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Setting Up & Using Advanced Secure
Advanced Secure keeps you safe online with complete online security, privacy and identity protection. This add-on feature is compatible with select systems.
Before you subscribe to Advanced Secure, make sure your devices meet the system requirements.
Windows computers:
Windows 11 (ARM-based tablets are not supported.)
Windows 10 with the latest updates installed (all 32-bit and 64-bit editions. ARM-based tablets are not supported.)
Windows 8.1 (ARM-based tablets are not supported.)
Windows 7 SP1 (all editions)
Mac computers:
macOS 13 (Ventura)
macOS 12 (Monterey)
macOS 11 (Big Sur)
Smartphones and tablets:
Android 8.0 and later
iOS 14 and later
After you subscribe to Advanced Secure, you’ll receive an email with instructions to activate your subscription. Once you’ve activated your subscription on at least one device, you’ll have access to the Advanced Secure portal. You can log in to the portal at any time to view information about your subscription and the devices activated on it.
How to get protection from harmful content
You can manually scan your devices for harmful files or set up scheduled scans.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
If you want to optimize how the manual scanning scans your computer, select Viruses and Threats > Settings.
In Settings, select Scanning settings and scroll down to Manual scanning.
Select Scan only file types that commonly contain harmful code (faster) or scan inside compressed files.
Scan only file types that commonly contain harmful code (faster) does not scan all files. The files with the following extensions are examples of file types that are scanned when you select this option: com, doc, dot, exe, htm , ini, jar, pdf, scr, wma, xml, zip.
Scan inside compressed files (slower) scans all files on your computer including those inside compressed archive files (ie, zip files). Scanning inside compressed files make the scanning slower, but more comprehensive.Close the Settings window.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
Select Viruses & Threats.
Select Scan.
After the scan has completed, the product shows the following information:
Total files checked is the number of files that were scanned.
Total apps checked is the number of applications that were scanned.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, select Viruses & Threats.
On the Viruses and Threats view, select Settings.
Select Scanning settings.
Select Edit settings.
Turn on Scheduled scanning.
In Perform scan, select how often you want to scan your computer automatically.
In Start time, select when the scheduled scan starts.
Select Run scanning with low priority to make the scheduled scan interfere less with other activities on the computer. Running the scan with low priority takes longer to complete.
Select Scan only file types that commonly contain harmful code (faster) or Scan inside compressed files (slower)
Scan only file types that commonly contain harmful code (faster) does not scan all files. The files with the following extensions are examples of file types that are scanned when you select this option: com, doc, dot, exe, htm , ini, jar, pdf, scr, wma, xml, zip.
Scan inside compressed files (slower) scans all files on your computer including those inside compressed archive files (ie, zip files). Scanning inside compressed files make the scanning slower, but more comprehensive.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
Select Viruses & Threats.
Select the Settings icon in the top-right corner, and make sure that the Antivirus is ON setting is turned on.
The app will now automatically scan new apps and files daily.
How to activate a VPN
A VPN, or virtual private network, allows you to safely use public WiFi by encrypting your data to protect your online identity. By default, Advanced Secures VPN is turned off.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, under Privacy VPN, select Turn ON.
Once VPN is on, the Turn ON button changes to a button indicating the location offering the best possible connection.
To turn VPN off again, under Privacy VPN, select the location button.
In the top-left corner, select the toggle switch to turn VPN off.
Toggle the switch on the right-hand side to ‘On’.
Select Allow on the popup that follows.
You will now see that your VPN is on, and the location your internet traffic is being routed through will appear.
By default, tracking protection is turned on when your VPN is active. If you have issues with apps that you trust not working, or long loading times on websites that you visit frequently, you can try turning tracking protection off.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, select Privacy VPN.
Select Settings.
Switch off Tracking protection.
When using a VPN, you may have trouble connecting to other devices on that network. Adding a WiFi network to the trusted networks list will resolve this issue. Before proceeding, make sure that the network requires a password. Never mark networks that don’t require a password as trusted.
Connect to the network you want to mark as trusted.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, select Privacy VPN.
Select Trusted networks.
Under Current networks, select Trust network for the network that you want to trust. Your current network is now marked as trusted.
When using a VPN, you may have trouble connecting to other devices on that network. Adding a WiFi network to the trusted networks list will resolve this issue. Before proceeding, make sure that the network requires a password. Never mark networks that don’t require a password as trusted.
Connect to the network you want to mark as trusted.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
Select the user icon in the top right of the Advanced Secure home screen.
Select Settings
Select Privacy VPN
Select Trusted Networks
If not already provided, allow permission for Advanced Secure app to access to your location.
Select your trusted network (Current Network)
How to use Browsing Protection
Browsing Protection evaluates the safety of websites you visit and prevents you from accessing harmful websites.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, select Secure Browsing & Banking.
On the Secure Browsing & Banking view, select Settings.
