Are there plans to expand capabilities to other browsers and email service providers?

Hi All,

As a recent convert to Bitdefender I have been delighted by a number of the capabilities included in the Ultimate Security package. One area which is a touch frustrating, however, is that certain of the email and browser capabilities are not afforded to the Browsers I use or my email service provider.

I imagine that many who seek to maximise security and privacy by using Bitdefender also seek out the most secure/private browsers, such as Brave and DuckDuckGo, and the most secure/private email service providers such as Proton. Are there plans to extend all aspects of browser and email protection/security to these providers as well as the big players, Google and MS?

Thanks for your time.

Dave

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Alexandru_BD

Hi Dave,

Thank you for the thoughtful feedback, and welcome back on the forum.

You are raising a very fair point. Many users who prioritize security and privacy also choose browsers and email providers such as Brave, DuckDuckGo, or Proton, so broader compatibility is absolutely understandable as a request.

At the moment, Bitdefender Email Protection supports Gmail and Outlook accounts, while some browser-based features such as Anti-Tracker and SecurePass are currently supported on a defined set of mainstream browsers rather than all privacy-focused alternatives. So while there is clear interest in expanded support, there is no confirmation at this time regarding future developments in this area. However, this doesn't mean that Bitdefender doesn't offer best in class protection when you are navigating online using the browsers you mentioned, or whenever you check your email using a different client than the one supported by Email Protection.

Bitdefender protects you against cyberattacks through a set of features that scan different areas of your device. One of the features, Online Threat Prevention, is designed to scan all web traffic and block any malicious content – infected URLs, untrusted web pages, fraudulent and phishing links, regardless of your browser of choice. 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. As for email security, another layer of defense is the anti-phishing or anti-fraud module, an antivirus component that analyzes the web page you land on and determines whether it has been designed to steal your data. Even if you opened the phishing message, the anti-phishing module should prevent you from filling in the form with your sensitive information (credit card number, expiration date, CVV, or PIN number, among others). And this is also not conditioned by the email client you're using.

Now, the Email Protection feature displays labels indicating safe/dangerous emails in web browsers. However, since Email Protection is primarily a webmail solution, the extent to which these labels appear in email applications like Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, etc. may vary. In essence, it provides protection in your web browser. But in the event you are using a non-supported email client, this doesn't mean that you are not protected by the antivirus, as previously explained, the underlying defense mechanisms still apply. It's a convenience, for sure, to have those labels displayed and to know beforehand which emails are dangerous and which ones are safe, but not having these doesn't mean that you are exposed to possible threats arriving via email, if Bitdefender is installed and all its security modules are operational.

That said, requests like yours are valuable because they help the product teams understand where users want broader ecosystem support. Expanding protection to more privacy-oriented services is sensible feedback, especially as those platforms continue to grow in adoption.

Thank you again for taking the time to share this. Feedback of this kind is always useful.

Regards,

Alex

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Alexandru_BD

Hi Dave,

Thank you for the thoughtful feedback, and welcome back on the forum.

Thank you again for taking the time to share this. Feedback of this kind is always useful.

Regards,

Alex

HOW

Hi Alex,

In our numerous interactions your responses have been unfailingly comprehensive and informative. This example absolutely sustains that standard and the generosity of time you invest in responding to a user's enquiry, as well as the level of knowledge imparted therein. My thanks to you.

The response is pretty much what I expected, business logic trumping other factors, per force. I understand why the company sees logic in offering apps/capabilities which are matched to the major players….but shall continue to hope that, at some juncture, it might be deemed appropriate to extend the same to those who opt for the more secure service providers; as is befitting of someone who would choose Bitdefender as their security/privacy custodian.

My thanks, as ever.

Dave

Alexandru_BD

Thank you very much for your kind words and appreciation. 🙏