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Avast

What you share online may be revealed to others

Every year we celebrate Data Privacy Day by thinking about what we post online, what methods we use to connect, and the security of the devices we use.

Data Privacy Day

Data Privacy Day  (DPD) is an international effort held annually on January 28 to create awareness about the importance of privacy and protecting personal information. Avast knows that security these days means more than protection against viruses. Online threats put your security and personal data at risk. You not only have to protect your desktop PC, but also your mobile devices. Your privacy can be violated by the apps you use, and bad guys can even invade your home through your home router.  

Fortunately, these threats can be managed when you take the advice of Data Privacy Day: 

STOP. THINK. CONNECT.

Here’s some tips and solutions from Avast to help you manage all the privacy needs on your devices.

Share with care

Think about the consequences of what you post online, especially in social networks. Think about what others could learn about you and who might see your posts in the future ‒ teachers, parents, colleges, and potential employers.

career ending

What you post can last a lifetime, so choose wisely what you share publicly.

 

Own your online presence: Set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your comfort level for information sharing. It’s ok to limit how and with whom you share information.

Want to view or change your privacy/security settings, but don’t know where to find them? Use the direct links gathered for DPD to update your privacy settings on popular devices and online services.

Stay CyberAware while on the go

Don’t count on public Wi-Fi networks and hotspots to be safe; anyone could potentially see what you are doing on your mobile device while you are connected. Avast Wi-Fi Finder locates safe and reliable connections in your area.

If no secured networks are to be found, then you can connect using Avast’s virtual private network (VPN) app called Avast SecureLine VPN. It encrypts your connect to prevent hackers from stealing your data via public/open Wi-Fi hotspot networks.

Personal information is like money. Value it. Protect it.

Protect your PC or Mac. Bank account numbers, passwords, photos, messages and emails – all of them need some form of protection to stay out of the wrong hands. One of the easiest steps to take is to get strong protection like Avast Antivirus. Avast does what you would expect – detects and blocks viruses and malware, but it has a unique feature called Home Network Security which strengthens your home network by scanning your home router for vulnerabilities.

Protect your mobile devices. Much of your life is on your mobile devices – banking information, private messages, and photos. Protect all your data with Avast Mobile Security, free from Google Play.

Protect your passwords. The best tip: Avoid using easy-to-crack passwords like 123456 or password. We know when you have an average of 19 passwords to remember that that advice can be a bit difficult. Avast Passwords  for PC, iOS, and Android automatically generates extremely strong passwords that you don’t have to struggle to remember! All you do is set and remember one master password to access all your passwords across your devices.

Data Privacy Day might be celebrated on January 28, but the principles need to be practiced everyday so you can make sure your privacy is protected around-the-clock. Here at Avast, we strive to give you the tools to do that. Please share these tips and Avast solutions with the important people in your life.

 

 

Panda Security

How to deal with Internet Explorer’s slow death without putting your computer at risk

 

At this point, if you are confused by the different versions of Microsoft products that still have updates and those that don’t, it’s perfectly understandable. There has been a lot of back and forth over the past few months, but it is important that you take a few minutes to understand the situation and check that you have the right software so that your computer remains secure.

On January 12, Bill Gates put in motion the end of Windows 8 and all versions of Internet Explorer older than version 11. There are, however, some exceptions and special cases that we will look at in detail later. The reason behind taking these older versions out of circulation is that Microsoft wants to replace them all with its new product, Edge, but it can’t do it overnight, thus it slowly rendering older versions obsolete.

What you need to know is how the changes will affect you if you are a home user or head of IT at a small company. Don’t fear, however, as it’s not as complicated as it may seem.

computer

Internet Explorer for home users

You have a problem if your computer runs on Windows 8, – you will have to update to either 8.1 or 10 – or if you’re using Windows 7 and your version of Internet Explorer is older than version 11.

If you find yourself in the first scenario then the solution is easy. Updating to version 8.1 (which is done via the Windows Store, not Windows Update) and version 10 is free, and when you update the operating system you will no longer need to worry about Internet Explorer – if you opt for version 8.1 you will automatically have the latest version, and if you go with version 10 you’ll have Microsoft’s new browser, Edge, by default.

