Web Protection: Web Attack Prevention

southerndoc

The "checks every web page you access for threats to avoid them being downloaded on your deivce" — what exactly does this do?

Is every URL I visit sent to Bitdefender for analysis? Does Bitdefender Total Security analyze it using local resources only?

Trying to figure out how much of a privacy nightmare this is.

Flexx

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/100520/web-protection-web-attack-prevention

Bitdefender Total Security's web page checking feature works by comparing the websites you visit against a constantly updated database of known malicious sites. It also uses heuristics and machine learning to identify potential threats based on their behaviour.

Here's how it typically works:

1. URL Checking: When you click on a link or type in a URL, Bitdefender checks if the website is in its database of known threats. If it is, it will block the site or warn you about the potential danger.
2. Real-Time Scanning: As the web page loads, Bitdefender scans the content for any suspicious elements, such as scripts, downloads, or links to other potentially harmful sites. This scanning is typically done on your device using local resources.
3. Behavioural Analysis: Bitdefender may also monitor the website's behaviour to see if it exhibits any signs of malicious activity, such as trying to install software without your permission or redirecting you to another site.

Privacy Considerations:

• URL Sharing: Bitdefender may share some URL data with its servers to help identify new threats and improve its database. However, this is usually done in a way that protects your privacy by anonymizing or hashing the URLs.
• Local Analysis: Most of the analysis is done on your device, so the actual content of the web pages you visit is not typically sent to Bitdefender's servers.
• Privacy Settings: Bitdefender usually allows you to customize your privacy settings, so you can control how much data is shared with its servers.

Overall, Bitdefender Total Security's web page checking feature is designed to protect you from online threats while minimizing the impact on your privacy. While some URL data may be shared, the actual content of the web pages you visit is usually not sent to Bitdefender's servers. You can adjust the privacy settings to control how much data is shared.

Regards

Alexandru_BD

Bitdefender protects you against cyberattacks through a set of features that scan different areas of your device. One of the features, Web Protection (Online Threat Prevention), is designed to scan all web traffic and block any malicious content – infected URLs, untrusted web pages, fraudulent and phishing links.

Whenever you try to visit a website classified as unsafe, the website is blocked and a warning is displayed in your browser. The warning contains information such as the page URL and the detected threat.

In addition to webpages, Bitdefender can block online applications such as games, services, and tools if they access a harmful link or IP address in the background. You always get a pop-up notification “Threat detected” on your screen whenever Bitdefender blocks something.

Web attack prevention blocks threats coming from the internet, including drive-by downloads.

Should you have any privacy concerns, you can consult Bitdefender's Privacy Policy available here:

https://www.bitdefender.com/site/view/legal-privacy-policy-for-home-users-solutions.html

Regards