Virgin Media UK Reveals Impact of its Broadband Security Filters
Broadband ISP Virgin Media has today revealed that their online security services – ‘Essential Security‘ (included for free on their packages) and ‘Advanced Security’ (paid), have – between June 2022 to May 2023 – blocked 136 million unsafe or harmful websites, 800k virus, malware and spyware risks and secured 4.9 million banking and shopping transactions.
Customers of the broadband service can typically choose from two security offerings, ‘Essential Security’ which comes with all broadband packages as standard and at no extra cost, or ‘Advanced Security’, Virgin Media’s enhanced antivirus offering which protects an unlimited number of devices for £3 per month (first three months free) or £30 per year.
Take note that those upgrading to Advanced Security can get the first three months for free. But otherwise, the latest press release seems more promotional than educational, although it does mention how Action Fraud recently reported that an estimated £890m was stolen from Brits via cyber-attacks last year in the UK.
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According to further research by Gov UK, Great Britain’s most common cyber threats are relatively unsophisticated and an estimated 95% of cyber-attacks succeed due to human error. This includes ‘active’ errors, such as opening malicious email attachments, and ‘passive’ errors, such as using a weak password.
VM’s Essential Security includes:
➤ Content filtering: Blocks scam and phishing websites.
➤ Data protection: Prevents malware and viruses from transmitting a customer’s data to scammers, hackers or phishers.
➤ Parental controls: Keeps the entire family safe online with customisable timers and limits, via My Virgin Media.
➤ Devices protected: Available on all devices connected to your home WiFi network.
Customers who upgrade to Advanced Security get:
➤ Remote device disruption: Ensures devices aren’t remotely accessed and controlled.
➤ Banking and shopping protection: Stops untrusted network connections while buying or banking online.
➤ Virus removal: Detects, scans and removes viruses alongside other malware that are already on the customer’s devices.
➤ Improved parental controls: Sets up parental controls per device, rather than using a blanket setting across all devices via My Virgin Media.
➤ On-the-Go protection: Provides constant 24/7 security on the go, regardless of the customer’s mobile network provider, if they are offline or if they connect to a different broadband connection.
➤ Devices protected: Available on an unlimited number of devices for total protection everywhere.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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The problem is they don’t say how many safe sites it blocked. Many older community sites on shared hosting don’t have certificates and get marked as unsafe. Adding certificates often double the cost of hosting. Blocking information you should have access to is still a security failure but everyone sweeps these under the carpet.
Almost all hosting comes with free SSL these days and it’s relatively easy to add if not. No excuse not to have a certificate.
What? “Adding certificates often double the cost of hosting”, sure years back before Let’s Encrypt was a thing might be better true.
If you’re using shared hosting most got a option for a free SSL via Let’s Encrypt other free ACME based SSL certificate exist, some shared hosting might try to upsell Https as a optional extra but most included support for Https and free certificates on all plans.
If you’re not using shared hosting but hosting on you’re own servers then nothing stops you using Let’s Encrypt for a free cert.
I was trialling this & it blocked more legitimate websites than harmful. Ended up having to disable it as it. Doubt their figures are accurate.
“secured 4.9 million banking and shopping transactions”
This peaks out my BS meter.
They’ve been there when the transactions occured – so they deserve to get paid 😛
Rather than “an estimated 95% of cyber-attacks succeed due to human error”, you should say that out of those cyber attacks that do succeed, 95% of those do thanks to a human error.
Otherwise you make it look like those hackers have become super efficient these days 😛