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Helsinki, Finland – October 2, 2024: F‑Secure, a global leader in consumer cyber security, today announces that F‑Secure Total, its online security application, will now host several new features specifically designed to protect consumers against scams by utilizing AI. These new advanced features protect users against the most prevalent scams in the digital world, which consumers are exposed to while going about their daily lives.
The seven new features include:
Shopping Protection
SMS Scam Protection
Banking Protection
Browsing & Phishing Protection
Wi‑Fi Protection
Cookie Popup Blocker
Ad Blocker
New AI integration means F‑Secure Total users can now have scam SMS messages immediately deleted/flagged. Users also receive a pop-up warning on an unsecure site or see if they are entering a safe banking or payment site. This level of constant monitoring is unique to F‑Secure Total.
Responding to one of the biggest consumer threats today
The suite of protection features has been developed as a response to the increasing number of scams faced by consumers. Research from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), of which F‑Secure is a member, found that $159 billion was lost to scams in 2023 alone, with 73% of consumers now encountering a scam monthly. At the same time many consumers can find cyber security confusing and are unsure how best to protect themselves.
These industry-leading features, along with a dedicated Scam Protection Engineering Team, mark the new direction for F‑Secure as it sets out to be the number one provider of scam protection.
Timo Laaksonen, President and CEO at F‑Secure says: “The biggest online threat to the modern-day consumer is scams. We have seen the issue increase year-on-year not only in volume but in credibility and effectiveness. As a company we are committed to providing a complete solution that keeps our customers safe across their digital lives. Thanks to AI we are now able to fight back against even the most sophisticated scams and provide safety across a number of areas. These new features are just the beginning for F-Secure as we continue to pioneer in scam protection.”
The new features will be rolled out on F‑Secure Total throughout the rest of this year, and include:
Shopping Protection
A completely unique feature, F‑Secure Total will now provide clear real-time reliability ratings for online stores and block malicious sites while users browse. Not only does this feature help prevent a potential scam, it also helps to improve awareness and to ensure users avoid questionable online stores.
Available now on desktop and mobile platforms.
SMS Scam Protection powered by AI
Many people are falling victim to SMS scams due to the use of advanced technology. F‑Secure reports that SMS scams have ‘exploded’ into popularity in the last year.
AI can now create sophisticated, seamless and convincing scam messages. F‑Secure has also used AI to create the unique SMS Scam Protection feature which analyzes received text messages for potentially harmful intent. Bad messages are flagged or automatically sent into a junk folder preventing the user being put at risk.
Available for both iOS and Android by the end of this year.
Banking Protection
UK Finance’s Annual Fraud Report 2024 reported remote banking alone accounted for £152m in unauthorized fraud losses and F‑Secure reports their sophistication is increasing at an alarming rate. The new Banking Protection feature, unique to F‑Secure, visibly secures sessions on legitimate banking and payment sites and blocks untrusted connections, preventing session hijacking to keep users’ money safe.
Available on desktop and now also on mobile Chrome and Safari.
Browsing & Phishing Protection
Browsing protection works in the browser by preventing access to known malware and phishing sites.
Available on desktop and now also on mobile Chrome and Safari.
Wi-Fi Protection
Allowing users to enjoy public Wi‑Fi hotspots with peace of mind, this feature safeguards personal information and issues alerts if it detects potential network risks, which could lead to theft of information like banking credentials, so the user can select another network or turn on VPN.
Available now on mobile platforms.
Cookie Popup Blocker
Protects user privacy by automatically rejecting non-essential cookies from common cookie consent providers. Users also encounter fewer cookie prompts.
Available now for Windows and Mac.
Ad Blocker
As well as improving browsing experience, Ad Blocker decreases exposure to potential scams and fraud that utilize ads. It also enhances browsing experience and speeds up page loading by blocking advertising loading when accessed through desktop.
Available now on desktops and on iOS by the end of the year.
For more information, please visit our scam protection page. For media inquiries, please contact:
Sabrina Evans
Head of Content & Communications, F-Secure
sabrina.evans@f-secure.com
+44 7721 316 881
