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Want to More than Double Your Battery Life for Playing Pokémon Go?

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Pokémon GO is killing smartphones in less than 3 hours. Check out our in-depth app analysis of the phenomenon and 7 battery-boosting secrets to keep on hunting on the go.

Even compared to social or streaming apps like Facebook and Spotify, games are the real phone battery vampires (see our latest “AVG App Performance and Trends Report” for the top 10 ‘resource hogs’). And an augmented reality (AR) game like Pokémon Go makes even other game apps seem downright generous, as it constantly and simultaneously requires your phone to

  • Share location via GPS
  • Keep the screen fully lit
  • Operate the camera
  • Play sounds through the speakers, and
  • Render 3D graphics.

Whew. The result? When I played Pokémon Go on my morning run, my battery went from 100% to 50% in less than 90 minutes.

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“This has got to be the single most battery-hungry app I’ve ever used,” I thought. Being a data-driven guy, as well as a hardcore gamer (PC and console gaming more than mobile, though—more about that in a future post!), I immediately tested my theory and discovered that, if you’re nonstop seeking, catching, and levelling Pokémon, then your …

  • iPhone 6S Plus battery will go from from 100% to 0% in 2 hours and 10 minutes.
  • Samsung Galaxy S6 will survive Pokémon Go fever only an additional half-hour, lasting 2 hours and 40 Minutes before the screen goes dark.

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Enough! I refused to let battery issues get in the way of my mastering the game (full disclosure, I’m so far only at level 15 with about 200 Pokémons collected, but I am full-on obsessed). I proceeded to systematically try every battery-saving technique I know (plus a battery-saving Android app), and turns out the effort was worth it.

AND THE RESULT? The following tweaks made my phone battery last more than 5 hours during gameplay. That’s a 123% increase. Which could mean … 123% more Pokémons. 

(And so you know my outcomes weren’t a fluke, I repeated each test 3 times and averaged the results, for accurate data. I’m nothing if not thorough.)

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1 – Use built-in Pokémon Go battery saver instead of reducing screen brightness (Android + iOS)

There’s no lack of quick online tips for boosting battery life when playing Pokémon Go, and most involve reducing screen brightness. Sure, it allows you to play longer, do you really think this is an enjoyable way to play?

 

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Reducing brightness increases reflections, particularly in direct sunlight (and, um, a whole lot of the fun of Pokémon Go involves running around outside—notice they didn’t release the game in the middle of winter). Sure, this might be tolerable at night or indoors, but to really enjoy such a fun, colorful game, you’ll want to keep the brightness above 75%.

So instead of dimming, activate Pokémon Go’s built-in battery saver and keep the brightness near maximum. When you put your phone in your pocket or hold it upside down, the built-in battery saver will automatically make the screen go dark.

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HOW TO DO IT

  1. Tap on the Pokéball icon
  2. Go to Settings
  3. Tap on Battery Saver

In battery saver mode, you remain logged in to the game and can hear sounds or feel vibration when Pokémons are nearby, without the massive power drain. While you’re at it, you can also turn off music or sound effects, which also has a slight effect on battery life. Just don’t turn off vibration, otherwise you won’t know when one of the pocket monsters is nearby, wanting to be caught!

2 – Turn off Bluetooth and WiFi (or 3G/4G)

The game requires a nonstop data connection and a GPS signal. So if you’re at home, don’t use your 4G/LTE connection, which is one of the heaviest resource drainers you’ve got.

HOW TO DO IT

  1. iOS: Go to Settings, Cellular and switch off Cellular Data
  2. Android: Swipe down to bring up the quick actions and notifications center, turn off Mobile Data

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If you absolutely need your mobile data connection (if you’re out and about), use a 3G connection, which often uses less battery than does 4G/LTE. The rule here is … there is no rule yet, you’ll need to test this a bit for yourself.

While 4G/LTE chips have become more efficient, in some rural areas with spotty connections you might end up draining the battery more quickly than when you’re using a solid 3G connection—or vice versa! Fortunately, Pokémon Go doesn’t drain a ton of data. During my 24 hours of nonstop testing, playing used only 4.2 MB on my iPhone and 5.9 MB on my Galaxy S6.

However, while this isn’t a lot of data, the game does transfer a lot of small data packets back and forth, preventing your 3G/4G/LTE chip from going to sleep, meaning it consumes more than it should.  If you’re on the go, you should also make sure that WiFi and Bluetooth are turned off, to give a little more edge to your battery life.

 

3 – Use iOS and Android’s battery saver

Both iOS and Android offer built-in battery savers that, for example, throttle your phone’s performance a bit, use a more energy-efficient display color temperature, and reduce background app activities to a bare minimum.