If your current operating system is Windows 7, it’s possible (although not very likely) that you fall into the second category. You needn’t worry if the latest updates are active on your computer, but it’s never a bad idea to have them just in case.

To carry this out, open Internet Explorer and press ALT + Y on the keyboard. This will bring up the menu bar and you should then click on “Help”, followed by “About Internet Explorer”, so that another screen will pop up where you can test the version that you have installed.

internet explorer

You don’t need to do anything if, as shown in the image, you have Windows 11 installed. If it says that you have any other version, you must update your browser via Windows Update.

The final possibility is that your computer’s operating system is even older, such as Windows Vista or Windows XP. If it is the latter, you should check it out as this version hasn’t been updated since April 2014, so it’s high time you sorted that out.

If you have the controversial Windows Vista then you are the exception to the rule – Microsoft will continue to publish patches for Internet Explorer 9, the final browser to work on this operating system, until April 2017.

laptops

Internet Explorer for businesses

Everything that we’ve said above for home users is also applicable for corporate users, although, unfortunately, there are some cases in which an update to Internet Explorer 11 or Edge isn’t possible.

Some companies stick with outdated versions because the apps that they use daily don’t work with other browsers. If you are in charge of a technical department at one of these companies and it’s not possible to change the tools that you’re working with, then there are a few precautions that you can take to minimize the consequences of not updating.

If you have no other choice but to use an outdated, and insecure, version of Internet Explorer then you need to follow these tips:

  • Install the latest patch available (the one that was published on January 12), which corrects some critical vulnerabilities that allowed for the execution of remote code via the browser.
  • Reduce privileges on computers which will continue to use the old version of Internet Explorer. If they haven’t got administrator permission, then a lot of the attacks that they could face will be rendered useless.
  • Only use the computers with outdated browsers for their apps that can’t be run any other way. Browse and carry out other tasks on different computers.
  • If there is no other computer available, install a second browser (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, for example) on the computer with the outdated software. Set up the firewall so that Internet Explorer can’t access more than the page of the application that needs to be used on it.

By following these steps you will reduce the risk, but you aren’t completely secure – you will still be using a computer that is exposed to all types of threats. A good antivirus solution can protect you from many of them, but it is still essential that you work with updated software.

The post How to deal with Internet Explorer’s slow death without putting your computer at risk appeared first on MediaCenter Panda Security.

Avast

Avast for Business makes life easy for IT professionals

Businesses and organizations use Avast for Business, the security solution that’s easy to deploy and manage (and free!).

Business sectors such as education, retail, healthcare, IT consulting firms love and use Avast business security solutions for their ease-of-use and effectiveness against threats. In less than a year, more than one million devices have been secured by our cloud-managed security solution.  A reason for its success is because many businesses, schools, and other organizations lack the IT resources to install costly and complex security solutions.

At our recent Avast Grand Opening gala event, a team of Avastians demonstrated how even the most IT-challenged staff can easily deploy Avast for Business to manage PCs, Macs, and servers from a central console and easily set up different levels of protection.

Michal Trs and Martin Svoboda present Avast for Business at the Grand Opening gala event.

Michal Trs and Martin Svoboda present Avast for Business at the Grand Opening gala event.

Once the team had demonstrated how to deploy an account, they then showed what happens in the nightmare scenario of an infection running wild in a company network. In the simulation, a threat detection was emailed to the central console, where the team’s acting IT professional was able to view and manage potential threats on all employee devices protected by Avast for Business.

The best part? Everything from deploying the program to managing it on employee devices can be done from the comfort of an IT professional’s own office chair. Sign up for an Avast for Business account on on our website.

 

Follow Avast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.

Panda Security

How your smartwatch could give your credit card PIN away

apple watch

They’re the latest must-have in the world of wearable devices, but they don’t come without flaws – cybercriminals are eyeing up smartwatches as the next devices to attack.

Keeping in mind that the majority of smartwatches currently on the market are carrying some sort of vulnerability (even the popular Apple Watch has been highlighted as potentially worrying for user privacy), the growth in sales of these devices is music to cybercriminals’ ears.

