5M credit cards leaked and Chrome kicks cryptojacking to the curb | Avast

Fashion faux pas: Data breach at Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor

Toronto-based retail enterprise Hudson’s Bay — parent company to Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks OFF Fifth, and Lord & Taylor — disclosed on Sunday that no less than five million of their customers may have suffered credit card compromises in a data breach that occurred last May.

Our Avast Business Team and Products are Coming to an Industry Event Near You | Avast Business

Our Avast Business team is heading back on the road to meet channel partners and business customers at several outstanding industry events this month and next. From the RSA 2018 conference in San Francisco to Managed Services & Hosting Summit in Am…

Take back control of your privacy with Avast Secure Browser | Avast

As the digital landscape evolves, so must the tools we use to securely and privately access it.  Today’s mainstream browsers don’t adequately address both security AND privacy. Users are left on their own to find additional layers of protection via extensions and other software, and there is much misunderstanding amongst consumers regarding this topic.

In a poll of 10,000 people, 42% stated they use the Incognito or Private Browsing Modes offered by today’s browsers, and 65% mistakenly believe these modes anonymize their identity and obscure their browsing habits from spying eyes like governments, organizations, and advertisers. Additionally, 77% wrongly believe that their browser will alert them to potential web-based threats, including those from installed third-party extensions.

Avast, a global leader in digital security products, is proud to announce its updated secure browser with one unwavering purpose: to deliver both a secure and private browsing experience with all the necessary features and controls to more easily manage online identities and personal information. This will come as good news to the 89% of consumers polled who consider their web-browsing privacy important, and the 93% that are concerned about being monitored by third parties.

Introducing Avast Secure Browser

Cybersecurity and browser experts came together to develop this Chromium-based browser, designed to challenge other browsers in these three areas:

  • Speed – Our tests show web pages load up to 4X faster than they do with other popular browsers.
  • Security – Avast Secure Browser defends against web-based attacks such as ransomware, phishing and other malware.  Plus, there’s an additional layer of security with Bank Mode for online banking and buying and selling of cryptocurrencies.
  • Privacy – New features protect users from mass surveillance, profile building, and other invasions of consumer privacy.  Avast Secure Browser ships with Adblock, Anti-Tracking, and Anti-Fingerprinting switched ON to keep your online life private.

“People take browser security and privacy for granted, but web-based attacks are a leading source of cyberthreats,” said Matt Adkisson, New Product Innovation and Strategy at Avast. “With Avast Secure Browser, people get an elevated level of protection that’s easy, fast, and comprehensive. It will not only protect users from online threats such as cryptojacking, phishing, and malicious ads, but also can prevent the privacy-intrusive tracking conducted by companies, governments and other groups that monitor and collect people’s activity as they bank, shop, communicate, and interact online.”

Avast Secure Browser comes equipped with a Security and Privacy Center that makes it easier to control and layer in additional security and privacy features and settings.

Security-and-privacy-center

Easy to turn on, off, or set a specific level of security or privacy, here are five key feature controls in the Security and Privacy Center:

  • Anti-Tracking protects your privacy by preventing websites, advertising companies, and other web services from tracking your online activity. It also automatically prevents scripts from being run, the source of cryptojacking attacks.
  • Anti-Fingerprinting modifies unique browser fingerprint (e.g., browser version, language, add-ons, etc.) to help prevent websites from identifying and tracking you without your consent.
  • Bank Mode prevents cybercriminals from seeing what users type, protecting personal data such as passwords and credit card numbers. This also adds an extra layer of protection for managing your cryptocurrencies.
  • Adblock protects against malicious ads and helps webpages load up to 4 times faster.
  • Extension Guard blocks unwanted add-ons or plugins. Users install only those they
    know and trust.

Get the full feature list here.

Download Avast Secure Browser

Teen Gaming, Cybersecurity Specialist Training

Many of us parents have a love/hate relationship with teen gaming. While it seems to cast a spell over many kids and lure them into a trance, gaming does provide some quite welcome ‘time-out’ for all family members! But I can honestly say that in my household, disputes over allocated ‘Xbox’ time would be by […]

The post Teen Gaming, Cybersecurity Specialist Training appeared first on McAfee Blogs.

How risky is your Android security app? | Avast

Does your smartphone need an antivirus app? The answer is absolutely yes, and the truth of the matter is that there are a multitude from which to choose. As an aid to consumers, independent testing lab AV-Comparatives periodically assesses security software to evaluate its effectiveness. The lab did such a study recently on Android antivirus products and learned that over half of those tested were “risky,” meaning they were at best buggy and at worst deceptive. Avast, however, received a perfect score of 100% malware detection.

It’s Phishing Season | Avast

      No Comments on It’s Phishing Season | Avast

At this very moment, your inbox is teeming with them. Like an annual migration upriver, phishing emails swim their way into the inboxes of all Americans when tax season rolls around. Every January 1st through April 15th, cybercriminals blitz the public with their most clever deceits. They pose as someone you know or an institution you use, stating in an official-sounding way that “there’s a problem with your account, just click here to clean it up.” That’s their bait. It’s all decoy.

Avast Mobile Security locks down a perfect score | Avast

In January, independent IT-security institute AV-TEST conducted a study of twenty mobile security products for Android. The goal was to test the three main pillars of a strong mobile security solution — malware detection, false positive prevention, and performance impact. Avast Mobile Security was evaluated in the study and aced all categories.