Blog | Avast EN

Facebook Imports Info Without User Consent | Avast

Avast Security News Team — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 21:14:23 GMT

Before 2016, one of Facebook’s regular protocols was an option for users to verify their accounts using email passwords. Users were informed if they chose this option, all of their email contacts would be uploaded as well, which would let the users see which of their friends were already on Facebook. (The info was also used by Facebook to better target ads.) Even though Facebook claimed the email passwords were never stored, the practice of asking users to enter such sensitive info and pulling all their contact info did not sit well with many cybersecurity experts, and in May 2016 the company changed that feature.

How Safe Is Budget-Tracking Software? | Avast

charlotte.empey@avast.com (Charlotte Empey) — Wed, 17 Apr 2019 22:02:46 GMT

These days, it seems like the next security breach is always lurking just around the corner. Whether it’s the latest Facebook password kerfuffle or a company’s credit card database being breached, news stories of innocent people’s data being exposed abound. That’s why it’s best practice to guard your personal — and especially, financial — information very carefully. But what if you’re one of the millions of people out there who could use a little help sticking to a budget?

Avast Secure Browser Updates to Aspen | Avast

avastblog@avast.com (Sander van Hezik) — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 08:00:00 GMT

How often do you sit at your computer without a browser window open? If you’re like us, the answer is never. If we’re on our machines, there is always at least one window open to the wilds of the internet. That’s why we created Avast Secure Browser — we realized it would be a good idea to frontload that window to the internet with tools to protect your privacy, strengthen your security, and – because we just couldn’t help ourselves – amp up your speed.

Social Engineering Hacks the Way You Think | Avast

avastblog@avast.com (Kevin Townsend) — Sun, 14 Apr 2019 13:00:00 GMT

What does “social engineering” mean?

The term “social engineering” may sound arcane and intimidating, and in some ways, it is. But most of us have encountered some form of social engineering many times — on the internet, in our emails, and in newspapers and magazines. The email advance-fee scam, which most of us will remember as the Nigerian Prince email scams from years ago, is one form of social engineering — deceiving the victim into believing they have something to gain.

WP3 Flaws Allow Password Stealing | Avast

Avast Security News Team — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 16:04:53 GMT

The Wi-Fi Alliance’s next-generation Wi-Fi security standard, WPA3, has shown design flaws that could allow cyberattackers to recover Wi-Fi passwords and steal sensitive information.

New Malware TajMahal is Scary & Sophisticated | Avast

Avast Security News Team — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 13:00:00 GMT

TajMahal packs a palace of hurt

Cybersecurity experts are calling attention to what appears to be spyware on steroids. The TajMahal malware has been around since 2013 but was not discovered until late 2018. It is completely unique in that it has no known association with any advanced persistent threats (APTs) or malware. Its code is unlike others, and it uses an update mechanism to keeps its malware fresh so it avoids detection. Researchers are both impressed and unnerved by the level of sophistication in the malware, which includes malicious acts previously unseen such as stealing documents that had been sent to the printer queue, stealing files that had been accessed on removable drives, stealing data that had been burned on a CD, and taking screenshots as it records audio. The malware gives the attacker an all-access backdoor from which he or she can execute commands, use keylogging, exfiltrate files, steal cryptography keys, steal browser cookies, and more. All told, there are about 80 malicious acts that can be executed with TajMahal.

Email Scam Threatens WannaCry & DDoS Attack | Avast

Avast Security News Team — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 16:47:34 GMT

As if tax season isn’t stressful enough, a new extortion email scam is currently underway to steal your personal details and commit fraudulent activities. Hackers are demanding two bitcoins from victims in exchange for keeping quiet about their presumed “tax evasion”. If they do not pay, they will find themselves hit with a DDoS attack and WannaCry ransomware.

Hidden Cameras at Your Airbnb? | Avast

Avast Security News Team — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 16:22:50 GMT

The Barker family left New Zealand for a 14-month tour of Europe, scheduling a string of accommodations that included several Airbnb stays. Fortunately, Mr. Barker is an IT specialist and understands there are constant forces at work trying to hack into anything that is remotely hackable. Like old settlers would set a perimeter around their campsite for the night, Mr. Barker ran a routine Wi-Fi network scan of the house his family had rented. The scan detected a hidden camera live streaming his family’s stay.

Avast Cleanup Premium End of Support for XP | Avast

avastblog@avast.com (Sandro Villinger) — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 07:01:00 GMT

In October 2001, Microsoft released one of the longest-running operating systems in history (as well as the now infamous “Bliss” wallpaper above) to the world: Windows XP. In April 2014, Microsoft stopped supporting its ancient OS, and today — five years later — we need to do the same.

How Safe is Your SMB From Web Threats? | Avast Business

avastblog@avast.com (Gill Langston) — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 13:00:00 GMT

How safe is my business online? This question goes through our minds quite a bit as we click around our emails, scroll various web pages, and consent to cookies that track our data.