Tag Archives: Security News

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

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.

Tech companies wrestle with keeping users safe | Avast

Zuckerberg apologizes for Cambridge Analytica ‘breach’

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg finally broke cover after nearly a week of silence as the fallout from the row over how a data company, Cambridge Analytica, was able to access the profiles of some 50m people who hadn’t consented to share their data with the company.

Convenience vs. privacy: the Facebook situation | Avast

Everyone’s favorite social media site is currently the subject of hot debate, and we’re here to keep you grounded amidst the madness. First, let’s talk about what happened. Back in 2014, a quiz made the rounds on Facebook. 270,000 users took the quiz, which harvested data not just about them, but also their friends. As a result, the quiz aggregated the private info of 50 million Facebook users. All that data was then allegedly sold to the Trump presidential campaign.

New Monero mining malware discovered in Google Play

In November 2017, we detected a strain of malware known as JSMiner in Google Play. The Monero cryptomining capabilities were discovered inside the gaming application Cooee. At the time of discovery, we forecasted a rise in mobile mining malware as atta…

Time to Tighten Up Device Security | Avast

Lawmakers urge better security for smart devices

The first indication that internet of things (IoT) devices posed a real security threat came in October 2016 when a botnet — made up of devices such as security cameras infected with Mirai malware — attacked Dyn, a provider of DNS services.The attack came in the form of a DDoS (distributed denial of service) assault on Dyn’s servers. By firing off multiple requests every second, the attack took down websites all over the USA and Europe, as DNS servers were overrun with requests from millions of infected devices.