What is Sensitive Data Shield?

Sensitive Data Shield provides an extra layer of protection for your sensitive documents against malware and unauthorized access. Sensitive files contain your personal information that, if revealed, can compromise your privacy and identity. Sensitive Data Shield secures your private data by controlling which applications and users have access to your files.

Is Sensitive Data Shield a free feature?

No. Sensitive Data Shield is only available with a paid Avast Premium Security subscription.

Which files does Sensitive Data Shield protect?

Sensitive Data Shield scans for and protects documents that may contain your personal data such as banking details, passwords, IDs, payslips, and other sensitive information. If malware or hackers attack your PC and gain access to these unprotected documents, your identity can be stolen and misused.

After scanning, