Our digital world has expanded from desktop to mobile and now increasingly to the Internet of Things. The gadgets we own and use every day are “smart” - from watches that track our fitness to TVs that know the types of shows we like to watch to digital thermostats that control the temperature in our homes.

This level of connectivity brings its own security risks. To keep our users ahead of the curve, all of Avast 2015 security solutions come with the only home-network security tool designed to identify vulnerable home networks. Our new Avast Home Network Security scans a user’s home network and routers for potential security issues that could allow a hacker attack.

“Security risks have expanded out from the PC to the home network as more devices than ever connect to the Internet via home routers. As a result, home networks have become the hub of personal computing,” said Avast Chief Executive Officer Vince Steckler. “Our research determined that nearly 80% of all home routers in use today are thinly protected by common, easily hacked passwords, making routers an easy entry point to the home network for hackers. Avast 2015 addresses these issues head-on with several important new features.”

Avast Home Network Security scans for misconfigured Wi-Fi networks, exposes weak or default Wi-Fi passwords, vulnerable routers, compromised Internet connections, and enabled, but not protected, IPv6. It also lists all devices on the network so users can make sure only their known devices are connected.

To help our users, we provide guidelines on how to fix vulnerabilities so they can be sure their network is fully protected.

Protection from DNS hijacking

One of the biggest risks users of vulnerable routers face is DNS hijacking. Cybercrooks use malware to redirect you from the site you want to visit, like your online bank, to one that looks like it, but is fake. You log in as usual and the bad guys now have your user name and password.

Avast SecureDNS encrypts Internet traffic between Avast-protected devices and Avast’s DNS server to prevent users from being directed to hijacked sites. Avast offers users SecureDNS as part of our Pro, Internet Security, and Premier products.

Avast 2015 is available now. Download it for your PC or Mac.

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