest version of Avira Free on a system and it did not include Avira Crypto. It may be currently rolling out or limited to customers in specific regions at the time of this writing.

Now you: What is your view on this? Do you think Avast is next?

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