Avast Free - What does Prevent "theft of personal data" mean exactly ?

[deluxdvd]

Hi all !
I have Avast Free .
I see that "Prevent theft of personal data" is not included with the free edition.
Does someone know what does that mean and is it scarry
Can anyone hack in to your computer , steal files from hard drives , or steal passwords logins and such ...
thanx ! 

[SafeSurf]

I have Avast Free .
I see that "Prevent theft of personal data" is not included with the free edition.

This is the comparison table of the Avast products: http://www.avast.com/comparison-chart.
ID Theft is something that can happen to anyone regardless of what Antivirus (AV), firewall (FW), security software, or browser they have however you are better off having Avast as your AV to keep the malware out of your machine.  We all try to practice safe Internet practice and use common sense.  Here on this forum, there is a section called General Topics where we try to educate people on threats and how to take better precautions.

Is there something you are particularly concerned about that I can help you with?

[deluxdvd]

nothing particular, this is my first time using Avast, my friends recommended it to me, but I'm always sceptical when switching to some new software
so when I saw this is was like : 

[SafeSurf]

We are nice here, so feel free to ask any questions. 

[SafeSurf]

And we also have a French forum as well here:  http://forum.avast.com/index.php?board=23.0. 

Feel free to browse around the forum areas.

[RejZoR]

I think it's mostly related to Firewall and Sandbox component.

[SafeSurf]

That's why I gave him the comparison chart...so he/she could see for themselves.  But also to point out the other facts.

[Hermite15]

I think that's just related to the script shield (working only with IE) to prevent malicious scripts from stealing your data when you login to a secured site and enter info, like banking stuff, the use of a credit card etc...
 This said the script shield is already available in "pro" that is not supposed to protect against data theft, so I wouldn't mind an explanation from Avast. The terms "preventing theft of online personal data/ identity theft" etc...is widely used to advertise internet security suites, yeah...widely used

edit: unless they consider that protecting your connection on a public network (wi-fi hotspots in airports etc...) is part of that too. But the sandbox has so obviously nothing to do with protecting private data

[Hard_ROCKER]

Wrong. They meant the firewall by that, a little hint would be the firewall icon next to the Prevent theft of personal data text. Another hint would be that there is a a red x under the Pro version which would mean that it doesn't have this feature. Go to www.avast.com and see for yourself.

[Hermite15]

Wrong. They meant the firewall by that, a little hint would be the firewall icon next to the Prevent theft of personal data text. Another hint would be that there is a a red x under the Pro version which would mean that it doesn't have this feature. Go to www.avast.com and see for yourself.

oh, I see, you're arguing referring to descriptives and red crosses, how about having a little understanding of how things work

...and see the edited part of my last post, mentioning the firewall, but you hardly noticed did you?

[Hard_ROCKER]

They meant the firewall with that description and that's that. Why it isn't logical to you i don't know but it is to me. We can ask one of the developers if i am right. Infact that is exactly what i'll do since i know you won't stop until they confirm that. Have a good day.


EDIT: Since it still isn't clear to some here by what they meant by Prevent theft of personal data here is a nice description of the firewall from the avast! FAQ page:

What is the avast! Firewall?
avast! Internet Security 5.0 includes a fully integrated firewall which can be controlled directly from the avast! user interface.

The avast! Firewall monitors all communication between your computer and the outside world and blocks unauthorized communication based on a number of 'Allow' and 'Deny' rules. In this way, the firewall can prevent sensitive data from leaving your computer and can also block attempted intrusions by external hackers.

You can also set the application rules governing the network and Internet communication for specific software applications. The firewall will then follow these rules whenever a particular application tries to establish a connection to the Internet or with another network. For detailed step-by-step instructions how to create and manage application rules please read the following article:
Configuring the firewall application rules in avast! Internet Security

Is it more logical to you now Logos ? I do agree that the description could be better though(there are much better(and more understandable) ways of describing the fw).

EDIT2:



http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download

[Hermite15]

They meant the firewall with that description and that's that. Why it isn't logical to you i don't know but it is to me.

why? because there's no description

[SafeSurf]

deluxdvd,

Do you currently use a firewall? 

@ m416 and logos, you both make valid points.  I will continue to help the OP.  Thank you.