ESET’s intelligent solutions updated for greater online protection

Carey van Vlaanderen, Chief Executive Officer at ESET Southern Africa.

---

Heading into the festive season, it is more important than ever to ensure that computer and smartphone users are protected from increases in brute force attacks, instances of banking malware and crypto-currency threats. 

ESET, the global cyber security leader, has launched a new version of its consumer security line-up, which does just that along with its brand new ESET HOME feature. This web or Android-based platform is placed at the centre of the suite of ESET consumer solutions – allowing users to manage the security of all their Windows and Android devices from one seamless and convenient interface.

Smartphones are central to people’s lives, with multiple internet-connected devices in their homes. Simple and efficient protection and management of these devices is critical amid a steadily increasing tide of cyber attacks.

This updated consumer offering from ESET includes ESET NOD32 Antivirus, ESET Internet Security and ESET Smart Security Premium, which can all now be centrally managed from a single point by ESET HOME.

The ESET HOME’s on-the-go security management and oversight functions allow users to add, manage and share licences with family and friends, as well as manage Anti-Theft, Parental Control and Password Manager via the web portal.

Booming crypto-currencies have brought out the cyber criminals

Banking and crypto-currency threats have continued to grow.

This malware category has experienced an increase of 18.6%, according to the ESET Threat Report T1 2021. Beyond stealing crypto-currency or gaining access to crypto-wallets, cyber criminals use malware to gain access to users’ computer resources without them knowing, opening the door to many potentially unwanted applications.

Additional features in the ESET suite of products have improved its Banking & Payment Protection with extra security for customers accessing web-based crypto-currency wallets and banking websites. Android banking malware is a growing threat for users to be aware of and protect themselves against.

Steve Flynn, Director of Sales and Marketing at ESET South Africa, says: “The rise of Android banking malware apps is worrisome because these are not just some annoying ad display apps; their victims can actually lose their savings, with little to no chance of ever recovering them. For users, mobile phone protection is as important as protecting their computers, and this is a critical driver.”

Other key updates in the new product suite include:

• Protection improvements — Banking & Payment Protection will now have the option to run by default, protecting any supported browser with a hardened mode. Ransomware Shield has been bolstered with enhanced behaviour-based detection techniques. Exploit Blocker has been improved to cover additional malicious techniques.

• ESET HOME — Parents can use ESET HOME to share licences with family and friends or to monitor their children’s online activity and control their screen time in Parental Control (via the ESET HOME web portal).
• LiveGuard — Integrated with ESET Smart Security Premium, LiveGuard provides an additional proactive layer of protection against never-before-seen types of threats, shielding users from the malware before its code executes. This service, personalised for each user, analyses suspicious files, including documents, scripts, installers and executable files, in a safe sandbox environment.
• Password Manager — Available with ESET Smart Security Premium, Password Manager has been completely redesigned for improved security and ease of use. Password Manager is available in all major browsers as a browser extension and on Android and iOS devices as a native application. New features include support for KeePass and Microsoft Authenticator.

Carey van Vlaanderen, Chief Executive Officer at ESET Southern Africa, affirms that online security is a non-negotiable nowadays, not only for protecting users’ devices but all of those at home, too. “The updated product suite, including our new LiveGuard feature and the unique ESET HOME platform, puts users firmly in control of their home cyber security needs and instils them with the confidence needed to manage multiple devices on the go,” she explains.

She concludes: “After more than a year and a half of being heavily reliant on technology and more connected than ever, and with the threat landscape constantly evolving, it is vital that our consumer users are protected with cutting-edge solutions that are easily accessible and provide the best-in-class user experience.”