Tag Archives: Security News

Your PC applications are (probably) out-of-date

What do millions of desktop and laptop users have in common? I’ll give you a hint: You are busy with some activity on your laptop and a message pops up informing you that one of your software programs or tools needs updating. If you are like most people, you hit the ‘Remind Me Later’ option, and keep doing what you’re doing. Later often never comes. Does that sound familiar?

Avast’s HTTPS scanner receives A* rating

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Websites using HTTPS can increase privacy, as the connection between the browser and the website’s server is encrypted. This means that the browser and the web server are the only points that see your browsing activity and the data you enter. Today, anyone who owns a URL can obtain a TLS/SSL certificate, needed to encrypt the web traffic, and create a HTTPS website. This, of course, includes cybercriminals. Because of this, back in 2014, Avast introduced a way to scan HTTPS URLs for malicious activity in order to protect our users from being infected via malware transmitted over HTTPS sites.

 

The core security components of Avast 2017

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Technology has become an integral part of our lives – at work, at school, and at home – even on our bodies. Without security, we wouldn’t be nearly as productive or enjoy the benefits it brings to our lives. The range of devices and the numerous attack vectors the bad guys have at their disposal calls for technologically advanced cybersecurity. The days of simple antivirus scans are gone. Modern systems of threat detection include core processes such as structural analysis, behavioral scanning, and cloud-based intelligence.

Avast SafeZone browser: A secure alternative to standard browsers

There are more ways to get to the Internet than the standard web browser. Most people go with one they have heard of or the one that comes with their PC. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera are common names, but there are plenty of alternative browsers available. Since we are concerned about protecting your digital life in all areas, our developers created Avast SafeZone browser. It’s a fully functioning browser for those of us who want to ensure we have the optimal privacy and data security. 

Avast releases Three more Decryption Tools for Ransomware Victims

In 2016, ransomware once again demonstrated that it is the biggest security threat. In the past year more than 200 new strains of ransomware were discovered, it’s growth of in-the-wild samples two-folded, but the good news is that hundreds of millions of Avast and AVG users were protected against this popular threat.

Is WhatsApp safe to use or does it have a backdoor?

Last week an article from The Guardian stated that a backdoor within the end-to-end encryption of popular messaging app WhatsApp could be used by governments to snoop on users. The author “warned it could be used by government agencies as a backdoor to snoop on users who believe their messages to be secure.” This caused quite a stir in security circles, which resulted in a group of cryptography and security experts calling for a retraction and an apology for misleading claims.

‘Clash of Clans’ Supercell forum hacked

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Hackers broke into the Supercell gamers’ forum and got away with forum user information including email addresses, simply hashed passwords, usernames, and IP addresses. Supercell created the popular games Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Boom Beach, and Hay Day. Motherboard reports that the breach affected 1.1 million accounts.