The Internet presents both positive and negative offerings to users around the world. Yes, it provides endless opportunities for streaming, torrenting, PC gaming, research pages, gambling, news reading, and anything you want to do, know or achieve.
However, for as many positives, there are also drawbacks if you don’t take some aspects into account; more specifically, security. While downloading email attachments, accessing pop-ups on any pages you visit or torrenting, you could be in contact with viruses, crypto miners, hackers, and spies, just to name a few threats.
Now, the Internet also presents a vicious circle. To protect yourself from all the mentioned security red flags, you may use alternatives such as a VPN (Virtual Private Network,) or antivirus software. Both are security measures, but they do different things. While the latter can help you detect and eliminate specific threats for your security system, each day more cases appear in which antivirus-developing companies spy on their clients’ data, which is an enormous breach in the industry.
In our world, where we use Internet-powered devices to enhance capabilities of baby monitors, juice makers, ovens, coffee makers, hoses, fridges, laundry machines, Bluetooth speakers, watches, and all you can imagine, security is crucial. We access the Internet to make critical banking transactions, access social media outlets, shop, do research, and much more. We use antivirus software to protect ourselves, and now they are messing with our privacy? We have to safeguard our system from the people that are supposed to do just that?
Don’t worry. In this piece, we will show you how you can prevent your antivirus app from spying on you, and we will also provide some security tips for you to apply. After all, hackers, virus developers, spam messages, and cybercriminals don’t rest.
If you implement the tips outlined here, your security system will be away from any potential danger, and your privacy and that of your family will be protected. If you are going to use the Internet (and evidence suggests that you need to), you should be cautious about your safety.
After you read this, you will realize that you can’t entirely trust anyone, not even your antivirus. It is in a privileged position to look at all the data and traffic you share on the web, and there will be a brand that will take advantage of that position and spy on you.
Antivirus software Logs information?
What exactly is antivirus? What is its primary job? It is a software application designed to identify, detect and eliminate viruses, Trojans, worms, and all types of malware from your system. They have to defend the security of your network and devices by not letting them go through your files.
People also call them anti-malware software. In their beginning stages, antivirus was meant to detect and remove viruses from computers, and that is how it received its name. Time passed, and newer, more potent types of malware arrived at the scene, so the task augmented.
Here is a list of threats that antivirus helps detect and remove: spyware, ransomware, backdoors, malicious browser helper objects (BHOs), browser hijackers, keyloggers, rootkits, trojan horses, worms, malicious LSPs, dialers, fraudtools, and adware.
Other brands offer protection against online identity attacks, online banking breaches, spam, malicious URLs, scam and phishing attacks, advanced persistent threat (APT) and botnet DDoS attacks.
Can antivirus apps monitor what you do?
It may sound depressing but yes, they can. Antivirus companies have the infrastructure and power to go through your system and examine for possible threats and security hazards, meaning that they have the keys to everything you visit, do or see online.
The depressing part is not that they have access to your data logs and activity when you browse the web. That is what you pay them to do. But the fact that they betray your trust and use this information to their benefit is the sad part of the story.
Some antivirus brands and companies sell the data logs of their customers to external agents that may need and pay for them. For example, if you are an enormous online sales company, you would want information about customer profiles, what they want to visit and see online, with the intention to direct advertising messages that trigger your interest. Obviously, you don’t want that kind of privacy breach in your life, less so from the entity, you put your trust on to maintain your security.
The Kaspersky spying scandal
Kaspersky is one of the most famous and sought-after antivirus software. It comes from Russia, a country with a keen eye for defense and intelligence alert. The brand is present as a shielding and security app on almost 500 million devices all over the world.
However, a scandal broke out when the United States government decided to ban the use of Kaspersky in the country because the software was being used to gain information on US intelligence. How about that?
Of course, Kaspersky denied it all at the moment: you wouldn’t expect another scenario. However, the fact that the matter got all the way to the government ranks tells you everything you need to know.
Protecting yourself from antivirus software spying
If the US government suspects of spying conducted by an antivirus company, you have at least the same possibilities of falling victim of your most trusted ally. That is why you need to protect yourself from every threat present on the Internet, and that may or may not include your antivirus software.
