![]() This is especially important for your email, which can be a treasure trove of personal information, and your online banking.īecause remembering individual passwords can be difficult, experts recommend using a password manager, a tool that’s built into most modern web browsers such as Chrome and Safari. The NCSC recommends using a different password for each of your online accounts, so that if one is compromised, the others aren’t. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) suggests combining three random words, like ‘ColdRubberWindow’. ![]() It’s why setting strong and unique passwords is vital. And if a hacker can guess your password, stopping them becomes much more difficult. While antivirus software can detect attempts to infiltrate your devices, today, much of our information is saved in the cloud, in our online accounts. For Windows PC users, there's also an advanced firewall and built-in protection from ransomware (malware which blocks access to your data until you pay for it to be removed). Wi-fi security identifies unsafe networks, allowing you to connect to public wi-fi in confidence. ![]() It can quarantine potentially harmful files to protect your data, and help you to safely remove them.Īs well as antivirus protection, Avast offers additional privacy and security features. If malware infects your device, Avast will alert you so that you can take action. Suspicious files are removed or blocked and sent for analysis in the cloud. Install it onto your device and it will automatically scan it for vulnerabilities and possible threats. Available on PC and Mac, as well as iOS and Android, it can help stop phishing attempts and other threats, and keep you safe while browsing wherever you are.Īvast boasts six layers of antivirus security. For reliable protection, there’s no match for tried-and-tested antivirus software.Īvast Free Antivirus is one of the most popular free options, with more than 435 million users around the world. However, some of the most obvious red flags are impossible to disguise: requests for urgent action, threats of negative consequences or costs, and emotive language designed to make you act before you think. Poor grammar and spelling mistakes are typical giveaways too, but as AI tools become more commonplace, it’s likely that phishing emails will look and feel more like the real deal. Never click any links within an email – instead contact the company directly using the details listed on their website. Be wary of emails that aren’t addressed directly to you, that warn of suspicious activity from your bank or that are offering you money. Phishing attacks are growing in sophistication, but a healthy dose of skepticism can help you to spot them before it’s too late. Sometimes they can include your personal details, other times they’re generic. Other common phishing emails are ones claiming to be from your bank, delivery companies, or even your employer. Fake HMRC emails are a common form of phishing, a cybercrime technique that uses deception to trick people into giving away personal and financial information, or to click links that infect their devices with malware (malicious software) that steals their data. If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. Good news! HMRC has emailed with details of a huge tax refund. Here’s how you can protect yourself with some basic knowledge and free, easy-to-use tools like Avast Free Antivirus. Though the threat posed by cybercriminals is evolving, so too is the world of cybersecurity. Though he’s yet to see AI-enhanced scams in action, there is ‘clear interest from the cybercrime community’ in using the technology for ‘more sophisticated scams, frauds, spam and malicious software development, as well as misinformation, fake news and deepfakes’.īut fear not. Right now, scammers and hackers are exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) could be used for cybercrime activities, says Lorenzo Cavallaro, professor of computer science at University College London. If you use the internet to shop, bank or keep in touch with loved ones, you could be targeted, which is why it’s so important to educate yourself on the ever-evolving tactics of these criminals. More than £10 million was lost to online scams over the festive period last year (November 2022 to January 2023), according to the UK’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, with each victim losing an average of £639.Ĭybercriminals aren’t a particularly fussy bunch.
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