Read More: America’s most common scams and digital threats: what to watch for in 2021

Hackers Are More Sophisticated Than Ever

“Hackers are always looking for ways to exploit new security holes in order to elaborate and refine their attack methods. Take phishing as an example. Over time, we’ve seen that these fake pages have become increasingly realistic — and they’re using advanced techniques, like social-engineering to radically increase the number of victims they recruit with each strike,” explains Emilio Simoni,  PSafe’s director at dfndr lab.

To respond to this increasing sophistication, dfndr security Pro offers a smartly integrated set of tools to create an effective defense against the most common (and damaging!) security and privacy problems routinely reported by smartphone users.

By now, you may well have heard the name dfndr security. After all, the app has more than 150 million downloads worldwide, and now has a premium version, dfndr security pro. If you’re considering adding security to your phone to protect yourself, dfndr security should definitely be on your shortlist. 

What is dfndr security?

dfndr security was the first application of the dfndr family (yes, it’s pronounced: “defender”), developed by PSafe – a leader in mobile security in the Americas. dfndr security protects your phone against malware, phishing, and other cyber threats using state-of-the-art technology. It also protects the phone itself: in case of loss or theft, the app enables you to lock and locate your device remotely.

In addition, dfndr security is the only application on the market that offers constantly updated, real-time protection against scams within WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and SMS. In total, the app has more than 10 functions focused on ensuring the privacy and security of its users. You can also choose between the free or premium plan – which removes advertisements within the app and gives access to even more powerful security features.

Is dfndr security premium Good?

The key to dfndr’s great track record is research: a vast database of scams and hacks that is constantly updated. In the first half of 2021 alone, dfndr security detected more than 28 million online scams. According to the analysis released by the application, approximately 3.2 million of these online scams were accessed by Americans in that period.

With the sophistication of cyber attacks, it has become increasingly difficult to identify them without the help of a specialized tool. That is why DeMello warns that it’s essential that smartphone users have a security feature installed on their mobile phone that provides protection against virtual threats.

What do experts say about dfndr security?

AV-TEST, a worldwide expert in analyzing digital security products, periodically reviews security software for their effectiveness and performance. According to tests carried out by the institute, dfndr security received a maximum mark on malware detection abilities more than 20 times and obtained the best index – number 6 – in all aspects of security and usability.

In Google Play, for example, dfndr security received more than 5.5 million ratings and has an average 4.5 satisfaction rating. This means that more than 90% of all the people who installed gave a positive nod to the application. Check out some of the comments:

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What’s Included in dfndr security premium?

In addition to all the features of the free plan, dfndr security offers 5 more features.

Premium Feature 1: Identity Theft Reports

This feature will help you find out if your data has been leaked to the Internet, and where the source of the leak is. As you know, even the biggest companies and platforms have had data breaches: Facebook, LinkedIn, Dropbox, Adobe, and Snapchat. When these events occur, millions of users’ data files are leaked on the internet.

“Hackers vary greatly in the way they invade security software to leak data. Whether by infiltrating large enterprise systems, creating new phishing scams or spreading malware, the truth is that all these methods inevitably end up exposing sensitive information at some point,” DeMello explains.

However, users can verify if their data leaked over the internet easily with the dfndr pro Identity Theft Report feature. It lets you know if information such as email, passwords, history of private conversations or home addresses have been exposed, when it happened, and how it was disclosed. Just input your email address and a complete search shows the results.

Premium Feature 2: Anti-Theft Protection

Ever thought you could find your mobile phone in case of loss or theft and know who the culprit is? The dfndr pro Anti-theft feature has 5 benefits that help you locate your phone and allows you to remotely control it:

Locate your device With the Anti-theft, it’s possible to know exactly where your phone is, in addition to triggering an alarm to locate it.

Delete data at a distance You can delete all installed apps, private messages, and photos from your mobile phone remotely.

Block intruder access To prevent intruders from accessing the contents of your mobile phone, simply activate your device lock via a password.

Get a picture of the thief If the thief attempts to access your device but fumbles the access code, you will receive an email with a photo of the criminal immediately.

Premium Feature 3: Safe App Installer

“Hackers have stepped up their use of malicious apps to gain access to you information and to expand permissions on your devices,” DeMello says, “this is why we developed Safe App, which scans apps for malicious code before you even install them.”  Safe App gives users a clear and timely security alert if it recognizes problems with an app you’re installing.

Premium Feature 4: Privacy Scan

The dfndr pro Privacy Scan enables users to know which apps on your phone have already been victim of leaks, what permissions you have been granted for each app, and where they send the collected information. “Privacy Scans are a great way to stay informed about the Security Performance of apps and platforms you use on your phone every day,” DeMello adds.  