HOW TO DO IT

  1. iOS: Settings, Battery and Low Power Mode
  2. Android: Settings, Battery and Power saving mode (flip the switch)

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4 – Don’t use any unnecessary resource-eating apps

As our regular AVG App Performance and Trends  report has shown, background apps can kill your smartphone’s battery even if you’re not using them actively.

To prevent that from raining on your Pokémon Go parade, turn off background activities and notifications for all apps you don’t need (in addition to the power savers, which limit most, but not all background activities). By doing so, your phone will spend less battery life checking for and displaying app notifications.

HOW TO DO IT

  1. On both Android and iOS, you’ll find the notification settings under Settings and Notifications
  2. Flip the switch for all apps whose alerts you can do without

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5 – Use a dedicated battery booster (Android only)

To save even more battery life for Pokémon Go, I’ve also used our own AVG Cleaner for Android 3.3, which comes with dedicated battery profiles and even more settings to save battery life when you really need it (for example, when you’re trying to level up Pidgeotto).

HOW TO DO IT

  1. Download the free app, open it and tap on Battery.
  2. Now you have multiple choices …
    1. Go to Choose Manual Settings and turn off battery-draining functionality like WiFi, Bluetooth, Brightness, Screen rotation and Auto sync data.
    2. Select Home profile when you’re playing at home and Car profile when you’re out and about. Quickly switching between them helps squeeze even more juice from your phone’s battery.
  3. Bonus tip: After you’ve used it for a day or two, AVG Cleaner for Android will automatically show you your phone’s top battery-drainers, so you know which apps to avoid, stop, or even uninstall when playing Pokémon Go.
    1. Open the app and tap on Analyze. Scroll down to the Battery-Hungry apps section and Force Stop or Uninstall what you don’t need. For a full list, go back to the main menu of AVG Cleaner and tap on Battery.

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6 – Don’t zoom, don’t rotate, use less AR

One of the biggest drains on your phone’s battery is the GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), which is responsible for all the nifty 3D rendering in games, websites, videos and, well, everything you see on your display. Since 3D animations cost a lot of cycles, keep the rotation and zooming on the Pokémon Go map to an absolute minimum.

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Also, when catching a Pokémon, turn off the AR (camera) feature if you’re running low on battery, by flipping the switch in the lower right corner. Instead of the camera picture (which drains more battery), you’ll see a static landscape that’s a bit more power-saving.

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7 – Or … give up and get a battery pack!

For my longer trips overseas I usually bring an external battery to keep my phones and laptops charged (not all airlines have gotten the message that people might appreciate a power plug on every seat). And while you don’t necessarily need a brick like this …

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… any battery pack that’ll charge up your phone at least twice should be good to satisfy your daily monster-catching needs.

Did it Work?

Let’s turn it over to you: Did our tips help you get through the day when playing Pokémon Go? Got more tips to share? Let us know in the comments!

AVG

AVG Technologies Android App Performance Report 2016

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Latest AVG Technologies App Performance and Trend Report ranks newcomers Snapchat, YouTube and Google Maps among the top 10 Android ‘resource hog’ list, while Netflix is listed as ‘most improved’.

Press Release

AVG Reveals Which of the World’s Favorite Apps Cache in on Your Phone—or Don’t

Full report

AVG Technologies Android App Performance Trends H1

Performance Optimization Guide

Android Optimization Performance Guide H1

Blog Post

What’s Killing Your Phone’s Performance? Probably 1 (or More) of These 20 Apps

Images

2016 App Performance print

2016 App Performance high res

 

 

 

 

AVG

Bart’s Shenanigans Are No Match for AVG

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AVG has decrypted Bart. No, not that Bart—there’s one that’s much worse. AVG Virus Lab researchers have created an easy fix for restoring files that fell victim to Bart ransomware.

Ransomware, like mouthy, slingshot-wielding grade-schoolers, just won’t stop popping up. One of the latest, appropriately called Bart, spreads primarily through emails with subject lines about photos and images. Though relatively new, Bart’s already wrought havoc, encrypting and demanding payment for files’ release far beyond Springfield—in fact, all over the world. And just like the world-famous “The Simpsons” character, Bart creates chaos using simply effective tools, locking users’ files in password-protected ZIP files.

But you don’t have to be at Bart’s mercy any longer. AVG has created a decryption tool for current Bart versions to add to our growing list of decryptors, which you can easily use to foil hackers and keep yourself and your information safe.

 

How Will You Know Bart if You See It?

Bart ransomware appears to be the work of the same criminals behind Dridex and Locky. Rather than rewriting files with their encrypted versions, as Dridex and Locky do, Bart moves each file to a separate password-protected archive (ZIP file), then deletes the originals. But the results for the unwitting computer user are the same: no access to their own files … unless they pay a ransom.

