Avast Secure Browser for Android released, includes a built-in VPN
Avast has released an Android version of Avast Secure Browser to extend its platform support beyond Windows and Mac on desktop to mobile.
Avast Secure Browser for Android
Avast Secure Browser for Android was developed following Avast’s 2019 acquisition of Tenta, a private browser backed by Blockchain pioneers ConsenSys, and has been built from the ground up by privacy and cybersecurity engineers focused on total encryption.
At its core is strong encryption including AES-256, ChaCha 256-bit, and the latest TLS/SSL cryptographic protocols for the data transport layer. To ensure that user DNS requests are kept private and secure, Avast Secure Browser for Android supports multiple DNS options straight out of the box, such as DNS over TLS, DNSSEC and decentralized DNS support.
Security and privacy features
Additional built-in security and privacy features available with Avast Secure Browser for Android include:
- A VPN that encrypts all inbound and outbound connections to the VPN location
- A user PIN code for device access that is never stored on any server nor on the device itself
- Anti-tracking technologies used to prevent websites, advertisers and other web services from tracking online activity
- Adblock integration to improve website load time
- An encrypted media vault.
“Our goal is to be the first all-in-one browser to secure our users’ privacy along with a frictionless secure browsing experience. Adding support for mobile is another milestone in our journey towards this long-term goal,” said Scott Curtiss, VP and General Manager of Avast Secure Browser.
Mobile threats increase
In early March, Avast Threat Lab researchers found that the increasing use of mobile devices around the globe is fueling the growth of mobile-related malware. To date, 131 COVID-19 related apps have been detected as malicious through Avast’s apklab.io platform as cybercriminals look to exploit the pandemic using social engineering tactics.
According to statistics gathered by the Avast researchers between October and December 2019, adware (software that hijacks user devices to spam them with malicious ads) is responsible for 72% of mobile malware, with the remaining 28% of threats linked to banking trojans, fake apps, lockers and downloaders.
“There is still a perception among many consumers that on mobile, internet and browser-based threats do not exist,” said Curtiss. “This is not the case. Mobile is a lucrative platform for cybercriminals because of its majority market share versus desktop and higher levels of internet traffic. In the past 12 months, we’ve seen adware rise by 38% on Android.”
Later this year, the mobile version of Avast Secure Browser will be made available on iOS. Avast Secure Browser is currently compatible with Windows 10, 8 and 7, Android and macOS.