BONUS Premium Feature: dfndr security Pro Is Ad-Free 

It’s common for apps to contain ads. After all, advertising is the only way that app developers can monetize their products and keep them completely free, up-to-date, and available to the entire population. But at times, advertisements can become annoying to encounter.

But dfndr security pro is completely ads-free and also allows you to choose which notifications you receive, either from dfndr security or from other apps. You’ll be safe, secure, and satisfied, knowing your protections are the best.

Try AV-TEST approved dfndr security premium and get to know these beneficial features:

How Fakespy Entices Users

“Hackers are always looking for our soft spots,” remarks Emilio Simoni, PSafe’s dfndr lab Research Director “and FakeSpy uses the natural excitement people have for receiving a package of some kind. Most people immediately want to know who sent you something, and what you might have received.”

Typically, this malware loads via a fake app posing as the website for your country’s mail service — in America, the USPS; in England, the Royal Mail, and so on.  The fake app is designed to look like the real thing, and once it downloads and the fake transaction is completed, it actually passes the user on through to the real USPS site, to avoid detection. Meanwhile, the malware has loaded, and a broad host of information stealing is underway: financial information, account information, app information, contact lists — Fakespy can even read other SMS messages.  And, like most malware, Fakespy immediately begins its work to replicate itself by sending offers to its victims’ contact lists.

Permissions Required Provide a Warning…

“It’s a very sophisticated and still evolving malware,” Simoni warns, “the people behind it have been refining its design for some time now.” One strong warning-sign is that the app asks for extensive permissions — but many users have grown accustomed to approving these for sites they trust. “If the enticement of a missed package works and the fake mail-delivery site is compelling, it’s easy to see how victims can get manipulated,” Simoni says.

What Can You Do To Stay Safe?

“The first thing to remember is that hackers are using every venue available to them to get their software on your devices,” Simoni explains. “Add smishing and vishing to your malware vocabulary and keep in mind that callers and texters may not always be who they appear to be— or say they are.”  

However hard you work to stay informed, a good protection solution — with a team behind you, is almost essential to stay one step ahead of all the various threats evolving in the digital landscape.  

The Best Protection, For The Worst Threats

An excellent way to protect yourself is to always keep a security installed on your phone. dfndr security offers a full suite of security capabilities that can protect you not only from digital threat, but from everyday thieves as well. Click here to install for free.

(Remember, they steal devices and data too!) 

These are the features dfndr security Pro offers to protect you:

Safe App Installer: AUTOMATICALLY protects you from malware and apps known to have had data breaches — before you install them.

App Privacy Scan: You can locate on a map where your app data is going and how it might be used by third-parties.

Unlimited Identity Theft Reports: These reports provide an “outer-perimeter” defense, looking out for privacy vulnerabilities beyond your own device. These reports reveal if any of your information has been leaked, with a one-click check of a database with over 4 billion compromised credentials. 

Anti-theft Protection: Protects against physical loss that leads to data loss: in case of theft or loss of your device, you can lock it down remotely, find the phone on a map; or, activate a loud alarm to find it nearby. You can also get a picture of the thief, and wipe the phone of your personal data.

Ad-Free: As an extra bonus, Pro is totally ad-free.

Stay Safer!

With dfndr security in your toolbox, the rest is a matter of staying as aware as you can.  Follow a few simple rules to avoid and minimize digital damage:

• Take extra care with any link from an unknown source — and be extra wary if it promises a surprise of some kind. Check your curiosity!
• Don’t click on any links sent to you via email or SMS from unknown people.  And if you get a link from somebody you know, ask: WHY would he / she send me this?
• Only download or install software from trusted sources!
• Make sure you do regular backups on your machines!

Be careful, and we’ll keep you informed as always, whenever we hear more about Fakespy, or any other major threats!

A Perfect Storm For Scams and Disinformation

The behavioral and psychological changes required to make social distancing work are significant: everything from sharing a home or apartment for an entire day (and with more people, especially if you have kids), to figuring out how to go to the grocery store and shop safely.  The combination of emotional, physical, and psychological stressors, combined with significantly increased internet and email “screen-time” for most people, has created a kind of perfect storm for online scams, con-artists, and disinformation. Another powerful factor driving this storm is curiosity: people are extremely hungry to hear news, and hopeful / practical news in particular.  Scammers have stepped into make the most of these factors, and as Emilio Simoni, Research Director at the dfndr Lab explains: “What we’re seeing is cybercriminals redoubling their efforts to create more, increasingly sophisticated scams, in order to reap profit from baseless, sensational ads or news — or through thefts of personal and financial data. The information they offer is almost invariably false, and sometimes the information itself is immediately dangerous to victims who act on it.”

