AVG BreachGuard - FAQs

General

What is AVG BreachGuard?

AVG BreachGuard is a privacy solution that helps you prevent your personal information from being exploited online.

AVG BreachGuard notifies you if your data is found on the dark web,, helps you take back control of your personal info by taking it off the market, and enables you to adjust your online account privacy settings to your desired privacy level. An AVG BreachGuard subscription also includes AVG Online Security, which is a browser extension that helps you control the amount of private information you share publicly, and warns you about malicious websites and phishing scams.

What is the dark web?

The dark web is a more private part of the internet that can only be accessed with an anonymizing network like the Tor browser. The extreme privacy offered by the dark web makes it the ideal environment for criminals to illegally buy and sell personal information.

What is a data breach?

A data breach occurs when personal information is compromised or exposed. This data can then be sold on the dark web and purchased by criminals, who may use your breached personal information to impersonate you. This can mean setting up online accounts in your name, making online purchases using your payment card details, and even committing crimes in your name.

How can I create safe passwords for my online accounts?

When creating safe passwords for your online accounts, we recommend following the guidelines below:

• The password should contain at least 10 characters, but ideally 12 or more. The more characters you use, the more secure your password is.
• The password should include a variety of letters, numbers, and symbols.
• The same password should not be used to access any other accounts or services.
• The safest passwords are phrases rather than single words. Select a phrase that is memorable for you, but not easily predictable.

What are data brokers?

Data brokers are large companies that collect and sell personal information. They collect this information by tracking your online activity, accessing public records, and legally purchasing data from other companies. Your personal information is used to create an accurate profile of you as an individual, including information about your interests, age, religion, medical issues, income, expenses, and shopping habits. Data brokers amass huge collections of personal profiles and sell them to other companies.

Download and Installation

How do I install AVG BreachGuard?

For detailed installation instructions, refer to the following article:

• Installing AVG BreachGuard

What are the system requirements for AVG BreachGuard?

Subscription and Activation

How do I activate AVG BreachGuard?

For detailed activation instructions, refer to the following article:

• Activating AVG BreachGuard

What should I do if activation is unsuccessful?

For instructions to resolve common activation issues, refer to the following article:

• Troubleshooting activation issues in AVG products

Which device and platform can I use AVG BreachGuard on?

You can activate your subscription on one Windows PC. You can transfer your subscription to an alternative Windows PC, but you cannot use your AVG BreachGuard subscription on more than one PC simultaneously.

For instructions on how to transfer your subscription to another device, refer to the following article:

• Transferring an AVG subscription to another device

How can I cancel an AVG subscription?

For information about canceling an AVG subscription, refer to the following article:

• Canceling an AVG subscription - FAQs

Features and Usage

How do I use AVG BreachGuard?

For detailed instructions on how to use AVG BreachGuard, refer to the following article:

• AVG BreachGuard - Getting Started

What is Personal Info Remover?

Personal Info Remover helps simplify the complex and time-consuming task of removing your personal info from data broker databases by submitting data removal requests to the data brokers on your behalf. When you click the Personal Info Remover tile for the first time, you need select a location. We recommend only selecting the country where you live.

You are prompted to complete our info removal request form. You can then send your first data removal requests to all identified data brokers. We continuously scan for new data brokers and let you know if you need to resubmit your data removal requests. For more information, refer to the following article:

• AVG BreachGuard - Getting Started

Will I receive confirmation from data brokers when my personal info is removed?

No. When data removal requests are successfully sent to data brokers using AVG BreachGuard, you normally do not receive confirmation from the individual data brokers when they remove your data.

What is Risk Monitor?

Risk Monitor monitors the dark web, notifies you if your data has been involved in a data breach, and helps you update your passwords to mitigate future risks.

The Risk Monitor tile on the AVG BreachGuard dashboard shows the current status of this feature:

• Active: Your online accounts have not been found in any known data breaches. AVG BreachGuard is actively monitoring the dark web for data breaches involving your accounts.
• Privacy threats: Your online accounts are vulnerable or breached. Click the Risk Monitor tile for more information and the steps to take to protect your online accounts.
• Inactive: You have not yet added any monitored email accounts, so AVG BreachGuard cannot check for data breaches involving your online accounts.

