While not the main target of the operation, Avira was nonetheless mentioned together with several other antivirus and security firms as being at least a target of interest (It’s noteworthy that none of the targets were US or UK companies). Since the revelation we have received various requests vis-à-vis our position and capabilities regarding this affair. We are of course more than happy to share our thoughts with you.

“Avira has frequently seen efforts by governments to write malicious software that attempts to prevent, circumvent, or disable our software from protecting our users. The goal is always the same: installing their programs on the computer users’ systems without detection. These tactics are used by malware authors of all kinds, not just governments.

We at Avira are constantly improving our defense and detection mechanisms to avoid such manipulation. We also use various other systems and utilities to detect such efforts, outside of our own products. Whether a government-funded malware writer, mafia, friend or enemy, the exploitation of applications is something that we are determined to prevent from happening,” says Travis Witteveen, Chief Executive Officer of Avira.

Let’s also not forget that Avira is a founding member of IT Security made in Germany and we pride ourselves in committing, among other things, to:

• Exclusively provide IT security solutions no other third party can access (no backdoors!).
• Offer products that do not cause the transmission of crypto keys, parts of keys or access recognition.
• Eliminate vulnerabilities or avoidance methods for access control systems as fast as possible once detected.

Avira will always strive to keep those commitments, be it against your run-of-the-mill malware or attempts by governments to obtain information.

The post NSA and GCHQ Have Been Spying on Antivirus Companies appeared first on Avira Blog.