No Slowing Down: Scammers Are Busier Than Ever!

The pace and inventiveness of coronavirus scams appears to be picking up. Emilio Simoni and the dfndr Lab Security Team have gathered the following examples together. Note that these items by no means constitute a complete list of scams in operation.  We share these with you so you can get a richer sense of the variety of these scams, and the methods they employ.

A multilingual scam using the Nike brand name was discovered by the dfndr Lab Security Team (see image above). The scammers used geolocation to adapt the language used to the victims: it showed messages in Portuguese, English, or Spanish, depending on the visitor’s locale. Some generic questions were used to draw people in, and after they were drawn in they were automatically redirected to another domain, full of ads. It was through impressions of these ads that the cybercriminals reaped their profits.

Emilio also notes that “Cyberattacks are becoming more and more sophisticated. One of the most popular scams leveraging the pandemic is the one that falsely promoted a free 1-year subscription for Netflix. The cybercriminals study how official companies and websites offer promotions and sales, then mimic their approach, which can help to create a extremely convincing page.” You can see the example Emilio cites, immediately above.

The dfndr Lab Security Team has also discovered cyberattacks connected to fake profiles on Facebook, also known as bots. These bots are especially prevalent in Facebook Private Groups. Of 3 bots discovered and analyzed by the dfndr Lab, one had engaged more than 10k interactions. These bots used intelligent techniques to persuade the victims, “talking” through pre-recorded messages that request personal information. The most common themes used by these bots to attract new victims were 1) registration to receive the government social security benefits,  and 2) offering a map to check the coronavirus spread around the world. The dfndr Lab also notes that many scams in the US are being disseminated through Facebook Messenger. So be careful!

Paypal phishing attacks have also grown exponentially since the beginning of the pandemic. Dfndr lab stipulates that during the month of March, scam emails fraudulently claiming to be from PayPal, and seeking private information, reached over 1.4k users in the US alone. 

With people all over the world sheltering in place, virtual meeting providers Zoom, has been in high demand. The dfndr Lab detected 4 fake domains using their name. The URLs were hiding trojans that could act in different ways: seeming to install the Zoom app, but redirecting victims to another website full of ads, and rapidly consuming your phone battery.

What Can You Do?

This is a story that will continue to move fast, so the examples above will be joined by new and different examples by time you read this. As Emilio Simoni pointed out, hackers all over the world are in HIGH PRODUCTION mode during this crisis. They’re going to keep inventing new and more devious ways to get information, and steal from you.  

You need to protect yourself. So make sure you’re using a security solution that’s built to alert you immediately when you access a scam site, or interact with a known digital virus “carrier.” dfndr Security has an excellent Anti-Hacking feature you can activate. 

If you upgrade to the dfndr Pro version, you’ll get the added benefit of a Safe App Installer (which warns you if an app you’re about to install may be a vector for malware). It also offers Identity Theft Protection to keep your email safe as well. 

Consider Going Pro

One of the best ways to protect yourself right now is to upgrade your dfndr app (if you haven’t already) to dfndr Pro.  Pro gives you these added protections:

Unlimited Identity Theft Reports: You can check if any of your account credentials have been leaked on the internet.

Anti-theft protection: In case of theft or loss, you can lock down your device remotely, find the phone on a map; or, activate a loud alarm to find it nearby. You can also get a picture of the thief, and wipe the phone of your personal data.

Safe App Installer: You’ll know if an app has previously had data breaches before installing.

App Privacy Scan: You can locate on a map where your app data is going and how it might be used by third-parties.

Ads free version: Totally ad-free

Use this link to learn more about dfndr Pro, and consider upgrading. 

Everyday Digital Hygiene Matters Now Too 

Just as avoiding coronavirus requires that you keep your hands clean (and keep them away from you face!) — digital hygiene is achieved through simple steps as well. Now’s a time to make doubly sure that you:

• NEVER click on links sent to you from unknown people. 
• Look very closely at emails: If the source looks or sounds like someone you know but the name or email address seems even slightly off…stay away! Leveraging contact and friend information is one of the most common paths for scammers to load malware or get your private information.
• Only download or install software from trusted sources. Make sure you double check url’s! The Anti-Hacking feature on dfndr will protect you from malware and known hacking sites. 
• Use reliable sources, such as legitimate government websites, to get real, fact-checked stories and information on COVID-19. Be aware that scammers will be pulling at you emotionally. This is a hard time for everyone, but do everything you can to stay cool and grounded: your ability to “count to three” before clicking or responding to a link or headline is more important now than ever.

We’re going to keep working to keep you informed and up to date.  Until next time, we hope you and yours can stay safe and stay well!