Fortunately, Bart’s easy to identify. Infected machines include the bart.zip extension on original file names—for example, thesis.docx.bart.zip. Furthermore, the desktop wallpaper is usually changed to an image like this one:

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The text on this image can also be used to help identify Bart, as it ‘s stored in files called “recover.bmp” and “recover.txt” on the victim’s desktop.

 

You Can Get Your Files Back—Easy as 1, 2, 3!

The encrypted files are also easy to recognize, because they’re ZIP archives, denoted by .zip  extensions. The trick is they’re password-protected, by a unique (and looong) password.

But never fear, AVG’s Bart decryptor works by comparing a single encrypted file with its unencrypted original. So before you download and run the tool, select an available original file for comparison, then follow these simple instructions:

  1. Select the file you want to compare. If all your files have been encrypted, you can often find an original in one of these places:
    1. A backup from the cloud or on a flash drive or other external drive.
    2. standard Windows sound or picture (e.g. wallpaper), which you can download from the web.
    3. A document, picture, or video you received in an email./var/www/now.avg.com/18.47.0/wp content/uploads/2016/07/bartimage1
  2. Copy the file to your desktop (Bart no longer encrypts files after asking you for money, so you should be okay) and download and run the Bart decryptor.
    1. A window will open asking you to add the encrypted file and the original (see Figure 2). The encrypted file should be in its original folder, the only difference being the “.bart” extension, as below.
  3. Once you’ve selected both files, click <NEXT>, and the tool does the rest, just as do all our decryptors.

 

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Peter Conrad, author of PkCrack, who hereby granted permission to use his library in Bart decryptor. It takes a village.

AVG

3 reasons to never use fingerprint locks on phones

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Fingerprint locks—Touch ID on iPhones —may be easy to use, but they are far from perfect. After reviewing the risks, you may want to return to using PINs and passwords.

We officially have a password problem. The average user in 2015 had at least 90 online accounts, says Dashlane, maker of a popular password manager. In the UK, the number was 118. In the US, a whopping 130. Even more troubling, we store far too many login details on our phones and tablets (I am certainly guilty of this), meaning anyone with access to our phones can also access our accounts.

Fingerprint locks—Touch ID for iPhone users—promised to be our salvation. They are easy to use and depend on characteristics unique to each of us. We are also always attached to our digits, so they cannot be stolen or forgotten. And dactylogram complexity supposedly makes our prints nearly impossible to crack.

The reality, however, is rather different. Of the various reasons to not use fingerprint locks, for me, three stand out:

#1 People can hack your fingerprints (and scanners)

We leave fingerprints behind everywhere we go: on doorknobs, on railings, on cups and glasses, on keypads, on screens, in photos—you name it. So there are lots of places hackers can harvest this supposedly uncrackable password.

The Chaos Computer Club demonstrated this as far back as 2008. To protest a German politician’s proposal to implement biometrics, the club used a photograph to recreate his fingerprint. In 2013, it used latex to create a fake finger to open a lock. More recently, the approach has been repeated with playdough and Elmer’s glue, highlighting just how easy it is becoming to recreate physical prints.

Worse yet, fingerprints can also be hacked virtually. At the 2015 Black Hat convention in Las Vegas, a couple of security experts demonstrated a number of hacks for fingerprint locks. They built an app that mimicked a phone’s unlock screen; when used by the victim, it could approve a financial transaction. They pre-loaded fingerprints onto the phone, enabling access. They showed it was relatively easy to rebuild a fingerprint from the file used to store it. And they hacked the scanner itself, allowing them to grab fingerprint images whenever used.

#2 You can change your password

This is so basic it is often overlooked. When my email account was hacked several years ago, I changed the password and the problem went away. But if someone were to hack my fingerprint, they would always have it. Think about that what means. Fingerprints are forever. Once the bad guys have them, they can keep using or selling them to other bad guys. This is particularly disturbing when you consider how many government organizations collect fingerprints and the increasing number of private firms using it for authentications.

#3 Police don’t need your permission to unlock a phone with biometrics

It is also important to remember that we are not always in control of our own hands. All someone has to do to get you to unlock your phone is press your fingers against the screen.

This has been allowed in the US, where a judge granted a search order to police officers in Glendale, California. The position is that a fingerprint is “physical evidence,” akin to a physical key, which can be gathered as evidence or demanded by court order. Moreover, fingerprints are readily available because they are routinely collected as part of basic police and legal procedures. And because fingerprints are physical and not “testimony,” they are not protected by the Fifth Amendment’s clause on self-incrimination.

