Click a heading below to learn more about the privacy and security features of AOL Shield Pro.
How does AOL Shield Pro help keep me safe online?
Anti-Phishing
Patented technology to help prevent identity and data theft by identifying whenever a user navigates to a scam phishing site. It blocks the phishing site from loading.
Block Listing Protection
Once a phishing website has been confirmed, it is added to a block list that is maintained and made available for public use.
Advanced Security Protection
Window Hook Protection - A hook is a mechanism to listen to system messages that are sent to an application window such as mouse and keyboard events. Hook protection prevents malware from listening to these messages.
Kernel Level keylogging Protection
Key loggers are a form of spyware or "trojans" that are used to capture keystrokes. The AOL Shield Pro software uses patented technology that replaces the actual keys pressed with randomly-generated characters to help prevent anyone from capturing keystrokes, and with them, your sensitive data.
Screen Capture Protection
Prevents malware from stealing sensitive information by preventing such malicious software from taking pictures of the browser screens. The user is still able to capture screens manually.
Form Grabbing (Anti-API hooking) Protection
Prevents malicious software from stealing form data before it is encrypted and sent to the intended website.
Crypto and Networking API protection
A technique used by some malware (e.g. SpyEye. Zeus) is to intercept the calls to crypto and networking libraries. The software is able to remove the hooks installed by this type of malware.
Malware Protection
Leverages the Chromium open source project anti-malware and anti-download technology. A database of websites known to contain malware is actively maintained. This information is communicated to AOL Shield Pro. If a website is reported as containing malware, the user will be redirected to a malware alert page.
Malware download protection
Involves maintaining a database of known malicious files; each time a user downloads a file, the list of malicious files is checked. If a user attempts to download a malicious file, the file will be blocked. An allow list of known good files is also maintained to prevent unnecessary checking and or blocking of good files.
Can I take screenshots while in the AOL Shield Pro browser?
Note: Software that takes screenshots such as Windows Snipping tool, Snagit, etc, will not work. This is an AOL Shield Pro security feature that prevents malware from taking screenshots to steal your sensitive information.