Tag Archives: Mobile

Avast SecureMe app protects iOS users from Wi-Fi hacking

 

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 FacebookTwitterYouTube, and Google+ where we keep you updated on cybersecurity news every day.

Avast Mobile Security: Now at your fingertips, 100% free of charge

In addition to the launch of the latest and greatest version of Avast Mobile Security, we’ve also got a few more important announcements about the app. The major news is this: we’re unlocking Avast Mobile Premium for every user!

Information for current premium users

Have you subscribed to the premium version of Avast Mobile Security or Avast Anti-Theft? We have great news for you. Not only will you never have to pay for those premium features again, but we’re also transferring your license over to Avast SecureLine VPN, which protects you from network spies. Read more on our FAQ for subscribers.

News for free users

Our FAQ page provides more detailed information on how to upgrade older versions of both Avast Mobile Security and Avast Anti-Theft to complimentary premium versions.

Why download the new Avast Mobile Security?

If you haven’t already done so, now’s the time to download Avast Mobile Security. We’ve rewritten the app from scratch to bring you a simple, intuitive app that is driven by the world’s most trusted antivirus engine. Avast Mobile Security 5.0 delivers a faster performance and virus scan while consuming less of your device’s battery and resources.

     

  The completely free, redesigned Avast Mobile Security for Android includes the following features:

  • Leading Mobile Malware Protection: Avast Mobile Security provides users with the most advanced mobile malware protections available.
  • App Permissions: Informs the user about data that apps have access to and ad networks included within apps.
  • Wi-Fi Security: Notifies the user when connecting to an unsecure router.
  • Unlimited App Locking: Users can password protect any and all apps on a device, providing another line of defense against prying eyes.

We’ve already told you how you can become a beta tester for Avast Mobile Security. If you have any more questions about how to become a beta tester for Avast Mobile Security (or any of our other apps), check out our FAQ page.


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

Avast Wi-Fi Finder helps you stay connected wherever you are

Many of us have found ourselves in situations in which we need Wi-Fi connection and are unable to find it easily. Since we’ve become used to being connected to safe and steady Wi-Fi networks at home or in the office, it can become frustrating and inconvenient when we’re unable to establish a quick connection and gain secure online access.

For those seeking a fast, reliable and secure Wi-Fi connection, we’re happy to introduce you to Avast Wi-Fi Finder. Our new app gives you the opportunity to have a fast connection regardless of your location while continuously providing you with privacy and security. Whether you’re at the gym, a hotel, cafe, bus station or library, Avast Wi-Fi Finder has got you covered.

With Avast Wi-Fi Finder, you’re not limited by your data plan – instead, the app allows you to save on funds that would otherwise be spent on establishing a mobile Internet connection. No longer will you be stuck having to purchase a refreshment at the nearest cafe or register for a service in order to connect to fast, reliable Wi-Fi networks – the passwords of our recorded Wi-Fi networks are stored and provided to you.

Getting to know the app

Using Avast Wi-Fi Finder, the following features are at your fingertips:

  • Connect to the fastest, most secure hotspots around. Avast Wi-Fi Finder helps you automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks nearest to your location, helping you save on monthly bills and roaming fees.
  • Get speed and privacy. There’s no need to compromise on your security. Avast Wi-Fi Finder checks the security ratings of each network and keeps you protected while you browse, chat, or email away.
  • Follow your map and you’re set to go. The app’s user-friendly map allows you to navigate to a widespread collection of fast, reliable hotspots recommended and crowdsourced by people just like you from all around the world.

In just a few simple steps, you can become one of the beta testers who help us make Avast Wi-Fi Finder (and other Avast mobile apps) the best that they can be. Read through our guide to get started in the Avast Android beta program.

Since the beta version of Avast Wi-Fi Finder has only recently been launched, we’d like to ask our users to be patient, as certain locations may not yet be filled with available Wi-Fi networks. As our community of beta testers continues to grow, the size and quality of our network database will do the same. To speed up this process, we encourage our beta testers to add available Wi-Fi networks to locations as they find them. Get started by becoming a tester for Avast Wi-Fi Finder on Google Play!


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

Dissecting MKero, the premium SMS service subscriber trojan found on Google Play

Since Android already became the most used operating system among devices worldwide, it indirectly caught the attention of malware creators as well – around 97% of malicious mobile software is now targeting Android.

