Capsule is ZoneAlarm’s powerful mobile security product, designed to provide you with privacy and security on your Android device, especially on public WiFi.
The world is moving to mobile, but the world of mobile threats is expanding every day. Apps that track you, hackers that eavesdrop on your communications, and app vulnerabilities that can expose your device to criminals are just some of the issues that threaten privacy on your mobile device. ZoneAlarm Capsule is designed to protect you from all these threats, so you can regain your privacy.
We talked with Uri Braun, one of ZoneAlarm Capsule’s R&D Managers, to learn more about how ZoneAlarm Capsule protects people’s privacy and security on their mobile device.
By now, everyone knows that mobile devices put people’s privacy at risk. There are stories in the news almost every day about photos that have been leaked, private information that has been hacked, apps that are tracking users, and more. It’s clear that people need protection on their mobile devices, and it’s only natural that a company that’s been protecting people on their PCs for so long will migrate to mobile, too.
Capsule protects all your network traffic. It makes sure hackers can’t communicate with your device, and protects all outgoing communications. By doing this, it effectively guards your photos and messages, keeps your online activities private, makes sure no one can track where you go online, keeps your communications private, and ensures that no one can spy on you.
Suspicious URLs are websites that are known to engage in suspicious practices, including distributing malware and engaging in phishing. When Capsule is on your phone, every site you visit is verified for safety before you reach it. If the site you are heading towards is known to be malicious, Capsule will stop you from getting there.
A VPN is a virtual private network. It’s a private and secure channel for all your internet traffic to pass through. Anyone who cares about personal privacy should use a VPN when they are on public WiFi. Otherwise, every communication can be tracked, hacked or intercepted.
Capsule makes it easy for you to change your virtual location. Let’s say you are in the USA and you want to see mobile web results from Germany (perhaps you like a German paper or have a German bank account). With Capsule, you can switch your virtual location to Germany and see the same web results you would see in Germany.
Public WiFi is the type of internet connection you use when you connect to the internet at restaurants, coffee shops, airports, etc. Public Wifi isn’t usually protected by a password, which means than anyone can use it, including hackers.
When you use public WiFi, anyone else who is using that same public WiFi connection can easily intercept your internet traffic. If they want, they can read your passwords and any other sensitive data that you may be sending over that connection. This could include bank account credentials, social media passwords, and other sensitive information. A hacker could also compromise your device by planting malware or spyware on your device.
Capsule encrypts all of your communications. If hackers try to intercept them, they will get encrypted information that they can’t decipher. Instead of credit card details, they’ll get gibberish.
The Apps Tracking You feature enables you to make informed decisions about which apps you want tracking you. In some cases, you’ll want your apps tracking you, but in other cases, you might not. For example, you might want a photo app to have a tracking feature so that your photos can be tagged with your location. That type of tracking makes sense. But not all apps should be tracking you. For example, if you download a flashlight app, why should it track your location?
Think of it this way. If an app tracks what you do without any reason, it’s gathering information about what you do, but not for any purpose that’s related to the functionality of the app. So it’s up to you to decide if it’s reasonable for that app to have those permissions. Do you trust the app with those permissions or not? If not, you can uninstall.
If apps get information about you that isn’t necessary for the healthy functioning of the app, then the app may very well be selling that information to advertisers or other third-parties. Again, Capsule enables you to make an informed decision about whether you want your information to be available to them.
ZoneAlarm Capsule is available now on Google Play. Install on your mobile device and try it free for 7 days.
What’s your biggest worry when it comes to privacy on your mobile device?
