Oh, the simple days of aisle wars over Tickle Me Elmo, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Teddy Ruxpin … In 2017, the hottest, must-have holiday toys have taken on a whole new twist. Two cases in point: LEGO BOOST Creative Toolbox – the customizable robot that lets you code its behavior via an app and complete activities; and FurReal Friends – a collection of robotic pets that attempt to emulate domestic animals, right down to their personalities.
Plane tickets? On the table. Gifts? Ready to go. Suitcase? Packed. Carry-on? Fully stocked with ginger candy, crossword puzzles, and your laptop or tablet. Now, quick question—did you prep your device for this trip?
Hackers have wormed their way into the Google Play Store, as evidenced by the recent BankBot malware trickery. Simple dummy apps doubled as Trojan horses, and once an unsuspecting user downloaded these flashlight or solitaire apps, they also downloaded…
If you’re reading the Avast blog, chances are you’re not the type to sleep off your tryptophan coma camped outside of Walmart the night of Thanksgiving . . . AKA Black Friday Eve. We’re guessing you feel most at home shopping online, because, well, you’re still at home. (Quick public service message—never do your online shopping over public Wi-Fi. Keep your private details on your private network. If you MUST shop over public Wi-Fi, use a VPN to keep you safe.)
It’s official – more than half the country did their holiday shopping online last year, and that number will only climb higher this year. How can you beat the convenience? Forget driving across town to hit different stores, and don’t get me started on the parking hassles. You can find the exact items you want without suffering through crowded escalator rides. Find the best online deals, and take care of everyone on your list in the time it takes to drink a glass of wine.
In today’s digital world, staying a step ahead of cybercriminals who want your usernames, passwords, card numbers, and all other personal and private info for themselves has led to the necessary measure of using different usernames and passwords for every online account. The problem is there’s no way to keep all that in your head, especially since each password has to be SUPER-complicated to make it uncrackable. And you don’t want to write it all down on a piece of paper, because what if that paper found its way into someone else’s hands? There’s a solution.
When it comes to steering clear of security-related scandals, iPhone has an excellent reputation. And sure, as a rule—provided you don’t jailbreak your phone—it is generally safe from malware. But that doesn’t mean the iPhone forever remains immune. Even recently, there have been numerous reports of Apple users who have had their iCloud accounts hacked by cybercriminals who then demanded money in exchange for the passcode to unlock the device. While this recent breach wasn’t any fault of Apple’s, it still affected Apple users, so that’s reason enough keep reading.
October is Cybersecurity Month, so there is no better time to introduce Avast Ultimate, a premium bundle of our greatest security, performance, and privacy solutions.
Virtual private networks (VPNs) exist to protect the user’s privacy online. They are supposed to provide a private, encrypted browsing experience, making you essentially invisible to any online trackers. VPNs do this by allowing the user to send their data to the internet via an encrypted tunnel to the VPN server where the data is then sent on behalf of the server’s IP address—hiding the user’s IP address, so nobody knows where they really are.
It’s time once again for backpacks, busses, and school bells. Here are a few good lessons to share with your kids so they can get through the school year with an A+ in online safety.