The post Dissecting MKero, the premium SMS service subscriber trojan found on Google Play appeared first on Avira Blog.

Curb Your ‘App’-etite: These Top 10 Apps Stifle Your Phone’s Performance

We all know that excited feeling when you take your new Android phone out of the box for the first time. The possibilities seem infinite – the battery will last forever, your phone will operate at lightning speed and you’ve never had more space for all your photos and music. But, how long until that hopeful feeling fades? Well, just wait until you’ve installed all your favorite apps. You may see your smartphone or tablet slow down to a virtual crawl in no time at all.

Keen to prevent this? In our global AVG Android App Report (Q2 2015), we’ve again, identified the top 10 apps that drain your battery, clog your storage and use up most of your mobile data. 
AVG App Reprort Infographic Q2 2015

What are the top app sinners? 

  • Snapchat! Oh Snap! Forget Facebook, Spotify, or any of the preinstalled apps: In Q2 2015, Snapchat dethroned them all as the app which had the highest, overall performance drain. Did you know that while it runs, it makes use of the camera, Wi-Fi/mobile data and GPS functionality, simultaneously? This explains the high battery life and traffic consumption.
  • Samsung Updates! The top, hidden battery-drainer this quarter was a service innocuously named “com.sec.android.fwupgrade,” which is responsible for delivering periodic Samsung updates to your device via Wi-Fi. As with the similarly update-heavy Samsung Security Policy Update (KNOX) and Google Play apps, the service has a massive impact on the battery life of your device.
  • Your Browser’s a True Hoarder! Joining more obvious entrants on the top ten list this quarter, such as Spotify and Amazon Kindle, Google Chrome emerged as the second highest, storage-consuming app, thanks to its collection of your browsing data over time. Our advice here: Clean up your browser from the settings menu or use a thorough cleaner product.
  • Facebook ’mis’-manages: A consistent ‘top’ performer in our charts, Facebook entered a new contender this quarter, with its monitoring app, Facebook Pages Manager. The app stores a lot of local content as it tracks page statistics, followers and comments while on the move
  • A bad forecast: Both The Weather Channel and Words with Friends were surprise entrants in our start-up chart – with the apps seemingly having no clear need to run invisibly in the background
  • A drain on your wallet and smartphone: With two of its shopping apps in our top ten ‘run by user’ list, if you want to save data and battery life on the go, you might want to steer clear of Amazon.

These were just some of the highlights that stood out to us. Our top 10 resource-draining apps should give you even more insight into what apps make your phone or tablet slow to a crawl. We’ve divided our top list into apps that you run by yourself, and those that run quietly in the background, which you may not even know about:

App report q2

 

Read the entire App Report here.

So what can you do about it?

Now that you know about the top apps, what’s left for you to do? Stay tuned for our next blog on the top tips to optimize your smartphone and tablet.

AVG Debates the Impact of Trust on Innovation at the MEF European Consumer Trust Summit

AMSTERDAM– October 19, 2015 – AVG Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG), the online security company™ for more than 200 million active users, today announced that Tony Anscombe, the company’s Senior Security Evangelist, will be participating in a panel debate at the MEF European Consumer Trust Summit on October 20, 2015.

Taking place in London’s Canary Wharf, and open to both MEF members and non-members, the Summit will bring together brands, mobile operators, regulators, developers and innovators to examine the business-critical issue of how to foster consumer trust in today’s mobile age.

This comes as the latest MEF Global Consumer Trust Report ranked trust as the single, largest obstacle to growth in the mobile content and commerce industry – with two-fifths of survey respondents naming a lack of trust as the number one dissuasive factor when downloading items.

Anscombe will be joining representatives from Mozilla, Vodafone, Smart e-Money and CitizenMe to discuss, “Trust as a Driver for Innovation.”

What: Tony Anscombe, AVG Technologies, at the MEF Consumer Trust Summit

When: Afternoon Session (between 14.00-17.00), Tuesday, 20 October 2015

Where: Level 39, Canary Wharf, London

The Consumer Trust Summit forms part of a week of activities from MEF, kicking off with the annual Meffys award gala dinner on 19 October 2015. Now in their twelfth year, the Meffys aim to recognize the most successful and innovative players across the mobile ecosystem. This year, AVG has been shortlisted in the Consumer Trust category for its one-page privacy policy.