Your credit card PIN at risk

A vulnerability recently discovered by a student at the University of Copenhagen has set alarms bells ringing. Tony Beltramelli used his thesis to show that a smartwatch is all that is needed for a cybercriminal to discover your credit card’s PIN.

We are all aware of the amount of malicious apps that are available for smartphones, however these new wearable gadgets are also the focus of cybercriminals looking to trick unwitting users with applications designed to steal sensitive information.

Beltramelli, who carried out the test on a Sony SmartWatch 3, managed to extract data from the device’s gyroscope and heart-rate monitor by using one of these malicious apps, and later sent the stolen information to a server.

Just as the student did, a cyberattacker could access the information of these sensors and analyze them until they get something truly valuable – with an accuracy of 73%, the gyroscope and the heart rate monitor can tell us which buttons the user has pressed on a typical ATM keyboard using the hand which the smartwatch is worn on.

On larger keypads, the accuracy is different – the system created by Beltramelli is capable of guessing a PIN in 19% of cases. “This means that an attacker has a wide range of devices available”, explains the student.

This make the sensors a double-edged sword, as not only do they make the watch more useful and appealing, but they could end up costing the owner more than they bargained for.

smartwatch

Beyond following typical security recommendations such as only downloading applications from trusted sources, a possible solution might be that we avoid wearing our smartwatches on the arm of the hand that we usually use to carry out tasks – so all left-handed people should wear it on their right, and vice-versa. This small change could save you a lot of bother further down the line!

The post How your smartwatch could give your credit card PIN away appeared first on MediaCenter Panda Security.

Avast

AV-TEST rates Avast Free Antivirus 2016 as a top security product for Windows Home Users

Avast Free Antivirus 2016 obtained highly positive ratings in AV-TEST's recent Product Review.

Avast Free Antivirus 2016 obtained highly positive ratings in AV-TEST’s recent Product Review.

AV-TEST, the leading and worldwide operating service provider for IT security testing services, has recently revealed the results of their Product Review and Certification Report for November-December 2015. AV-TEST describes the details of the review on their website:

. . .we continuously evaluated 20 home user security products using their default settings. We always used the most current publicly-available version of all products for the testing. They were allowed to update themselves at any time and query their in-the-cloud services. We focused on realistic test scenarios and challenged the products against real-world threats. Products had to demonstrate their capabilities using all components and protection layers.

 

Avast passes the AV-TEST Product Review with flying colors

Avast Free Antivirus 2016 obtained five out a maximum six points in performance and all six points in both protection and usability tests. In AV-TEST’s review, the product was tested on Windows 8.1 Professional (64 bit).

The performance test measures the average influence of the product on a computer’s speed in daily usage. The Protection test consists of real-world testing methods against zero-day malware attacks, inclusive of web and email threats. Lastly, the Usability test examines the impact of security software on the usability of a user’s entire computer.

Our website includes further information, as well as download links, to all Avast 2016 products. Check them out online.

Follow Avast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.

Panda Security

27% of all recorded malware appeared in 2015

 

pandalabs

PandaLabs, the laboratory of Panda Security, both detected and neutralized more than 84 million new malware samples throughout 2015. This is nine million more than the year previous, according to the corresponding data. The figure means that there were 230,000 new malware samples produced daily over the course of the year.

Last year saw the greatest number of cyberattacks recorded around the world, with a total of 304 million samples, which means that more than a quarter of all malware samples ever recorded were produced in 2015 (27.63%).

It was also a difficult year for certain multinational companies who suffered large scale data theft and interference on their IT systems.

“We predict that the amount of malware created by cybercriminals will continue to grow”, says Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs, “we also can’t forget that the creation of millions of Trojans and other threats corresponds to the cybercriminals’ needs to infect as many users as possible in order to get more money”.

Most powerful malware of 2015: Trojans and PUPs.

In 2015 we saw that Trojans, PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) and distinct families of Cryptolocker spread fear among larger businesses worldwide through massive attacks and the theft of thousands of confidential files.

