Lavasoft is a software development

Software development

Software development is the development of a software product...

 company that produces anti‐spyware

Spyware

Spyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's...

 software, including Ad‐Aware

Ad-Aware

Ad-Aware is an anti-spyware and anti-virus program developed by Lavasoft that detects and removes malware, spyware and adware on a user's computer...

.

The company offers a free, downloadable version of Ad‐Aware titled Ad‐Aware Free Internet Security and three commercial versions called Ad-Aware Total Security, Ad‐Aware Pro Internet Security, and Ad-Aware Business Edition. Additionally, Lavasoft offers a spin-off version of Ad-Aware aimed at online gamers and entertainment fans, called Ad-Aware Game Edition. Other Lavasoft products include Lavasoft Digital Lock, Lavasoft File Shredder, Lavasoft Personal Firewall, Lavasoft Privacy Toolbox, and Lavasoft Registry Tuner.

Lavasoft’s headquarters has been located in Gothenburg

Gothenburg

Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden, since 2002. Nicolas Stark and Ann-Christine Åkerlund established the company in Germany in 1999 with its flagship Ad-Aware product.
Lavasoft was, in January 2011, acquired by the Solaria Fund.

Products

• Anti-malware products: Ad-Aware
  Ad-Aware
  Ad-Aware is an anti-spyware and anti-virus program developed by Lavasoft that detects and removes malware, spyware and adware on a user's computer...
  
  9.5
  • Ad-Aware Total Security
  • Ad-Aware Pro Internet Security
  • Ad-Aware Plus Internet Security - discontinued, as of July 7, 2010
  • Ad-Aware Free Internet Security
  • Ad-Aware Game Edition
  • Ad-Aware Business Edition
• Lavasoft Anti-Virus Helix - discontinued, as of June 8, 2009
• Lavasoft Personal Firewall
• Lavasoft Digital Lock
• Lavasoft File Shredder
• Lavasoft Privacy ToolBox - the toolbox contains; Lavasoft File Shredder; Lavasoft Digital Lock and Lavasoft Encryption Reader (free).

Controversies

The Company was acquired in January 2011 by the Solaria Fund, apparently a private equity fund. It was soon discovered that the Fund was actually a cover-up for the entrepreneurs (Daniel Assouline and Michael Dadoun) behind UpClick and Interactive Brands. SC Magazine discovered that Lavasoft had been acquired by the same entrepreneurs who have been accused of selling software that is available for free (such as the free version of AVG anti virus) to unwitting users under the guise of premium support. Somewhat ironically, Assouline and Dadoun used to sell the free version of Lavasoft's security program prior to acquiring the Company itself. This has been well-documented by security consultants such as Dancho Danchev.