Not so passwords and PIN codes. Forcing a person to show you something “in their mind” is testimonial, and thus coercion is prohibited. Large tech companies (including AVG) make a similar argument about corporate information. Fighting the FBI to a largely unresolved standstill over access to the phone used by the San Bernardino terrorist, Apple made the legal argument that the FBI was attempting to force Apple to speak—and speak against its own interests, something that should not be allowed. The FBI dropped the case after paying a third party to hack the phone. While rent-a-hacker proved effective, it also proved rather expensive; and for the time being, most cases are unlikely to warrant such an investment.

Still, it is within the realm of possibility that law enforcement agencies could force or coerce manufactures to include back doors to devices for harvesting prints through fingerprint locks.

Final note on fingerprints and security

Of course I don’t expect people to give up using fingerprint locks. They are just too convenient. Right or wrong, however, the power of government to collect and store information on our digital selves is soaring. The FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System includes tens of millions of prints not related to criminal activity, collected from military personnel, government workers, and other innocents. And more generally, government files are not always secure. The 2015 data breech at the US Office of Personnel Management included 5.6 million fingerprints, suggesting fingerprints have become one more thing that can be hacked and used to violate our privacy, in this case, for a very long time.

AVG

AVG offers free ransomware decryptor tools for businesses

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AVG just released six new ransomware decryption tools for our channel partners and their clients.  The free tools decrypt the recent ransomware strains Apocalypse, BadBlock, Crypt888, Legion, SZFlocker and TeslaCrypt.

While our AVG Business products help detect and block against all known ransomware strains –  including this recent six – our AVG partners now have helpful tools if a new client, or even a prospect, has a situation where files are already infected by ransomware.

With our new decryption tools, you should be able to recover your clients’ files and data without paying the ransom.

Using the AVG ransomware decryption tools

To use our AVG decryptor tools for the six recent ransomware strains, follow our simple five step process to unlock the encrypted files:

  • Run a full system scan on the infected PC and quarantine all the infected files.
  • Identify which infection strain encrypted the files. See the descriptions of each strain below. If the ransomware infection matches the strain details, download the appropriate tool and launch it.
  • The tool opens a wizard, which breaks the decryption process into several easy steps.
  • Follow the steps and you should again be able to reclaim your files in most cases.
  • After decryption, be sure to properly back up restored files.

The six ransomware strains and AVG decryptor tools include:

  • Crypt888
    • Description: Crypt888 (aka Mircop) creates encrypted files with the prepended name “Lock.” It also changes your desktop’s wallpaper to a message on a black background that begins with, “You’ve stolen 48.48BTC from the wrong people, please be so kind to return them and we will return your files.”
    • Unfortunately, Crypt888 is a badly written piece of code, which means some of the encrypted files or folders will stay that way, even if you pay the fine, as the cybercriminals’ “official decryptor” may not work.
    • Download the AVG decryptor tool:
    • http://files-download.avg.com/util/avgrem/avg_decryptor_Crypt888.exe

 

At AVG, we take ransomware threats very seriously. We encourage our partners to continue being proactive by using multilayered protection, such as AVG Business solutions, which detect and block ransomware. You can find additional examples of the six ransomware strains and detailed descriptions here.

AVG

Avast Announces Agreement to Acquire AVG for $1.3B

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Two Security Pioneers Unite to Strengthen their Global Leadership in Internet Security— Avast Software, an industry-leading maker of the most trusted security software in the world, and AVG Technologies N.V.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and AMSTERDAM, July 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Avast Software, an industry-leading maker of the most trusted security software in the world, and AVG Technologies N.V., (NYSE: AVG), a developer of business, mobile and PC device security software applications, today announced that they have entered into a purchase agreement in which Avast will offer to purchase all of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG for $25.00 per share in cash, for a total consideration of approximately $1.3B. Both companies are industry pioneers founded in the Czech Republic in the late 1980s and early 1990s, that expanded internationally in the 2000s, and now will be combining complementary strengths to position Avast for continued growth in the security industry.

Avast is pursuing this acquisition to gain scale, technological depth and geographical breadth so that the new organization can be in a position to take advantage of emerging growth opportunities in Internet Security as well as organizational efficiencies. The technological depth and geographical reach will help Avast serve customers with more advanced security offerings in the core business and new innovations in emerging markets, such as security for IoT devices.

Combining Avast’s and AVG’s users, the organization will have a network of more than 400 million endpoints, of which 160 million are mobile, that act as de facto sensors, providing information about malware to help detect and neutralize new threats as soon as they appear. This increase in scale will enable Avast to create more technically advanced personal security and privacy products.

