Category Archives: Consumer Alerts

CALIFORNIA benefiting the most from AVAST Free for Education program

Dear Tom Torlakson (and the California Department of Education),   I’d like to personally congratulate you:  CALIFORNIA is now the number 1 state benefiting the most from our AVAST Free for Education program! (surpassing Illinois)   Over 160 Californian schools, school districts, libraries and universities – the most from any one State – use our […]

The truth about mobile phone malware

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Question of the week: I need my smartphone for work-related stuff, but I also have all my personal pictures and music on it. Tell me the truth – are viruses really being made for phones? Do I need to worry about it? Your question comes just as several companies have released mid-year studies confirming that […]

Top mobile phone apps snoop into your business

It’s easy and fast to download apps to your smartphone. They do everything from identify a song you just heard to turning your phone into a flashlight. But there are secrets beneath the fun apps. See how knowledgeable you are about the risks associated with free and paid apps for your smartphone. Answer the question, […]

Who’s watching whom? Is Your Smart TV Spying on You?

Like something right out of George Orwell’s 1984, it turns out that Big Brother, or Big Hacker in this case, may in fact be watching you—through your television. Recent research shows that Smart TVs are just as vulnerable to a hacking attack as your home computer. After months of research and working with Smart TV Read more…

What Are the Risks of Geo-Location?

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Using your mobile’s built-in global positioning system (GPS) functionality allows location-based services (or geo-location) to locate and publish information about your whereabouts. Applications like Foursquare, Facebook and Yelp allow you to “check in” at places using your mobile phone, and then share your location with friends or on social networks. The application knows where you Read more…

Spy? Where? Mobile Spyware Hiding Right Under Your Nose

Some days it feels like the whole world is going mobile. We tweet, we text, we browse the world from small devices that fit into our hands. People from across the globe can reach out to each other with one message. You can buy a plane ticket while on the bus. There are apps that Read more…

What’s hot on social: security and privacy update

Millions of users access Social Networks every day in order to share, engage, and look for information as well as entertainment. The transparency of social networks come with a risk and we are very often expose ourselves to hackers and scammers that can take advantage of information we share. Social platforms constantly improve security and […]

PC Backup Tips: What, Where, When, and How

AVAST Evangelists’ share tips about backing up your PC. This time of the year – summer in the Northern Hemisphere – is the time to enjoy yourself while traveling. You  want to protect those precious photos and videos that you take of your children or friends having adventures. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s winter. For […]

Not so Hack-tastic: Cyber Scams Cost Banks, and You, Millions

This year may just be deemed the era of the cyber security breach, with scores of online attacks running up millions of dollars in damages to a number of financial institutions. The tactics used range from revenge-focused “hacktivism” to illicit credit card scandals—a variety of scams that emphasize just how important it is to use Read more…