Kaspersky Enhances Privacy Protection for PC Users with New Features

WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kaspersky has enhanced the protection of users’ personal information on PCs by introducing several new features in the newest generation of its consumer products, released today. Kaspersky Security Cloud’s Account Check feature now automatically checks if email addresses that customers use when logging into their online accounts have been compromised. Additionally, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Kaspersky Internet Security, and Kaspersky Total Security are now equipped with the advanced ability to detect stalkerware, a type of commercially available software used to spy remotely on unknowing victims. Furthermore, Kaspersky Password Manager can now be installed with Kaspersky’s Anti-Virus, Internet Security, Total Security, and Security Cloud products to keep user credentials organized and under control.

According to a recent Kaspersky report, Defending digital privacy: taking personal protection to the next level, a third (34%) of consumers have faced incidents in which their private information was accessed by someone without their consent. This highlights the need to keep and store personal information more securely.

The problem of protecting privacy is exacerbated by the existence of stalkerware, special software that uses hidden functions that are difficult to identify and can run on a victim’s device. Since stalkerware is designed to harvest all kinds of data, no matter what type of device a victim is using, it isn’t just a problem for mobile devices, but PCs as well. In fact, the number of users that encountered stalkerware on a PC grew by 35% to reach over 37,000 in 2019, while spyware tools accounted for 26,620 of those targeted.

To strengthen privacy on personal computers, Kaspersky has introduced several new features for PC users in its consumer products. In particular, Kaspersky has enhanced the Account Check feature within Kaspersky Security Cloud for Windows. The feature now auto-checks email addresses when they’re entered to log into online accounts. This means users can save time, since they do not need to manually input the email addresses they want to be checked by the service. Plus, users now have the option to add individual email addresses to a list that is checked regularly by the feature.

To ensure credentials kept 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 improved detection to eliminate stalkerware on PCs. The feature sends a notification to a user to warn them that stalkerware has been detected on their device and allows the user to remove the identified software, ignore it or add it to their excluded list of trusted applications. This new feature for Windows supports last year’s release, when Kaspersky started to flag commercial spyware with a specific alert that warns users of the dangers stalkerware poses on Android devices.

“Despite the popularity of mobile devices, we see a high demand among consumers to protect personal information they store on computers, so it is crucial to secure it properly,” said Marina Titova, Head of Consumer Product Marketing at Kaspersky. “For this reason, and in response to numerous requests from our users, we have added advanced detection of commercially available spyware – known as stalkerware – to PCs. Furthermore, the Account Check feature within Kaspersky Security Cloud on mobile devices has recently found 85% of users’ emails were in the public domain. This underlines the risks of private data being compromised online, so we have updated a feature on Windows to now automatically check if users’ email addresses could be used to access their accounts without their knowledge. We have also extended privacy protection within our basic products – Kaspersky Anti-Virus and Kaspersky Internet Security – with a free version of Kaspersky Password Manager, allowing everyone to secure up to 15 entries in an encrypted vault. While online activity brings new opportunities, we provide the services to ensure every detail that can be found in your personal information is safeguarded and our solutions prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.”

There are two editions of Kaspersky Security Cloud available for customers: Personal and Family. While the Personal edition provides protection for modern users’ everyday needs, the Family edition adds a Parental Control feature and remote management tools to provide protection for the whole family.

More information about the updated version of Kaspersky Security Cloud can be found here.

To get more information about the new generation of Kaspersky’s consumer traditional product line, visit the official website here.

About Kaspersky

Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 250,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at usa.kaspersky.com.