Here's your wrap up of security and privacy related news from the first half of July.

Every week we invite a security expert to talk us through the hacks on Mr. Robot, USA Network’s summertime hit TV show. We want to know if they are real or a Hollywood version of cybercrime? Read our weekly reviews of the hacks:

• Pilot episode 1: Are the hacks on Mr. Robot real?
• Episode 1.1: Mr. Robot Review: Ones and Zer0s
• Episode 1.2: Mr. Robot Review: d3bug.mkv
• Episode 1.3: Mr. Robot Review: da3m0ns.mp4
• Episode 1.4: Mr. Robot Review: 3xpl0its.wmv

It's too bad that hacking is not just for TV and movies. Even trusted websites can fall victim to cybercrooks. Online shopping just got a little more risky when the largest e-commerce platform was hacked in order to spy on customers and steal credit card data.

Government agencies, businesses, and individuals need to stay on alert for ransomware. That's the malware that locks up your files and demands that you pay money to provide the key. Cryptowall recently joined forces with a click fraud botnet to infect individuals and businesses. Our blog explains how to stay safe against infection.

Critical zero-day flaws were discovered in the Adobe Flash Player, Oracle’s Java, and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Patches for each have been released. In addition to these patches, Microsoft released a rare emergency “out-of-band” Windows security patch. Make sure that you apply these patches so your machines are running the most secure versions of software.

Now for some good news. Avast Browser Cleanup removes those unwanted browser add-ons. You know the ones. They take up space on your browser, change your search engine, and even your home page. Avast Browser Cleanup has removed more than 650 million unwanted add-ons and extensions from our users’ browsers in the past two years. You can get it for free in all Avast products or download it as a standalone version.

Schools and businesses around the USA are also happy. Two schools; one in Ohio and one in Arizona have recently adopted Avast for Business software to protect their entire network for free. And one lone IT administrator is now able to efficiently manage 500 computers because of Avast for Business’s cloud-based web console.

BYOD, or bring your own device, is a common practice at many businesses around the world. CEO Vince Steckler announced the acquisition of Remotium, a leader in virtual enterprise mobility. Their technology provides enterprises with secure access to business-critical applications from anywhere and from any mobile or desktop device.

Students wanting to know how they did on their AP test installed Avast SecureLine VPN so they could see the scores right away. We have extended the 7-day free trial for an additional 30 days for all these clever kids. We hope you will keep your devices safe while using unsecured Wi-Fi around your new college campus this fall.