How do I add a new monitored email account?

Follow these steps:

1. Go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings.
2. Ensure Emails is selected in the left panel.
3. Click Add new email account.
4. Enter the email address that you want AVG BreachGuard to monitor, then click Save.

The new email address now appears under Monitored email accounts. If you see the message check your inbox to verify, you need to go to your email inbox and verify that the email address is really yours. When the email address is successfully verified, it shows a green tick.

Which browsers are compatible with AVG BreachGuard?

AVG BreachGuard scans your web browsers for weak or duplicated passwords. Additionally, the application offers personalized tips to protect your online privacy by scanning your browsing history and bookmarks. AVG BreachGuard is compatible with the following web browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge (version 79.0.309 and higher)
• Opera
• Brave
• Avast Secure Browser
• AVG Secure Browser

To ensure that AVG BreachGuard is installed and activated on your browsers, go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Browsers. The Browsers screen shows all of the compatible browsers that are installed on your device. To activate it on a new browser, click the red (OFF) slider next to the browser so that it changes to green (ON).

What is Privacy Advisor?

Privacy Advisor provides step-by-step advice on how to adjust the privacy settings of your major online accounts to reduce the amount of personal information you share.

To use Privacy Advisor:

1. Click the Privacy Advisor tile on the AVG BreachGuard dashboard.
2. Click Show details next to a listed recommendation.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to apply the recommendation. Instructions include gifs, images, and direct links to any relevant web pages.
4. After completion, click Mark as done so AVG BreachGuard does not recommend this action again.

Settings for the relevant account are now adjusted to your desired privacy level.

What is Identity Assist?

Identity Assist allows you to speak to one of our support agents 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Our agents offer two separate services depending on your needs:

• ScamAssist®: Our experts can investigate potentially fraudulent solicitations (including emails, letters, and phone calls) on your behalf.
• Identity Resolution: If you are a victim of identity theft, our experts will help you resolve your identity theft issue, freeze you credit records, or handle disputes with creditors.

For more information about Identity Assist, refer to the following article:

• Identity Assist - FAQs

What is AVG Online Security?

The AVG Online Security browser extension helps you control who has access to your private data, and warns you about malicious websites and phishing scams.

You can install AVG Online Security directly via the AVG BreachGuard application by following these steps:

1. Open AVG BreachGuard and go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings.
2. Click Extensions in the left panel.
3. Click Install next to your preferred web browser and follow the on-screen instructions to install AVG Online Security.

We recommend installing AVG Online Security in each of the browsers installed on your PC.

To learn more about AVG Online Security, refer to the following article:

• AVG Online Security - Getting Started

How can I update my location details?

To update your location:

1. Open AVG BreachGuard and go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings.
2. Click the Location tab.
3. Use the Choose a country drop-down menu to select your location.

AVG BreachGuard now shows the available features for your location.

Troubleshooting

How can I uninstall AVG BreachGuard?

For detailed uninstallation instructions, refer to the following article:

• Uninstalling AVG BreachGuard

Why does Risk Monitor show as 'inactive'?

This means that you have not yet entered any email accounts for AVG BreachGuard to monitor, so the application cannot check your online accounts for threats.

Why does Risk Monitor not detect any threats?

If Risk Monitor does not detect any vulnerable online accounts, there currently may not be any vulnerabilities present. If you suspect that your online accounts are in fact vulnerable, try the following:

• Ensure all of your email addresses appear on your list of monitored email accounts. To verify your current list of monitored email accounts, go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Emails.
• Ensure AVG BreachGuard is installed and activated on your web browsers. To verify the browsers on which it is currently active, go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Browsers.

How can I report an issue to AVG Support?

You can report an issue to AVG Support using the contact form below:

• Request help from AVG