AVG AntiVirus (previously known as AVG, an abbreviation of Anti-Virus Guard) is a line of antivirus software developed by AVG Technologies, a subsidiary of Avast, a part of Gen Digital. It is available for Windows, macOS and Android. History The brand AVG comes from Grisoft's first product, Anti-Virus Guard, launched in 1992 in the Czech Republic. In 1997, the first AVG licenses were sold in Germany and the UK. AVG was introduced in the US in 1998. The AVG Free Edition helped raise awareness of the AVG product line. In 2006, the AVG security package grew to include anti-spyware as AVG Technologies acquired ewido Networks, an anti-spyware group. AVG Technologies acquired Exploit Prevention Labs (XPL) in December 2007 and incorporated that company's LinkScanner safe search and surf technology into the AVG 8.0 security product range released in March 2008. In January 2009, AVG Technologies acquired Sana Security, a developer of identity theft prevention software. This software was incorporated into the AVG security product range in March 2009. According to AVG Technologies, the company has more than 200 million active users worldwide, including more than 100 million who use their products and services on mobile devices. On 7 July 2016, Avast announced an agreement to acquire AVG for $1.3 billion. Platform support AVG provides AVG AntiVirus Free for Windows, AVG AntiVirus for Mac for macOS and AVG AntiVirus for Android for Android devices. All are freemium products: They are free to download, install, update and use, but for technical support a premium plan must be purchased. AVG stopped providing new features for Windows XP and Windows Vista in January 2019. New versions require Windows 7 or later; virus definitions are still provided for previous versions. Features AVG features most of the common functions available in modern antivirus and Internet security programs, including periodic scans, scans of sent and received emails (including adding footers to the emails indicating this), the ability to repair some virus-infected files, and a quarantine area (virus vault) in which infected files are held. LinkScanner The patent pending LinkScanner technology acquired from Exploit Prevention Labs and built into most AVG products, provides real-time updated protection against exploits and drive-by downloads. LinkScanner includes: Search-Shield – a safe search component that places safety ratings next to each link in Google, Yahoo! and MSN search results; plus Active Surf-Shield – a safe surf component that scans the contents of a web