This transaction has been unanimously approved by the Management Board and Supervisory Board of Avast. The Management Board and Supervisory Board of AVG approved and support the transaction and recommend the offer for acceptance to the AVG shareholders.

“We are in a rapidly changing industry, and this acquisition gives us the breadth and technological depth to be the security provider of choice for our current and future customers,” said Vince Steckler, chief executive officer of Avast Software. “Combining the strengths of two great tech companies, both founded in the Czech Republicand with a common culture and mission, will put us in a great position to take advantage of the new opportunities ahead, such as security for the enormous growth in IoT.”

“We believe that joining forces with Avast, a private company with significant resources, fully supports our growth objectives and represents the best interests of our stockholders,” said Gary Kovacs, chief executive officer, AVG. “Our new scale will allow us to accelerate investments in growing markets and continue to focus on providing comprehensive and simple-to-use solutions for consumers and businesses alike. As the definition of online security continues to shift from being device-centric, to being concerned with devices, data and people, we believe the combined company, with the strengthened value proposition, will emerge as a leader in this growing market.”

The Transaction

The transaction is structured as an all-cash tender offer for all outstanding ordinary shares of AVG at a price of$25.00 per share in cash.  Avast plans to finance the transaction using cash balances on hand and committed debt financing from third party lenders.  Avast has received a financing commitment of $1.685 billion fromCredit Suisse Securities, Jefferies and UBS Investment Bank. In addition, Avast has contributed $150 million in equity investment to fund the transaction. The proposed transaction is not subject to a financing condition.

The offer price represents a 33% premium over the July 6, 2016 closing price and a premium of 32% over the average volume weighted price per share over the past six months.The contemplated tender offer will be subject to certain shareholder approvals, the receipt of regulatory clearances, the tender of at least 95% of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG or, if AVG shareholders approve the asset sale contemplated in the purchase agreement, the tender of at least 80% of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG, and other customary closing conditions. Additionally, certain shareholders including funds affiliated with TA Associates, who hold approximately 13% of the issued and outstanding shares of AVG, respectively, have committed to support the transaction and tender their shares in the offer.

If at least 95% of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG are acquired in the contemplated tender offer, Avast expects to acquire the ordinary shares of AVG that were not tendered into the tender offer through the compulsory share acquisition process under Section 2:92a/2:201a of the Dutch Civil Code. If AVG’s shareholders approve the asset sale contemplated in the purchase agreement at the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders to be convened shortly by AVG and the tender offer is successfully completed with Avast acquiring less than 95% but at least 80% of the outstanding ordinary shares of AVG, then Avast plans to effect an asset sale pursuant to which Avast will acquire substantially all of the assets, and assume substantially all of the liabilities, of AVG promptly following the tender offer. Following the completion of the asset sale, AVG will be liquidated and the remaining minority shareholders of AVG will receive cash distributions with respect to each ordinary share owned by them equal to the per share cash consideration paid in the tender offer less any applicable dividend withholding tax or any other taxes. The offer will be described in more detail in a tender offer statement on Schedule TO to be filed by Avast and a solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 to be filed by AVG. The transaction is expected to close sometime between September 15, and October 15, 2016, depending on the timing of regulatory review.

Advisors

Jefferies International Limited is acting as exclusive financial advisor, and White & Case LLP and De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek N.V. are acting as legal advisors, to Avast. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is acting as financial advisor to AVG and Bridge Street Securities, LLC is acting as independent financial advisor to the supervisory board of AVG. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and Allen & Overy LLP are acting as legal advisors to AVG.

Avast logo.

About Avast

Avast Software (www.avast.com), maker of the most trusted mobile and PC security in the world, protects 230 million people and businesses with its security applications. In business for over 25 years, Avast is one of the early innovators in the security business, with a portfolio that includes security and privacy products for PC, Mac, Android and iOS, and premium suites and services for business. In addition to being top-ranked by consumers on popular download portals worldwide, Avast is certified by, among others, VB100, AV-Comparatives, AV-Test, OPSWAT, ICSA Labs, and West Coast Labs. Avast is backed by CVC Capital Partners, one of the leading global private equity and investment advisory firms.

AVG Technologies N.V. LOGO.

