Tag Archives: iOS

Avast

Avast SecureMe app protects iOS users from Wi-Fi hacking

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Avast SecureMe is the world’s first application that gives iPhone users a tool to protect their devices and personal data when they connect to Wi-Fi networks. The free app scans Wi-Fi networks and tells users which of them are safe. Since many users use Wi-Fi networks without knowing whether or not they are safe, Avast SecureMe will create a secure connection in order to keep them safe.

The app notifies you upon the discovery of security issues

Avast SecureMe includes a feature called Wi-Fi Security. People who use open Wi-Fi in public areas such as airports, hotels, or cafes will find this helpful. This feature’s job is to scan Wi-Fi connections and notify you if any security issues are found, such as routers with weak passwords, unsecured wireless networks, and routers with vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers. Users have the option to label Wi-Fi networks that they frequently use as trusted — this way, the app won’t need to check the networks every time.

What’s the risk that my personal data will be stolen?

If you use unsecured Wi-Fi when you log in to a banking site, for example, cybercrooks can capture your login credentials which can lead to identity theft. On unprotected Wi-Fi networks, crooks can also easily view your emails, browsing history, and personal data if you don’t use a secure or encrypted connection like a virtual private network (VPN). For more details on this point, see our recent Wi-Fi hotspot experiment to see how widespread the threat really is.

Avast SecureMe is a simple way to find and choose safe networks.

The Avast SecureMe app includes a VPN to protect your privacy

Avast SecureMe features a VPN to secure your connections while you conduct online tasks that you’d like to remain private. This could include checking emails, doing your online banking, and even visiting your favorite social network sites. Avast SecureMe connects to the secure VPN when it detects that you have connected to a public Wi-Fi network, making all transferred data invisible to prying eyes. For convenience, you can disable the protection for Wi-Fi connections you trust, such as your home network.

Try it for yourself! You can download Avast SecureMe free of charge on iTunes.

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

Avast

Avast 2016 protects your private information

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Avast simplifies how you protect your privacy with new products for 2016.

Avast 2016 has got your back

Avast 2016 introduces new products to protect your privacy

Count the number of devices you own. If you are like most modern digital-age people, you have a smartphone, half of you own a tablet, and most all of us have a desktop or laptop computer connected through a home router.

Now think about all the private information that you have on those devices. Bank account numbers, passwords, photos, messages and emails – all of them needing some form of protection to stay out of the wrong hands.

In a survey we did this year, 69% of you told us that your biggest fear is that the wrong person would see your personal information. In fact, Americans are so scared of having their financial information get into a bad guy’s possession, that 74% said they’d rather have nude photos of themselves leaked on the Internet! The problem is that most people are not doing anything to protect their privacy, for example, 40% of Americans don’t even lock their smartphones.

“While people are rightfully concerned about privacy, there is a disconnect between that concern and the steps they take to protect themselves,” said Vince Steckler, chief executive officer of Avast. “Users have a multitude of devices and passwords to keep track of, which can be overwhelming. When users feel overwhelmed, they tend to default to unsafe practices that put their privacy at risk.”

The new Avast 2016 for PC and Mac, the redesigned Avast Mobile Security, and the new kid on the block, Avast SecureMe, will all help reduce the complex task of protecting your private, personal information.

So time to face your fear and take steps to protect yourself. Here’s some tools that Avast is launching today to help you:

Avast Mobile Security

Protect personal information on your mobile devices

You probably use your Android mobile phone more than your laptop these days. Much of your life is on your mobile devices – banking information, private messages and photos. Protect all your data with the completely redesigned Avast Mobile Security – for free!

Here’s Avast Mobile Security features I want you to know about today:

Leading Mobile Malware Protection — Yes, malware is a threat but it works differently than classic PC viruses and Trojans. We’re on top of it, with the most advanced mobile malware protections available, now even faster with Avast’s cloud-scanning engine.

Privacy Advisor – Your apps, from mobile messengers to your bank, contain information that you want to protect. Privacy Advisor informs you about what data apps have access to and the ad networks that are included in the apps.

Wi-Fi Security – It’s not called mobile for nothing. You are out-and-about all the time, connecting to who-knows-what free Wi-Fi hotspot. We notify you when you connect to an unsecure router, so you can avoid bad guy’s eavesdropping and snooping on you.

Unlimited App Locking — Nosy kids, friends, and family members can be kept out of your business because we can password protect any apps on your device, providing another line of defense against prying eyes.

Protect personal information on your computer

The designers and engineers of the world’s most trusted antivirus got together with the mission to make your life easier. Avast 2016 sports a new simplified user interface with fewer buttons. It’s compatible with Windows 10, and it notifies you of Windows updates so you can easily keep software up-to-date and patched.

But it’s these two new features that we’re most excited about today:

Avast Passwords (for PC, iOS, 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. One password to rule them all!

SafeZone Browser (available with all premium versions of Avast) keeps all your banking and payment sites isolated in a protected space called Pay Mode, and if you run into suspicious sites, an isolated, virtual environment called Safe Mode will automatically open, so you don’t risk the safety of your machine and data. 

