OREANDA-NEWS. Internet, September 17, 2015. Yandex (NASDAQ: YNDX), one of the largest European internet companies and the leading search provider in Russia, has developed a technology for active protection of Yandex.Browser users. Called ‘Protect’, it consists of a set of mechanisms that provide protection from the most common online dangers: phishing, malware, and interception of personal data. Yandex’s new technology prevents potential threats rather than trying to repair the damage after it has been done.

“Protect is configured so that the user is always safe,” said Roman Ivanov, the head of Yandex.Browser. “Firstly, in order for it to work, the user doesn’t have to do anything – the technology is built into the browser, the key software for using the internet. Secondly, Protect focuses on preventing harm, as opposed to dealing with the consequences. In today’s internet, protection is necessary for experienced users and novices alike, and guaranteeing it is one of the browser’s tasks.”

Protect keeps users’ personal data safe when they use an open Wi-Fi network, for example, in a caf? or an airport. Such networks are widespread and convenient, but they can be dangerous because users’ information can be easily intercepted. Protect routes Yandex.Browser traffic through a protected server, so that intercepting the data is impossible. The technology also blocks phishing sites – resources disguised as social networks or internet banking sites with the purpose of intercepting users’ personal data. If a user enters their login and password on such a site, Protect blocks the transmission of the data and warns of the danger. Protect also makes sure users do not go to sites with malicious code and automatically checks files downloaded from the internet for any viruses. If a file turns out to be dangerous, Protect does not allow it to be opened and harm the user’s device. The technology is described in more detail on Yandex’s blog (in Russian).

Initially released in Russia and Ukraine, with international versions to follow, Protect technology is built into Yandex.Browser for Windows, OS X and Android. Yandex.Browser for desktop can be installed from the site browser.yandex.ru/protect (in Russian), while smartphone and tablet versions are available in Google Play and Yandex.Store. If the browser is already installed, it will be updated automatically.