Trojans continued to be the main source of malware (51.45%), comfortable positioned ahead of the rest of the collected samples: viruses (22.79%), followed by worms (13.22%), PUPs (10.71%), and cases of Spyware (1.83%).

Apart from all harmful Trojans, Cryptolocker (a type of ransomware) was the main protagonist of cyberattacks throughout the year. According to Corrons, “Cryptolocker is the best bet for cybercriminals, as it is one of the easiest ways of getting money. Also, it has shown itself to be very effective, especially in the case of businesses that don’t think twice about paying to recover their stolen information”.

Biggest infections caused by Trojans

Among all types of malware that cause large infections worldwide, it was Trojans that had the greatest rate of infection (60.30%), albeit 5% down on the figure from 2014.

PUPs were also particularly harmful, with nearly a third of infections resorting to trick techniques to fully enter the targeted PCs, far ahead of Adware / Spyware (5.19%), worms (2.98%), and viruses (2.55%).

China remains one of the most infected countries in the world

Last year was notable for being the year with the highest rate of infections caused on computers. On a geographic level, China was the country with the most infected computers (57.24%), a figure that was nearly 30% more than in 2014. Taiwan was next, with an infection rate of 49.15%, followed by Turkey (42.52%). These three countries remain at the top of the infection rate rankings, just as they were in 2014 and 2013.

world map

Other countries that registered an infection rate that was above the global average included Colombia (33.17%), Uruguay (32.98%), and Spain (32.15%).

Nordic countries register the lowest rate of infection

According to the information gathered regarding countries with the lowest rates of infection, nine of them were in Europe, with Japan being the only country not located in the continent.

The Nordic countries occupied the top positions: Finland was ahead of the rest, with a rate of 20.32%, followed by Norway (20.51%) and Sweden (20.88).

The post 27% of all recorded malware appeared in 2015 appeared first on MediaCenter Panda Security.

Avast

Avast’s new Prague headquarters is set to attract the most talented people

Avast's new headquarters are located in Prague's Enterprise Office Center.

Avast’s new headquarters are located in Prague’s Enterprise Office Center.

The opening of Avast’s beautiful new headquarters, Prague’s Enterprise Office Building, is a pretty good cause for celebration. At last night’s Grand Opening event, a few of our executive team members shed light on the moving process, as well as specific details about the building and its potential to open new doors for the company. Avast COO Ondrej Vlcek described the initial concept behind the building:

We modeled the design after some very successful Silicon Valley companies and are bringing that entrepreneurial spirit and drive for excellence to the team.

The building has an impressive collection of features:

  • 45 meeting rooms that provide both formal and relaxed environments.
  • 6-meter-wide stairs thoughout all six floors that serve as a meeting spot for employees.
  • A canteen with free food served daily from the morning until late afternoon. This supports informal contact between groups that traditionally wouldn‘t have lunch together as well as increased cross-departmental communication.
  • A fitness area, hammock room, pool tables, cinema, and library for enrichment and relaxation.
  • A children‘s room that works to support (and lend a hand to) each of our working parents.

 

It’s not hard to believe that such a spectacular working space draws in top-notch talent from across the globe to work at Avast. Current Avast employees also have a lot of positive things to say about our new workspace:

When I saw our canteen, I couldn’t believe it. So many varieties of food, from healthy light salads to breakfasts of champions. — Tomas Penka (eComm Specialist)

It’s fresh and unique, and it provides an atmosphere that invites creativity. – Che Johnson (Corporate Tech Support)

The central staircase impels employees to make use of it and walk more, which has been a healthy surprise. – Petr Prusa (QA Engineer)

Moving into the new year, we’re looking forward to thriving in our new building and seizing the opportunity to demonstrate how we work to keep people around the world safe every day.

Follow Avast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.

Avast

Avast opens its new headquarters with a gala event

Avast Building exterior

New Avast headquarters

Avast Software celebrates moving into a beautiful Silicon Valley-style work place.

The grand opening of the new Avast headquarters, held in Prague on Thursday night, was a gala event for employees, friends of Avast, international journalists, his excellence Andrew H. Schapiro U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Chairman of the Board John Schwarz, our two co-founders, and other honored guests.