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Protect personal information on your iPhone and iPad

Wi-Fi Security – This is the same great feature that’s available in Avast Mobile Security. When you connect to an unsecure router you will be notified.

VPN – Avast SecureMe establishes a secure connection when you’re connected to open Wi-Fi.

Where do I get the new Avast security products?

  • Avast 2016 for PC and Mac is now available for download at www.avast.com.
  • Avast 2016’s Avast Passwords feature is now available for PC, Android and iOS, and will soon be available for Mac.
  • The new Avast Mobile Security app can be found in the Google Play Store.
  • Avast SecureMe will soon be available on the Apple App Store.

 

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

AVG

How to avoid auto-correct fails

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Have you ever sent an SMS in haste only to find that your phone has incorrectly interpreted what it thinks you meant, resulting in a bizarre or non-sensical message?

It can be frustrating, amusing and in some cases embarrassing. But don’t worry, there is way you can disable the auto-correct feature regardless of whether you have and iOS or Android device.

Disable Auto-correction in iOS on your iPhone or iPad

  • Tapping ‘Settings’
  • Scroll down and open ‘General’
  • Scroll through the options and open ‘Keyboard’
  • You should see the ‘Auto-correction’ option, tap to switch it off.

 

Disable Auto-correction/Auto-replace on Android

Some versions of Android may differ and your screen options might look a bit different, but in general the feature Auto-correction/Auto-replace feature can be found by:

  • Tapping ‘Settings’
  • open ‘Language & input’
  • Under the ‘Keyboard & input method‘ heading, select the current keyboard—it might be ‘Android Keyboard‘ or ‘Google Keyboard‘ depending on your device setup.
  • Scroll through the options and locate ‘Auto-correct’ or ‘Auto-replace’ then tap to uncheck.
  • If it’s the Google Keyboard you’ll be given a list of options for how aggressive you’d like the auto-correction to be. Select ‘Off‘.
  • You’re all done!

For more great tips on getting the most out of your PC, Mac and mobile devices, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

AVG

10 Tips to help make your smartphone battery last longer

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As PC sales continue their downward trend, and mobile device usage continues to grow, we’re using and relying on our mobile devices more than ever these days – according to a study by comScore in the US, between 2013-2014 mobile usage accounted for 60% of our time spent using digital media.

Trends aside, you know how much you use your mobile device, surely you don’t want it to quit on you when you need it most, right?

That’s why we have 10 easy tips to help make your smartphone (or tablet) battery last longer:

  • Keep your device fully charged and topped up: Older Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries needed to be fully drained before being recharged so that they lasted longer, but newer one’s like Lithium-ion don’t require you to do this anymore, in fact if possible, avoid full discharges and charge the battery more often between uses.
  • Turn it off: If it’s not essential for your device to be on, turn it off to save power for later use.
  • Disable live wallpapers: If your smartphone or device is capable of displaying animated wallpapers, disable them. If possible, use a flat dark background as your wallpaper for your login and home screens.
  • Reduce screen brightness and disable auto brightness: The dimmer your screen the better. Also, disable the automatic brightness feature. This will help reduce battery usage considerably.
  • Disable vibrate and reduce volume: Vibrating requires the battery to drive a rotating mechanism which requires a fair amount of energy. Turn it off, and while you’re about it reduce the ringtone volume too.
  • Turn off Auto-sync, Background Data or Background App Refresh:  This feature, known on Android devices as ‘Auto-sync’ or ‘Background Data’ and on iOS devices as ‘Background App Refresh’, allows your devices apps to refresh in the background, use location services, sync data or send you push notifications. Depending on how many apps you have that use this feature, it could use a lot of data and drain your battery. Switch it off.
  • Turn off Bluetooth: When enabled, Bluetooth regularly checks for devices it can connect to. If you are not using it, disable it and you should see a small amount of energy being saved.
  • Turn off GPS:  GPS communication with satellites is done regularly and for extended durations, which requires a lot of power and also prevents a mobile device from going into an energy saving mode. If you’re not using your smartphone’s GPS, disable it for considerable savings in battery consumption.
  • Keep out of the heat: Once your device’s battery is damaged by heat, its capacity can’t be restored. So always store your device in a cool place and never leave it exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time.
  • Close overly active apps: Close processor hungry apps that are regularly performing background calculations, refreshing or syncing. Take a look at the AVG Android app performance report for Q1 2015 to see which apps are some of the biggest battery drainers.

If you want to go that extra step and save even more power to extend your device’s battery life, we recommend installing a power management app like AVG Cleaner for Android

For more great tips on getting the most out of your devices, visit us at www.now.avg.com and follow us on twitter or Facebook.

 

Security

Attackers Replacing Firmware on Cisco Routers

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Cisco routers are built into the fabric of the Internet and enterprise networks, a fact that makes them highly attractive targets for attackers. Researchers at FireEye have come across attacks recently in which hackers have been modifying the firmware of Cisco routers and using that foothold to maintain persistence on the victim’s network. Such a technique […]