Security News > 2021 > July > NortonLifeLock sniffs around Avast, announces 'advanced discussions' for acquisition
NortonLifeLock, the somewhat clunky moniker adopted by the former consumer business arm of the Symantec Corporation, has announced "Advanced discussions" with rival Avast over a possible merger.
"A combination of NortonLifeLock and Avast would bring together two companies with aligned visions, highly complementary business profiles and a joint commitment to innovation that helps protect and empower people to live their digital lives safely," a NortonLifeLock spokesperson claimed in a message to investors.
Consumer security is precisely where Czech rival Avast has its sights set.
The company's history is not untouched by controversy, however: its Avast- and AVG-branded browser extensions were dropped after they were found to be selling users' browsing histories to a third party, which the company promised to stop - only for an update to open a man-in-the-middle vulnerability in the Avast AntiTrack privacy tool.
"One unique angle to this acquisition is Avast's wildly successful freemium model: Avast has around 400 million users, most of which are still on the free product, providing a rich base to potentially convert into paying customers. In a market where churn is particularly high, and consumers are incredibly price sensitive, this is a rather valuable differentiator."
"For Norton, Avast also provides a strong boost outside of the US: while Norton does have an international model, the US is the core and where the brand is strongest, with Europe, Asia, and Africa dominated by regional players."