Phishing is the most common type of cyberattack. The purpose of this type of attack is to steal confidential data such as credit card numbers and credentials. You can protect yourself from phishing through user training or a solution that blocks malicious emails. Many options on the antivirus market prevent phishing, but the most common are McAfee and Avast. McAfee vs Avast comparison review at the end of the article will help you choose the best option in 2020 to keep up with technology and protect your personal data.
How Can You Protect Your Data from Phishing?
These are the basic measures that every home user can take to protect their identity. The main rule is to be attentive and knowledgeable on the Internet because repeated attempts to steal confidential data become more sophisticated, and you must always be on the alert. There is no universal way to get rid of phishing attacks, but any fight is always better than inaction.
Some tips on how to protect yourself from this type of Internet threat:
Check your email addresses
Phishing attempts are often disguised as genuine organizations such as banks and online stores. First, consider the sender’s email address. If it does not end with the organization’s web domain, then this is already suspicious.
Even if a letter or message with a link came from a best friend, you still need to remember that he also could be tricked or hacked. Therefore, behave no less carefully than when dealing with links that came from an unknown source.
Avoid the links contained in emails
The first thing you need to pay attention to is domains. Never go and enter personal data on sites with the http: // domain (that is, unprotected domains), make sure that the site address starts with the secure https: // protocol. A reliable option would be to go to the official page of the organization yourself and make sure that you need to update personal or credit information. You can also contact the official support team to clarify all issues of concern. Having done this manually, you will spend a little more time, but keep your data safe.
Use anti-spam solutions
On many mail domains like Yahoo! and Gmail there is built-in anti-spam technology. However, if you do not have this feature or consider it ineffective, you can install phishing protection software to increase the level of protection. This way, you protect yourself from phishing scams and reduce the time taken to remove unwanted emails from the mailbox. Below we compare the two most popular versions of such software.
What to Choose: McAfee or Avast to Enhance Protection?
To be attentive is, of course, not enough to prevent a phishing attack. Software antivirus greatly simplifies and automates the work, providing reliable protection. McAfee and Avast are known as antivirus solutions, but they also have other useful features, particularly in combat phishing. Below we list the benefits of each.
Mcafee
- Email Protection
- Safe browser
- Available for all devices and platforms
- Two-way firewall
McAfee has special features that enhance anti-phishing security. The safe browser function, which is available on all devices, allows you to hide your activity from third parties and prevents the leak of personal information. Email Protection provides additional protection for your inbox by checking emails for threats and filtering spam messages. Thanks to common anti-phishing algorithms and additional options, this antivirus solution prevents targeted attempts to steal confidential data.
Avast Antivirus
- Free software solution
- Spam/phishing email block
- Real site
- VPN Service
The main feature is that you can use Avast Antivirus for free. All the necessary and basic functions are available to each user, and you do not need to overpay for this. Anti-phishing protection is enhanced by the Spam/phishing email block function, which keeps your inbox safe and clean. Another feature is the built-in VPN service, which is becoming more and more popular with the increase in the number and flow of cyber threats.
To summarize, both options are worthy of repelling phishing attacks without missing out on potential threats. However, if you are looking for a basic free solution, then Avast Antivirus is a great option. It does not load the system, reliably scans emails, and extraneous links, thereby keeping your data safe. Self-defense is always important, but often not enough. Therefore, having made this decision, you are one step ahead of fraudsters.
