Avast Scam Guardian: A Technical Analysis of AI-Powered Scam Defense

Avast has made its AI-driven scam defense, Scam Guardian, available for free worldwide, marking a significant expansion of its threat protection capabilities. Initially launched for desktop on June 25, 2025, the technology was subsequently rolled out to mobile devices on November 12, 2025, integrating into Avast Mobile Security for Android and iOS users.^{1, 2} This move addresses a threat landscape where over 80% of attacks blocked by Gen Threat Labs on mobile are scams and social engineering attacks, with an average of four scam attacks blocked every second.^{5, 6} The product is designed to counter modern scams that, as Avast’s Chief Product Officer Leena Elias noted, “don’t shout anymore – they whisper,” blending into everyday communications.⁵

Product Architecture and Feature Tiers

Scam Guardian is structured in a tiered model, with a free version included in base products and a Pro version bundled with paid subscriptions like Avast Premium Security.³ The core distinction lies in the breadth of protection channels covered. The free version provides access to the Avast Assistant and Web Guard, while the Pro version extends protection to email, SMS, and voice channels, which are critical vectors for targeted social engineering. The feature breakdown, as detailed in official Avast documentation, is systematic.³

Scam Guardian Feature Comparison
Feature	Scam Guardian (Free)	Scam Guardian Pro (Paid)
Avast Assistant (AI Chat & Analysis)	✓	✓
Web Guard (Malicious URL Blocking)	✓	✓
Email Guard (Scam Email Detection)	X	✓
SMS Guard (Scam Text Detection)	X	✓
Call Guard (Scam Call Blocking)	X	✓
Link Guard (Android-only link scanning)	X	✓

*Source: Adapted from the official Avast Support FAQs.*³

Core Technical Components and AI Integration

The Avast Assistant serves as the central AI component, functioning as a cybersecurity resource. It allows users to upload screenshots of texts, emails, or links for analysis or to ask direct questions about online safety.^{3, 5} The underlying technology leverages advanced AI and proprietary data from Gen Threat Labs, including a vast library of known phishing and scam patterns. The assistant then provides an assessment, the reasoning behind it, and recommended next steps. Its analysis performs best in English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.³ This tool represents a shift from purely automated blocking to interactive threat analysis, providing users with context for security decisions.

Web Guard, which was formerly known as Web Shield, operates as a real-time web scanning feature. It is enabled by default and checks every website a user visits against a database of millions of known dangerous URLs to prevent malware downloads and phishing attempts.^{3, 5} This component provides a foundational layer of protection against web-based threats. Its integration is seamless, operating in the background without requiring user intervention for known-bad indicators, which complements the more interactive, AI-driven analysis of the Avast Assistant.

Pro-Only Mobile Defense Mechanisms

The paid Pro version introduces several critical mobile-specific defenses that address high-fidelity attack vectors. SMS Guard uses AI to scan text messages in the default messaging app for risky links and scam content, providing real-time alerts.^{1, 3, 5} This is particularly relevant given the prevalence of smishing campaigns targeting corporate credentials and multi-factor authentication codes. Similarly, Call Guard identifies incoming calls and automatically blocks those flagged as suspicious or scam calls before the device rings, mitigating vishing attempts.^{3, 5}

Email Guard scans and labels incoming emails directly within webmail clients like Gmail, classifying them as safe or unsafe and highlighting potential phishing threats across devices and browsers.^{3, 5} For Android users, Link Guard provides an additional layer by scanning links opened from outside the browser, such as those in messaging apps, and warning users if they are dangerous.³ These features collectively create a multi-vector defense system that operates at the application layer, providing point-of-use protection against socially engineered attacks.

Relevance for Security Professionals

For security teams, the widespread availability of a free, AI-enhanced scam defense tool has several implications. The technology can serve as an additional layer in a defense-in-depth strategy, particularly for protecting employees from credential harvesting and social engineering on personal devices that may access corporate resources. The statistical data provided by Gen Threat Labs, which indicates the massive scale of mobile scam attacks, underscores the persistent threat that requires layered mitigation.^{5, 6}

The architecture of Scam Guardian also provides insight into the evolving nature of endpoint protection platforms, which are increasingly incorporating behavioral analysis and interactive AI to combat human-centric attacks. The distinction between free and paid features highlights the security vendor’s assessment of which attack vectors pose the greatest risk and where they believe value can be added for paying customers. Understanding this model can help in evaluating other security products and their coverage gaps.

The release timeline and feature set demonstrate a focused approach to countering the most prevalent attack types. The initial desktop launch in June 2025, followed by the mobile expansion in November 2025, shows a strategic rollout prioritizing platforms based on threat intelligence.^{2, 5} The mobile-first approach for the Pro features aligns with the shift in attack surfaces towards mobile devices, which are often less protected than corporate-managed endpoints but contain sensitive data and access.

The availability of Scam Guardian within the all-in-one security suite Avast One, as well as a standalone AI-powered Scam Detector tool, indicates a flexible deployment strategy catering to different user segments.^{4, 7} This allows organizations to recommend specific solutions based on their security posture and the needs of their users. The global rollout, beginning in France and Germany, provides a controlled deployment model that can help refine detection capabilities before wider release.⁵

In conclusion, Avast’s Scam Guardian represents a significant step in democratizing AI-powered scam defense, making core protection capabilities available to a global user base at no cost. The multi-layered approach, combining automated URL blocking with interactive AI analysis, addresses the nuanced nature of modern social engineering. For the security community, the product’s architecture and feature prioritization offer valuable insights into the evolving landscape of endpoint protection and the industry’s response to the escalating threat of AI-facilitated scams. As these threats continue to grow in sophistication, the widespread adoption of such tools could raise the baseline of user protection.