About AVG (NYSE: AVG)

AVG is a leading provider of software services to secure devices, data and people. AVG’s award-winning consumer portfolio includes internet security, performance optimization, location services, data controls and insights, and privacy and identity protection, for mobile devices and desktops. The award-winning AVG Business portfolio, delivered through a global partner network, provides cloud security and remote monitoring and management (RMM) solutions that protect small and medium businesses around the world. For more information visit www.avg.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking information that involves substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should,” “will,” “expect,” “are confident that,” “objective,” “projection,” “forecast,” “goal,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “effort,” “target,” “would” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terms. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. These factors include risks and uncertainties related to, among other things: general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which Avast and AVG operate; the uncertainty of regulatory approvals; the parties’ ability to satisfy the conditions to the contemplated tender offer and consummate the transactions described in this communication; and AVG’s performance and maintenance of important business relationships. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in AVG’s SEC filings, including AVG’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2015. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and neither Avast nor AVG assumes any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

The tender offer referenced in this communication has not yet commenced. This communication is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any ordinary shares of AVG or any other securities, nor is it a substitute for the tender offer materials that Avast will file with the SEC. The solicitation and offer to purchase ordinary shares of AVG will only be made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase, a related letter of transmittal and certain other tender offer documents. At the time the tender offer is commenced, Avast will file a tender offer statement on Schedule TO, including an Offer to Purchase, a related letter of transmittal and certain other tender offer documents, and AVG will file a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9, with the SEC, each with respect to the tender offer. The tender offer statement (including the Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and certain other tender offer documents) and the solicitation/ recommendation statement will contain important information. AVG’s shareholders are urged to read the tender offer statement and Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, as they may be amended from time to time, as well as any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, when they become available, carefully and in their entirety because they will contain important information that holders of AVG’s securities should consider before making any decision regarding tendering their securities. The Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and certain other tender offer documents, as well as the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, will be made available to all holders of ordinary shares of AVG at no expense to them. The tender offer materials and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement will be made available for free at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by AVG will be available free of charge on AVG’s website at investors.avg.com. In addition to the Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and certain other tender offer documents, as well as the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, AVG files annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any reports or other information filed by AVG at the SEC public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. AVG’s filings with the SEC are also available to the public from commercial document-retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160706/386973LOGO
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120306/SF65434LOGO

 

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/avast-announces-agreement-to-acquire-avg-for-13b-300295132.html

SOURCE AVG Technologies N.V.

Investor Relations contacts: US: Bonnie McBride, Tel: + 1 415 806 0385, Email: [email protected]

AVG

AVG Wins Three 2016 ChannelPro Readers’ Choice Awards

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Our AVG Business products won top honors in ChannelPro’s 2016 Readers’ Choice Awards, securing Gold and Silver wins in the Antivirus, Security Software Suite and Remote Monitoring and Management categories.

This is also the third consecutive year we have been a ChannelPro medalist in the security software suite category.

The ChannelPro Readers’ Choice Awards are entirely driven by votes and direct feedback from SMB channel readers of ChannelPro magazine. More than 500 channel VARs, MSPs, integrators, system builders, and IT consultants cast their votes for Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners across a range of categories.

Readers were asked to cast their votes for the vendors with the most SMB- and partner-friendly products, technologies, services, and programs, as well as the top professional organizations in the channel today.  IT professionals were also asked to select the option that best satisfies the unique business requirements, work styles, and budgets of their small and midsize business clients, as well as those that best serve their own partner organizations.

This is a special win that our AVG partners can share with their clients. It also provides another strong testament to the quality, performance and simplicity of our AVG Business product portfolio, as well as the strong channel partner program we are building.

Comments from Cecilia Galvin, executive editor of ChannelPro-SMB, capture the value of this recognition, “We are gratified that such a large number of readers participated in our survey, underscoring their commitment to, and understanding of, the SMB market and the vendors, distributors, and professional associations with whom they partner. The results are a true snapshot of the top IT product and service providers in today’s SMB channel.”

Here are the awards you can mention and share:

AVG: Best AntiVirus Vendor (Gold)

AVG: Security Suite Software Vendor (Silver)

AVG: Best Remote Monitoring and Management Vendor (Silver)

 

Please share these wins with your teams and clients. Your AVG Account Manager can provide awards logos to share and promote. Thank you for your continued support!

AVG

Jigsaw Deletes Files Every Hour: Upgrade Your AVG Software Today!

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Jigsaw is a fast-growing ransomware threat on the web, posing new danger for businesses. It is also the first ransomware to actually delete files hourly until the ransom is paid.

In April and May, our AVG Virus Lab team detected and blocked nearly 3,000 instances of Jigsaw across 25 countries. This recent detection report showed the malware being most active in the United States, Germany and South Africa.

Though the number of instances is alarming, our AVG 2016 AntiVirus engine and LinkScanner feature – integrated across all of our AVG Business products – is proactively detecting and blocking Jigsaw.

It is still critical that you understand how Jigsaw works, how to identify it and best steps for protection.

How does Jigsaw work? 

  • You typically have 72 hours to pay the ransom, usually in Bitcoin.
  • Every hour after that, Jigsaw deletes files to pressure victims into paying.
  • The rate at which files are deleted is exponential, from a single file to a thousand files at a time.