Select Edit settings.
Turn on Browsing Protection.
If your browser is open, restart your browser to apply the changes.
Open the Advanced Secure app
On the main view, select Secure Browsing
Select Safe Browser
How to use Password Vault
Weak passwords are one of the easiest ways your personal information can be compromised. Password Vault provides a simple solution by creating and storing secure passwords for you.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
From the home screen, select Password Vault.
Select I’m a new user.
Create a strong Master Password. We recommend using upper and lowercase letters, a combination of symbols and numbers, and at least 10 characters.
Create a recovery QR code by selecting Save. The code is saved as an image to your Photos. It’s important that you save this image somewhere safe as it’s the only way to retrieve a lost/forgotten Master Password.
If your device supports biometric authentication like Touch ID, you can access your Password Vault faster by enabling Use Touch ID to unlock and selecting Save.
If you don’t want to set up biometric authentication right now, you can do it later in the Password Vault settings.
You can now start adding passwords. Select + Add to get started.
Select + Add.
Select Password at the bottom of the screen.
Add a title that reflects what the password is for.
Add the username that you use to login to the service you’re creating a password for.
Add a password or select the black dice on the right to randomly generate a secure password. If you choose to randomly generate a password, you can determine the number of characters and which type of characters are included.
If you wish, you can add a web address and notes.
You can make it easier to log in to websites and apps by choosing to have Password Vault autofill your login credentials.
In password Vault, select Autofill.
Select the button to install the browser extension add-on for the browser that you use.
After installing the extension, go back to the autofill view and select copy code to copy the authorization code.
Going back to your browser, click the password manager extension that you installed in the top right corner of the browser and paste the code in the field.
From now on, the Password Vault icon will appear in the field when you try logging in to a website or app. Click the icon and select the service to autofill the login information.
You can make it easier to log in to websites and apps by choosing to have Password Vault autofill your login credentials.
Select the user icon in the top right of the Advanced Secure home screen.
Select Settings.
Select Password Vault.
Select Autofill at the bottom of the screen, and then toggle it to on.
Your Master Password is used to secure your entire Password Vault, and if you forget it, you’ll need to recover it to access your Password Vault. You’ll need to have the QR code that was generated when you first activated Advanced Secure handy.
Select the user icon in the top right of the Advanced Secure home screen.
Select Settings.
Select Password Vault.
Select Recover Master Password
Select Import Image or Scan Recovery Code
Import Image (available option on both mobile devices and computers:
Choose the location where you saved your QR code when you first activated Password Vault
Password Vault will then display your Master Password on the screen
Scan Recovery Code (available to mobile):
Pull up the recovery QR code on another device (computer/smartphone)
Select ‘Scan Recovery Code’
Allow Advance Secure permission to use your camera
Scan QR code
Password Vault will now display your Master Password on the screen
How to use ID Monitoring
With ID Monitoring, you can add email addresses, credit cards, phone numbers and personal information to ensure that it hasn’t been leaked online. With 24/7 monitoring, you’ll be the first to know if any of your information is found, including on the dark web. You’ll also receive guidance on what to do if your personal information has been leaked in a data breach.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
From the Advanced Secure home screen, select ID Monitoring.
Add a main contact email address as the first item to monitor. This will be the email address that Advanced Secure sends notifications to if your information appears in a data breach.
Advanced Secure will send a confirmation email to the address you’ve entered. Open the email and select ‘Confirm Email Address’ button to continue.
ID Monitoring is now active and you’ll receive breach alerts to the contact email you’ve entered. Continue to the steps below to add enter additional information to monitor.
Select the Add Item button
The Add New dialogue box appears, listing all the available item types to choose. Select the item type you want to monitor.
The New Monitored Item box will open. Enter the information requested and select Add.
From the Advanced Secure home screen, select ID Monitoring.
Select Monitored Items.
To delete an item from the list, select the three dots to the right of the item.
Select Delete.
To edit or delete your main contact email address, you’ll need to delete all other monitored items first.
How to use the People & Devices view
The People & Devices view gives you an overview of the people and their devices that you have protected with your subscription. To see detailed information about a user, just select the user.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, select People & Devices.
On the People & Devices view, select + Add device or user.
Select My device > Continue.
Select how you want to send the installation link to the device you want to protect and then select Send link.
Open the message with the device you want to protect and follow the installation instructions.
Download the appropriate installation package for the device and run the installer.
Once the product setup window is displayed, select Accept and continue if you agree to the End User License Terms.
When the installation is completed, log in to your account, if prompted, and select Continue to finalize setting up protection for the device.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, select People & Devices.
On the People & Devices view, select + Add device.
Select My device > Continue.
Select how you want to send the installation link to the device you want to protect and then select Send link.
Open the message with the device you want to protect and follow the installation instructions.
Download the appropriate installation package for the device and run the installer.