Opening the event on a stage set up in the expansive lobby of the new building, CEO Vincent Steckler summarized his last 7 years with the company. When he started, Avast was still a start-up in many ways with only 3 products, 40 employees, and occupying a modest building. There was no board of directors or proper company structure in place.

Since Mr. Steckler took the helm of the company, Avast has become a global force in security software and delivered award-winning products to consumers, small businesses, and enterprise.

“We are extremely proud of how far we have come,” said Steckler. “Avast is on more computers than any other security software, and we are just getting started.”

Avast lobby

Guests gather in the lobby as the Avast Grand Opening begins

Looking towards the future, Steckler said to a rapt audience, “The Internet of Things has led to an entire new era of security concerns, which Avast is well-poised to address for our customers.”

Avast’s presence in the U.S. is growing

Ambassador Shapiro described the success of Avast in Czech Republic and beyond its borders. He said, “Avast has been extremely successful here, but what you might not know is that Avast is also the most successful tech company from the Czech Republic in the U.S.”

He spoke about Avast’s growing presence in Silicon Valley which will attract new talent and accelerate its growth stateside.

“Currently there are more than 15 million Avast customers in the U.S. and there is still an enormous opportunity,” said Ambassador Shapiro. “Tech will continue to connect us as we discover new ways to help our citizens, and make the world a safer place.”

Grandmaster Garry Kasparov challenges 11 players at once

Garry Kasparov chess challenge

Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov plays 11 challengers at once

Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov was Avast’s special guest for the evening. The highlight of his visit for gala guests was watching him play against 11 opponents simultaneously. Five lucky Avast employees and 6 guests were chosen to be the Grandmaster’s opponents. It took Kasparov less than one hour to decidedly defeat each of the star-struck opponents, however no players were beat in less than 20 moves.

Guest player Alex Barrasso, five-time winner of the U.S. Championship for Blind Players, said, “For any chess player – whether you’re a casual player or a serious player – just to get the opportunity to sit across the board from someone like him, who is perhaps the greatest player ever to live, is an honor.”

Guests treated to behind-the-scenes tours and demonstrations

Beside the 6 meter wide staircase that connects the floors of Avast, experts from different areas set up demonstrations and hands-on activities for guests. Avast for Business showed how simple it is for SMB’s with limited resources to use our free, cloud-managed security product to protect their devices and customer data. Avast Mobile Security analysts set up a café scenario and showed guests what a hacker could see on unsecure Wi-Fi hotspots and how connecting with Avast SecureLine VPN can keep you save.

The showstopper of the evening was the Avast Virus Lab. The new monitoring wall shows attacks against Avast users happening in real-time and how many threats are blocked by Avast. In the last 30 days, as Virus Lab Analyst Michal Salat explains, Avast blocked 1.590 billion attacks against our users.

Virus lab Monitoring Wall

Michal Salat explains the Avast Virus Lab monitoring wall

Party on the 7th floor

Avast party food

The talented chefs of the Avast canteen prepared delicious treats for the guests

After the building tours, demos, and chess challenge, the party began. The food was plenty and delicious, and the drinks flowed until the wee hours of the night.

The 7th floor is the fun floor, complete with canteen, recording studio, cinema, video arcade, and a quiet area with the library and hammocks for a quick power nap. No napping was going on this time, as partiers mixed and mingled to the sounds of a DJ spinning the sounds and constant conversation.

The Avast Grand Opening was a great way to inaugurate our new beautiful headquarters. For more pictures, please visit the Avast Facebook gallery.

 

Avast

AV-Comparatives report: Avast takes the gold for Overall Performance

Avast was awarded the title of Top Rated Product for 2015 by AV-Comparatives.

Avast was awarded the title of Top Rated Product for 2015 by AV-Comparatives.

Recently, AV-Comparatives released their 2015 Summary Report, an important resource for anyone who is interested in security solutions and antivirus software. Avast had a few exciting wins in this year’s report, which we plan to build upon as we continue moving forward into 2016.