How does Jigsaw spread?

  • Email – malicious or spammed emails are common entry points.
    • Be on alert for malicious links and attachments with malicious code inside disguised as a pdf, Word, Excel or .Zip file. Don’t open email with suspicious or vague email subject lines.
  • Websites – visiting web pages can be an entry point.
    • Simply visiting an infected web site, you could be at risk.
    • Many websites are legitimate and you have no way of knowing if they have been infected.
    • Don’t click on popups or banner ads, if the product/service is of interest, then visit the site directly
    • The only defense is ensuring all software is updated, and using advanced antivirus software protection (Our AVG Business products provide this defense.)

How can a business stay protected?

  • Backup files to an external drive (local drives can become encrypted)
    • Even better, disconnect the external drive after the backup and do a cloud backup.
  • Educate employees
    • Employees should know what to watch for and what to avoid.
  • Implement policies to prepare for and manage ransomware
    • Antivirus software must always be on and up to date (AVG Business products detect and protect against ransomware and other malware. Be sure you have the latest AVG software running!)
    • Update all software to the latest versions, from within the product or directly from the vendor web site
    • Put processes in place and train users on what to do if an ‘event’ occurs (Examples: Notify IT or MSP, shut down, pull network cable).
  • Use multi-level AV protection
    • At AVG, we use a multi-layered security approach with multiple layers of inspection and testing to identify and eliminate a wide variety of malware.
    • AVG’s 2016 security engine leverages sophisticated technologies – including artificial intelligence, advanced algorithms and cloud-based outbreak detection to detect and protect in real-time. AVG Business products are powered by these technologies with features that also include an advanced scanning engine, LinkScanner for safe web surfing, online shield, identity protection and more.
    • We regularly submit our security software to independent test labs and have receive high industry-leading results across protection, performance and usability categories.

Don’t let your business or client’s business be held for ransom.  AVG partners and distributors can find out more about our AVG Business solutions with integrated AV 2016 at www.avg.com/service-provider-solutions.

AVG

Should all Facebook users follow your example, Mr. Zuckerberg?

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Sticky tape – is it really secure by design? Mark Zuckerberg the founder of the high tech company Facebook uses everyday sticky tape to help protect his laptop and identity.

Facebook founder and advocate of social media was recently pictured celebrating reaching the 500 million active users per month milestone for Instagram, a Facebook company. The achievements of Mr. Zuckerberg are indeed remarkable; the way in which the world communicates today would be very different without Facebook.

In the celebratory photo, Mr. Zuckerberg is seated at his desk holding a cutout of Instagram’s feed in Facebook’s Silicon Valley headquarters. Eagle-eyed Twitter user Chris Olson spotted that Mr. Zuckerberg, like many of us, had put tape over the webcam and microphone of his laptop.

We’ve all heard the stories of web cams being turned on in homes by malicious hackers, TVs that listen to us, and toys that record our voices, so it wouldn’t be surprising if many of us already do the same. Protecting devices with physical security helps ensure that if a hacker accesses your device, they do not see or hear much.

You might, however, expect the billionaire founder of Facebook to have a more sophisticated solution though, especially when there has been so much written about Facebook apps asking for permissions that seem somewhat sensitive or intrusive for some users. For example, Facebook asking for permission to access the user’s microphone and camera has generated speculation about whether such access could be used in ways that are not transparent to the user.

There have been several articles written with explanations on why the permissions are needed and assurances by Facebook that it will not abuse them.  So, if all of this is true, why is the CEO and founder of Facebook putting tape over his webcam? Should we also be putting tape over our webcams?

We know that the CEO and Founder of Facebook does, and in a recent interview, James Comey, Director of the FBI also admitted to using this technique. Either they are making a statement or this method actually works. My personal opinion is – it’s the latter.

It might of course be because both of these personalities have such a high public profile that they are more likely to be targets for hackers. Considering malware like the remote access trojan (RAT) that can access a camera, maybe a piece of tape is a practical if not wholly elegant solution. Naturally, having up to date antivirus software and a fully updated/patched machine will make it less likely that such malware will ever reach your machine.

There’s also human error, although I am not sure this has been given an official ‘name’. Have you ever accidently started a video call on your laptop or phone? Most of us know that it is all too easy to click the wrong button to make the call and the next thing you know you are broadcasting video … and let’s hope it’s nothing confidential or embarrassing.

Given the risk of a mistake and the risk of malware, and two high profile examples … on balance, it probably is time to tape over your PC’s camera and microphone to minimize the risk that you share something inadvertently via your camera.