In some cases, hackers and cybercriminals use antivirus software to blackmail victims and steal valuable information about them. The Scareware malware is a perfect example of this: it is used whenever rogue software gets to your system, and it tricks you into thinking you have been infected with some virus.
When you think you may have done some creative stuff to get rid of Scareware, or even paid for additional software or resources, you notice that the things you acquired to solve the issue are part of the problem, as what you installed was a tool to gain access to your information and data.
How to stay safe from Antivirus?
All of this sounds awful: paying for software that will ultimately hurt your system’s security, putting your trust in evil hands that can use your information for unwanted things, etc. However, there are things you can do to prevent your antivirus app from spying on you.
- Keep your system up-to-date with security patches
Updating your browser, router, apps, VPN and everything you use will make sure you have the latest shields and weapons to combat the latest threats on the Internet world. Updates solve loopholes in your system that allows hackers to do their job.
- Acquire a trustworthy antivirus software
Of course, try to hire brands you can trust! Or at least those that haven’t been involved in recent spying scandals. Antivirus software is beneficial and crucial for your security outlook. They can identify possible threats and safety risks before they can get to your system and affect your files. Viruses, Trojans, worms, ransomware, and malware, in general, can inflict varying degrees of damage to your system, so if you can eliminate them before that, the better.
- Get antispyware software
Among the numerous risks of the Internet, the Spyware can monitor your online activity without your consent. You may not know when it installed on your device. If you see an abnormal amount of ads and slow performance, then you probably contracted Spyware.
However, there is some antivirus software that includes Spyware fighting, and you can also get antispyware software separately. A useful tip to avoid this hazard is downloading software only from trusted sites or official app stores.
Spyware protection is present in some antivirus software programs. Check your antivirus software documentation for instructions on how to activate the spyware protection features. You can buy separate antispyware software programs. Keep your antispyware software updated and run it regularly.
- Set up firewalls
You can also get a Firewall, which is a useful tool that prevents hackers from entering and using your device without your permission. An active firewall can block communications to and from sources you don’t allow.
- Come up with strong passwords
If you value your online safety, you shouldn’t go around the Internet and your accounts while setting up passwords such as “1234,” your name, or your birthday. People don’t need hacking skills to penetrate your system if you commit such stupid acts.
Efficient passwords often have at least eight characters, and also include letters, numbers and special symbols and signs. Try to avoid specific words, as hackers have access to programs that can try every one of them.
- Use stronger authentication methods
Try to use two-factor authentication, as it requires more than your password for people to get in your accounts and it usually involves a PIN or code sent to your phone, which only you have access.
- Use a VPN service
Another excellent way to protect your privacy and online assets is hiring the services of a VPN. They are online encryption protocols and measures that tunnel your data, traffic and IP address, sending them to remote tunnels where they will remain off-limits to hackers, programmers, government surveillance, web advertisers, your Internet Service Provider, and in most cases, your antivirus software. I personally recommend TorGuard because it is simply the best.
- Protect your private information
Be very careful while sending emails and visiting pages. Try not to leave any traces of your activity, even when you are using social media or online shopping. Data thieves are always looking for vulnerable people.
- Avoid clicking on unknown attachments and ads
Avoid unknown email attachments and don’t even think about clicking on an Internet ad, no matter if it is on a page you usually visit. Doing that may lead to malware and ransomware getting into your system.
- Optimize your online shopping sessions
When you are shopping online, be sure that you provide your credit card number only when you need to. Get acquainted with the privacy policy of the store and prioritize shopping on Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS.)
- Be careful what you share
Try not to abuse social media, as many cybercriminals get their information from the people’s Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Optimize the privacy settings to limit the visibility of personal posts to your networks.
In conclusion, your online security can suffer because of your antivirus software, so you need to implement a series of measures to make sure your family, your online and digital assets and yourself are not the latest victims of viruses, hackers, ransomware, spyware and cybercriminals’ actions.
Those methods and measures can include getting a VPN provider, finding reliable antivirus software, obtaining Spyware protection, avoiding public hotspots, staying away from pop-ups and ads even on pages you usually visit, using HTTPS in your online shopping sessions, and setting up firewalls and robust passwords, among several others.