Firstly, Avast was awarded the title of Top Rated Product for 2015 by AV-Comparatives. In their report, AV-Comparatives writes:

“Avast is a Top Rated Product this year, receiving five Advanced+ awards in the course of the year, including both Real-World Protection Tests. . . We feel its scan-results dialog box is equally well suited to expert and non-expert users.“

In addition to being a Top Rated Product, Avast also won the Gold Award for AV-Comparatives‘ Overall Performance Test, as well as a Silver Award for the Malware Removal Test.

In describing their Overall Performance test, AV-Comparatives adds that Avast demonstrates a significantly lower impact on system performance than that of other products. This means that Avast doesn’t disturb you while you browse, work or play on your PC.

How to make your PC’s performance the best it can be

If you’re experiencing a sluggish computer, there’s several things you can do to improve your system’s performance.

  • Make sure your software is up to date. The most up-to-date software contains fixes and patches that makes it run at its best. Avast 2016 products have enhanced features and the highest detection rates to protect your computer from malicious attacks. Software Updater is a feature in Avast 2016 that helps you ensure that your programs are up to date.
  • Old hardware. If you try to install modern software onto your old computer, it could start running at a snail’s pace, because the hardware simply is not capable of running the software. Ideally, buying a new PC with a multi-core processor is the best solution. However if your budget does not include a new computer, then you could add more RAM.
  • Stick to one security program. It’s not advised to run more than one security program with real-time protection at a time. Please uninstall any trial software that came with your PC before installing different protection. You can find a list and instructions to remove here. We recommend that you follow the vendor’s instructions before proceeding with the uninstallation.

Follow Avast on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.

Panda Security

New year, new job – but beware of fake offers looking to scam you

job search

January is traditionally a month of change for most people, be it starting new fitness and diet regimes, promising to travel more, vowing to make better use of their time, or even just giving their house a good clear out. For others, however, the beginning of a new year is a time of dramatic change, with many taking to the internet in search of a new job.

A recent survey carried out in the UK by employment website Indeed found that over 30% of employees were actively looking for new employment as part of their new year goals, while a further 11% of respondents said that finding new work was definitely on their list for 2016. Considering the increase in people scrambling for new career opportunities at this time of the year, it isn’t surprising that some criminals have seen this as a chance to take advantage of unsuspecting victims.

False offers that demand payments

One such example of a false job offer discovered in the United States required the candidate, who having successfully passed the first phase of the selection process, to log onto Yahoo Messenger for another interview. It was during this stage that she was told that to be contracted for the role she would need a number of software programs, but that the company would provide them for her if she passed them on her bank account information.

After becoming suspicious at this point, the potential candidate did some investigating online and discovered that, despite the company existing, scammers were using its name to pull off cybercrimes and that the job offer was in fact bogus.

Another such scam was spotted on Facebook, with cybercriminals yet again using the name of a reputed company to post false job offers. The process was similar to the previous one, with supposed employer requesting that applicants send payment as part of their application.

How to spot bogus job offers

If you are applying for a job offer online, here are a few quick tips to help you spot an offer that might just be too good to be true:

  • Never part with your money! No matter how good the job offer is, nobody should have to give money to a potential employee when being offered a job.
  • Don’t give out bank information during interviews. There is no need for a potential employee to have access to this information for an interview.
  • Try to online use reputed job listing websites. If you are in doubt, double check on the company’s website to see if it is listed there. Many of these scams use the names of legitimate companies to trick people.
  • Be cautious with potential new contacts on LinkedIn, as there has been an increase in fake profiles looking to steal user information.
  • There is only a cellphone supplied for enquiries as opposed to a direct landline.
  • The company is using a free email service for correspondence such as Gmail or Yahoo. Legitimate job related emails should come from corporate accounts.
  • If you are offered a job just on the basis of your CV, be suspicious. Most recruitment processes have a number of stages and an interview is definitely one of them.
  • Be wary of offers for jobs that you never applied for.
  • Finally, be aware of job offers that are too good to be true. If they’re offering you the chance to work from home and earn a huge salary, then it’s more than likely a scam.

By keeping your wits about you when looking for a jobs online, and following the tips above, you can avoid being a victim of identity theft and fraud. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, then it likely is!

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