Kaspersky boosts privacy protection for PC users with new features
New updates detect stalkerware and protect users' passwords and email addresses
In the latest generation of its consumers products for PC, Kaspersky has introduced several new features designed to help protect users' personal information online.
According to a recent report from Kaspersky, 34 percent of consumers have deal with incidents in which their private information was accessed by someone without their consent which is why the company is rolling out new features to boost privacy protection for its users.
Protecting users' privacy online is made it even more difficult by the existence of stalkerware which is special software that uses hidden functions that are difficult to identify and can run on a potential victim's device. While more common on smartphones and other mobile devices, stalkerware also exists on PCs and the number of users that encountered this type of software on PC grew by 35 percent to reach over 37,000 in 2019 while spyware tools accounted for 26.620 of those targeted.
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Privacy protection on PC
In order to strengthen privacy protection on personal computers, Kaspersky has introduced several new features for PC users in its consumer products.
The security firm has enhanced the Account Check feature within Kaspersky Security Cloud for Windows and it now auto-checks email addresses when they're entered to log into online accounts. This saves users time as they no longer need to manually input the email addresses they want the service to check. Users also now have the option to add individual email addresses to a list that is checked regularly by Account Check.
To help ensure that credentials entered on Windows remain safe, a free edition of Kaspersky Password Manager now comes with Kaspersky Anti-Virus and Kaspersky Internet Security products. Users who purchase Kaspersky Security Cloud and Kaspersky Total Security will be able to install the premium version of Kaspersky Password manager.
Kaspersky has also improved detection to eliminate stalkerware on PCs. The feature sends a users a notification to warn them that stalkerware has been detected on their device and they can remove the software, ignore it or add it to their excluded list of trusted applications.
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There are two editions of Kaspersky Security Cloud available: Personal and Family. While the Personal edition provides protection for individual users, the Family edition adds a Parental Control feature along with remote management tools to provide protection for the whole family.
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After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.