Once the product setup window is displayed, select Accept and continue if you agree to the End User License Terms.
When the installation is completed, log in to your account, if prompted, and select Continue to finalize setting up protection for the device.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, select People & Devices.
On the People & Devices view, select + Add device or user.
Select My child's device > Continue. If you have already added child profiles, they are listed here. To add a new child profile, select New child profile.
Select how you want to send the installation link to the device you want to protect and then select Send link.
Open the message with your child's device and follow the instructions in the message to install the product on the device.
Once the product setup window is displayed, select Accept and continue if you agree to the End User License Terms.
When the installation is completed, confirm that you are setting up protection for a child profile by selecting Continue:
Enter the name of your child.
Select the age group your child belongs to.
Select Next.
Before you start setting up the Family Rules settings, discuss the family rules together with your child. Select Next.
On the Daily Time Limits page, turn on Daily Time Limits to set the maximum number of hours that the child is allowed to use the device during weekdays and weekends:
For weekdays, use the slider to change the maximum time allowed per day.
For weekends, use the slider to change the maximum time allowed per day.
If you do not want to limit the amount of time that the child spends on the device each day, drag the slider as far to the left as possible to set the allowed number of hours to Unlimited.
Select Next.
On the Bedtime page, turn on Bedtime to prevent the use of the device during the night. You can set a different bedtime for school nights (from Sunday night to Thursday night) and weekends (from Friday night to Saturday night) as follows:
For school nights, turn on the school nights setup pane. Drag the slider to set the time when the bedtime starts and ends.
For Weekend nights, turn on the weekend nights setup pane. Drag the slider to set the time when the bedtime starts and ends.
Select Next.
On the Content Filtering page, turn on Content Filtering to block web content that you don't want your children to have access to:
From the list of categories, select the content you wish to block on all browsers.
Select Next.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, select People & Devices.
On the People & Devices view, select + Add device.
Select My child's device > Continue. If you have already added child profiles, they are listed here. To add a new child profile, select New child profile.
Select how you want to send the installation link to the device you want to protect and then select Send link.
Open the message with your child's device and follow the installation instructions.
Select Install from app store to go to the app store and select Install to start the installation.
When the installation is complete, select Open to start the application.
Agree to the End User License Terms by selecting Accept and continue.
When prompted, log in to your account.
Select Install for a child? If you have already added child profiles, they are listed here. From the Set up protection for drop-down, select New child profile and then select Continue.
The Create new child profile view opens.
Enter the name of the child, select the age group the child belongs to, and then select Next.
The Family Rules settings view opens.
Select Next.
The App Control view opens.
Select Turn on App Control and do the following:
Select the default setting for all new apps that will be installed on the device: Time-limited or Blocked.
Select the setting for the apps that are already installed on the device: Time-limited, Always allowed or Blocked.
Select Next.
The Daily Time Limits view opens.
To turn on Daily Time Limits, use the sliders to limit the daily use time of the apps that you have selected as time-limited on weekdays and weekends, and select Next.
The Bedtime view opens.
Turn on Bedtime by using the sliders to limit the nighttime use of apps or device on school nights and weekend nights, and select Next.
The Content Filtering view opens. The following steps depend on the device model you use. Consult your device manual for more information.
Turn on Content Filtering, select the categories of web content you wish to block, and select Next.
To allow the app to access files, select Allow > Allow.
To allow the app to block apps and limit device use, and to prevent children from removing protection or uninstalling, you need to turn on accessibility:
Select Allow. The Turn on accessibility window opens.
Select Continue.
Select Installed services.
Select Advanced Secure TOTAL > Off > Allow to allow the app to have full control of your child's device.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, select People & Devices.
On the People & Devices view, select + Add device or user.
Select Someone else's device > Continue.
To invite a user to your group:
Enter the first and last name of the user.
Enter the email address of the user.
Select Send Invitation.
The recipient must click the link in the invitation they receive and follow the instructions to install the software on their device. Once installed, they have an account that allows them to protect their devices. The users in your group won't see the devices or other details of the other users or profiles in the group.
Open the Advanced Secure app.
On the main view, select People & Devices.
On the People & Devices view, select + Add device.
Select Someone else's device > Continue.
To invite a user to your group:
Enter the first and last name of the user.
Enter the email address of the user.
Select Send Invitation.
The recipient must click the link in the invitation they receive and follow the instructions to install the software on their device. Once installed, they have an account that allows them to protect their devices. The users in your group won't see the devices or other details of the other users or profiles in the group.
Need more help?
For billing questions, chat with us online, call us at 1-888-345-1111 or text 'Billing' to 902-903-6297. We're here to help from 9am-7pm Monday to Friday and 9am-5pm on Saturday.
For tech support, chat with us online, call us at 1-888-345-1111 or text 'Tech' to 902-903-6297 from 8am-1am Monday to Sunday.
