The independent IT-security institute AV-TEST evaluated twenty-one home user security products through September and October 2017. Avast Free Antivirus passed with flying colors, successfully protecting against ALL of the 9,999 malicious files thrown a…
In September, Apple launched its newest round of iPhones—the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, with the iPhone X shipping in November—in what has become a familiar spectacle. In many ways, each launch is a snapshot of the technological developments that have recently come to the fore. Not necessarily new technology, exactly, but tech that will suddenly become very widespread and move beyond its creators’ intent, like a new species of creature created in a laboratory being released into the wild. As such, these markers provide a glimpse into the opportunities and challenges these advances present for society, not just the individual consumers.
The customer
Boring Business Systems has been providing essential services to Florida businesses since 1924. In the beginning, they supplied typewriters and office equipment. Today they have expanded this focus to network services. The company has gr…
On Sunday, December 3rd, we saw a peak in one of our detections, JS:Miner-I, which blocks a cryptocurrency miner that uses the cryptonight algorithm to mine Monero, a popular cryptocurrency. The algorithm is suitable for using PC CPU for mining, and the miner is run using JavaScript. We blocked JS:Miner-I from launching on our users’ PCs, preventing 34.7 million attacks in just one day. The extreme peak wasn’t the only thing that caught our attention; all the detections were launched within Google’s Chrome browser.
I recently conducted an informal survey among ten of my Mac-user friends. The results revealed a truth both unsurprising and frightening at the same time. I was asking how many had ever taken steps to secure their home networks. The answer, I learned, …
Wednesday’s Mr. Robot episode, eps3.7_dont-delete-me.ko, lacked hacks, but delivered a side of Elliot we we’ve never really seen before, a more compassionate Elliot. The episode’s theme was deletion.
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…
In today’s business climate, SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses) are relying more heavily than ever on their managed services providers (MSPs). Keeping the company’s network running in tiptop shape is still the prime directive, but the methods to maintain it have evolved. Cybersecurity services have become a necessary part of the equation. Some MSPs have already adapted to this growing trend and discovered that delivering managed security services has enhanced their own business just as much as their client’s.
By now we’ve demystified the myth that Macs are impervious to harm. The cybercrime world has caught up to the technology, and no computer — PC nor Mac — is safe. We have recently discussed some growing Mac concerns, like the rise in adware attacks and a full system slowdown caused by too much clutter, but now we need to talk about something even more malicious: Ransomware.
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.)