avast! Internet Security Leads Secure Online Banking

Deborah Salmi 27 Nov 2012

avast! Internet Security Leads Secure Online Banking

Financial malware threatens our banks and the safety of our personal identify and hard-earned money. Evidence from private research suggests that most endpoint security solutions offer minimal to no protection against financial malware. However, in a new test, avast! Internet Security provided 100% protection against banking malware.

Man-in-the-Browser attacks

Variants of the banking Trojans ZeuS and SpyEye are a massive threat to the security of financial institutions and their customers. Using the so-called 'Man-in-the-Browser' (MitB) attack, this malware sits between the user and the website modifying the pages displayed in real time. Some versions of the MitB changes payment details and on-screen balances to cloak its activities.

Last February, BBC news aired a program called ‘Click: Online Banking Test” highlighting the risks of financial malware and the ineffectiveness of traditional security suites against MitB attacks. Initial research was done by independent firm MRG Effitas. In a follow-up test just published, MRG Effitas tested more than 30 security software products against financial malware simulators, and avast! Internet Security was one of only two anti-malware and internet security applications to get a perfect score.

The avast! SafeZone - Privacy ensured

For banking and other financial transactions, like online shopping, avast! Internet Security is a smart choice because of SafeZone™. The avast! SafeZone is a security feature which lets you browse the web in a private, secure environment, invisible to the rest of your system. This ensures secure financial transactions when banking or shopping online. The secure browser window auto-prompts avast! Internet Security users whenever it would be more secure to use it, and it opens easily from their normal browser.

Read our press release for more information and a link to the report.

Spencer Kelly, the BBC “Click” presenter, offers these tips regarding banking malware:

How to spot if you have been infected

  • If your transaction seems to be taking longer than normal, there is a chance it is going via a fraudster's system
  • If you are asked for more information than normal, especially entire passwords where previously you were only asked for part, your machine may have been infected
  • Computers that have been infected often slow down while malware monopolizes both the processor and the internet connection

What to do if you suspect something

  • Contact your bank by phone, not by email
  • Tell them the time and date you believed you were accessing your bank account, and if the bank's records do not match, it is likely your computer has been compromised

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