Install Avast on Linux: Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, CentOS

Almost two decades old, Linux can be said to be a steady operating system. However, it has never been mainstream. The reason is its Open-Source nature. When talking about security applications or software, many people actively disregard Linux, as Linux rarely faces cyberattacks. Does this justify a lack of antivirus? Is the platform safe?

We are not going into a “Linux Security” debate. Rather, we are here to aid users who want additional security on their Linux devices. And what better way is there, other than the Avast Security Suite, to circumvent any security loopholes?

What is Avast?

Surely, readers must have already heard the term Avast at least once in their daily lives. Even those who are unfamiliar might have an idea as to what the name represents, which is precisely a trustworthy brand in the enormous Antivirus industry. Avast attracts users by offering excellent protection at competitive pricing. Furthermore, it provides a whole suite of software to prevent any intrusion or cyberattacks. Now, a VPN is also added to the list of available services.

Avast truly enjoys a reputation for being effective. It has a lot of different products to choose from. However, Avast only offers a Business Antivirus for Linux. But it can be installed on different Linux distros. As a premium security solution, Avast has over 400 million active subscribers, which in itself is a testimony to the effectiveness of the software.

Thus, readers are requested to scroll down and find out the correct steps to install Avast on different Linux distributions without fail.

Prerequisites

While it is possible to install Avast on a Linux device, there are some requirements to be met for a successful operation. These are as follows:

• Having a device running Linux.
• An active internet connection.
• Only the following Linux versions are supported, please check:
  • CentOS 7 or up
  • RHEL 7, 8 and 9 (with the latest update)
  • Debian 10 and 11
  • Amazon Linux 2
  • And Ubuntu LTS 18.04, 20.04, and Ubuntu 22.04

It seems that Avast has discontinued offering their Home edition on Linux. But they still offer business antivirus solutions for Linux. So we will discuss that today.

Avast Business Antivirus for Linux

Initially, Avast had a Linux Home Edition suite available for download. But the latest updates have stopped supporting it. Hence, those Linux users who want Avast have to download the Business Antivirus. However, the installation is different for each distro. 

Furthermore, Avast Business Antivirus is purchased separately for Linux. It also lacks a GUI and its installation and management is done via the command line terminal. Those interested should contact the Avast sales team to buy the product.

Method 1. Installing Avast Business Antivirus on Debian and Ubuntu (DEB Package)

Step 1. Open the command terminal by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + T

Step 2. Now enter the following command to add the Avast repository to your system repositories:

For Debian 10 use the commands:

sudo DIST=$(. /etc/os-release; echo "$ID-$VERSION_CODENAME")

sudo echo "deb https://repo.avcdn.net/linux-av/deb debian-buster release" \ > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/avast.list

Similarly, for every other distro in the following list use this command:

• Debian 11 – debian-bullseye
• Ubuntu 18.04 LTS – ubuntu-bionic
• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS – ubuntu-focal 
• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS – ubuntu-jammy

The code is:

sudo DIST=$(. /etc/os-release; echo "$ID-$VERSION_CODENAME")

sudo echo "deb https://repo.avcdn.net/linux-av/deb $DIST release" \
 > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/avast.list

However, do remember to replace $DIST in the /etc/apt/sources.list.d/avast.list line with the corresponding distro code as shown above.

Step 3. Now, install the Avast Public key and update the Package Manager status:

sudo cp /path/to/avast-gpg-key.asc /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/

sudo apt update

Step 4. Finally, install the various Avast packages as per your needs or requirements.

sudo apt install avast

sudo apt install avast-fss

sudo apt install avast-rest

Step 5. Now, wait for the Virus Definition Database (VPS) to load. It may take some time as the database was downloaded along with the Avast packages.

Step 6. Then set up the virus definition updates:  /usr/lib/avast/vpsupdate 

Step 7. Users also need to run the daemons manually. Each Avast package contains one daemon. The codes are:

• avast → /usr/bin/avast
• avast-rest → /usr/bin/avast-rest
• avast-fss → /usr/bin/avast-fss

Method 2. Installing Avast Business Antivirus on RHEL and CentOS (RPM Package)

The following method is suitable for RHEL and related Linux distros. The steps are as follows:

Step 1. First, let us start by launching the terminal window.

Step 2. Then, add the Avast repository to the system repositories.

The supported distros are:

• RHEL 7 or CentOS – e17
• RHEL 8 – e18
• RHEL 9 – e19

sudo echo '[avast]
name=Avast
baseurl=https://repo.avcdn.net/linux-av/rpm/el$releasever/release
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
' > /etc/yum.repos.d/avast.repo

Step 3. Then it’s time to install the Avast public key:

sudo rpm --import /path/to/avast-gpg-key.asc

Step 4. Finally, install the various Avast packages:

sudo yum install avast

sudo yum install avast-fss

sudo yum install avast-rest

Note: The rest of the steps are similar to that we have discussed previously only use /usr/libexec/avast/vpsupdatefor setting up the VPS