And for the fans of duct tape, that’s probably overkill when covering up a cam, I’d suggest using something a bit more easily removable!

AVG

Don’t pay the Ransom! AVG releases six free decryption tools to retrieve your files

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Ransomware has proven very lucrative for criminals. Many have extended their “business” models by adding ransomware to their malicious catalog. To help prevent personal data and files being held hostage by cybercriminals, we have previously, advised on how to avoid ransomware infections, and what to do if your files have already been held to ransom. In that article, we stated that:

“Many ransomware families contain weaknesses in their encryption algorithm, which may lead to decrypting your files even without paying the ransom! It may take some time to spot and exploit such weaknesses, but in the meantime don’t delete your encrypted files; there may still be hope.”

And now there is hope. With our new tools, you should be able to recover your files without paying the ransom.

Using the Ransomware Decryption Tools

Our new free tools are for the decryption of six current ransomware strains: Apocalypse, BadBlock, Crypt888, Legion, SZFLocker, and TeslaCrypt.

To use, follow our simple four step process to unlock your files:

  1. Run a full system scan on the infected PC.
  2. (Optional) Back-up the encrypted files on their own flash drive, so they can then be transferred to another PC for decryption.
  3. Identify which infection strain encrypted your files. See the descriptions of each strain below. If your ransomware infection matches the strain details, download the appropriate tool and launch it.
  4. The tool opens a wizard, which breaks the decryption process into several easy steps:

Follow the steps, and you should again be able to reclaim your files in most cases. After decryption, be sure to securely back up restored files on a flash drive or in the cloud.

Apocalypse

The Apocalypse ransomware appends “.encrypted”, “.locked”, or “.SecureCrypted” to names of encrypted files (e.g. example.docx.encrypted, example.docx.locked, example.docx.SecureCrypted). It also creates ransom messages in files with extensions “.How_To_Decrypt.txt”, “.README.Txt”, or “.Contact_Here_To_Recover_Your_Files.txt” (e.g. example.docx.How_To_Decrypt.txt, example.docx.README.Txt, or example.docx.Contact_Here_To_Recover_Your_Files.txt).

In those messages, you can find contact addresses such as [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected]. For example:

We prepared two separate decryption tools for this strain: one for the early versions of Apocalypse and the other one for the current version:

http://files-download.avg.com/util/avgrem/avg_decryptor_Apocalypse.exe

http://files-download.avg.com/util/avgrem/avg_decryptor_ApocalypseVM.exe

BadBlock

BadBlock does not rename encrypted files. You can identify BadBlock by the ransom message named “Help Decrypt.html” and by the red windows with ransom messages, like the following ones:

The BadBlock decryption tool can be found here:

http://files-download.avg.com/util/avgrem/avg_decryptor_BadBlock32.exe

http://files-download.avg.com/util/avgrem/avg_decryptor_BadBlock64.exe

Crypt888

Crypt888 (aka Mircop) creates encrypted files with the prepended name “Lock.” (e.g. Lock.example.docx). It also changes your desktop’s wallpaper to the following image:

Unfortunately, Crypt888 is a badly written piece of code, which means some of the encrypted files or folders will stay that way, even if you pay the fine, as their “official decryptor” may not work.  The AVG decryptor can be found here:

http://files-download.avg.com/util/avgrem/avg_decryptor_Crypt888.exe

Legion

Legion encrypts and renames your files with names like “example.docx[email protected]$.legion”. It also changes the desktop wallpaper and displays a warning about your encrypted files:

Note: Don’t be confused by another ransomware strain that renames files to a similar name – “[email protected]”. It is NOT the same strain and it cannot be decrypted by this tool.

The decryptor is available here:

http://files-download.avg.com/util/avgrem/avg_decryptor_Legion.exe

SZFLocker

The name of this ransomware originates from a string that is appended to the names of encrypted files (e.g. example.docx.szf). The original files are rewritten with the following Polish message:

The decryptor for SZFLocker is available here:

http://files-download.avg.com/util/avgrem/avg_decryptor_SzfLocker.exe

TeslaCrypt

Last but not least, we prepared a decryptor for the infamous TeslaCrypt. This tool supports decryption of files encrypted by TeslaCrypt v3 and v4. The encrypted files come with different extensions, such as .vvv, .micro, .mp3, or with the original name only. It also displays a message like the following:

The decryptor can be found here:

http://files-download.avg.com/util/avgrem/avg_decryptor_TeslaCrypt3.exe

Conclusion

At AVG, we take ransomware threats very seriously. Be proactive by using multilayered protection, such as AVG Antivirus Pro, which detects and removes ransomware. Adding  decryption tools is a last resort for when your files are already encrypted by ransomware and you need to get your valuable data back.