For further information about the Consumer Trust Summit, or other MEF events, please visit the organization’s website: http://www.mobileecosystemforum.com/

 

About AVG Technologies (NYSE: AVG)

AVG is the online security company providing leading software and services to secure devices, data and people. AVG’s award-winning technology is delivered to over 200 million monthly active users worldwide. AVG’s Consumer portfolio includes internet security, performance optimization, and personal privacy and identity protection for mobile devices and desktops. The AVG Business portfolio – delivered by managed service providers, VARs and resellers – offers IT administration, control and reporting, integrated security, and mobile device management that simplify and protect businesses.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

www.avg.com

Contacts:

North America:
Deanna Contreras
Tel: +1 415 371 2001
Email: [email protected]

Rest of World:
Zena Martin
Tel: +44 7496 638 342
Email: [email protected]

Press information: http://now.avg.com

Big things are in store: Become a beta tester for Avast Mobile Security!

Become one of our beta testers for Avast Mobile Security today!

Become one of our beta testers for Avast Mobile Security today!

Have you ever served as a beta tester for one of our mobile apps? The release of the latest and greatest Avast Mobile Security is right around the corner, and we want YOU to help us make our mobile security app the very best it can be.

It’s important to emphasize that the beta version of Avast Mobile Security isn’t available to everyone quite yet – the latest version of the app will make its way onto your device as soon as it’s released.

Becoming a beta tester for Avast Mobile Security now only requires three easy steps

Getting the latest news and updates about our app is easy as pie. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Visit this link.
2. Click the “BECOME A BETA TESTER” button. Avast Mobile Security will automatically update itself upon its imminent launch. You simply have to wait until the new design appears on your phone.
3. Once you receive the update, we’d love it if you could share your thoughts about the app with us in our Google+ community.

Once you’ve opted to become a tester using the link above, you’re all set to go! Thanks for becoming one of our valued beta testers.


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

10 Tips to help make your smartphone battery last longer

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.

 

Life beyond the screen: Coming face to face with technology addiction

Photo via Telegraph online

Photo via Telegraph online

Believe it or not, there’s more to life than what’s happening online! In its beginnings, technology was intended to make our lives simpler and more convenient. When technology becomes an addiction, however, it can become dangerous to our mental and physical health, not to mention our personal lives.

Avast is a technology and security company. At the same time, we’re also human beings. By sharing cybersecurity news on our blog, alongside our forum and social networks, we aim to make things simpler for our users — providing them with safety tips to avoid headaches and losses of time. In other words, we’d like everyone to reserve as much time as possible for the parts of life that truly matter.

Recently, a study found that students’ performance can significantly decline due to technology addiction. To fight students’ urge to be active on their devices when they shouldn’t be, there are several apps that have been created that close and prevent other apps to be opened, ensuring users to be able to stay focused and concentrated on their classes, research or homework.

Since it has become this difficult to pry ourselves away from our screens, it’s sometimes a good thing to occasionally be left without battery or network coverage. This way, we’re essentially forced to put off our thoughts about what’s being published on social media and focus on the things that are taking place around us.

Here in Brazil, it’s not uncommon to see signs at bars or restaurants that read something similar to “we don’t have Wi-Fi, talk among yourselves” or “we don’t have Wi-Fi, bring a friend to talk to”. These places don’t do this because they need to save money on their Internet bill — instead, it’s about providing their guests with human interactions and a genuine experience.

It’s our job to use our current technology wisely. When it’s time to concentrate and focus, Avast is there to keep our users safe from spam, scams, and hackers — things that cause us to lose time and energy.

You can depend on us to keep your security (and peace of mind) in tact. We urge our users to recommend Avast to the ones who they love and who they want to spend quality time with.


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

The dangers of geotagging via photos & social media

Did you know you could be unwillingly revealing your location via geotagging in photos you upload with social media applications?

AVG’s Michael McKinnon walks you through some things to be aware of when it comes to geotagging.

Did you know:

  1. Photos can contain location information stored in metadata (EXIF data) within the image itself.
  2. Location data can be automatically applied to your GPS enabled smartphone photos.
  3.  The location data usually includes the precise GPS co-ordinates of where the photo was taken, as well as the time and date it was captured.

Here are some ways to protect your privacy when it comes to geotagging on your mobiles device:

  • Disable location services on your mobile devices.
  • Remove EXIF data from images before uploading to social media networks or file sharing sites.
  • Be aware of location options in apps or online services and social media.

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.

Stay safe out there.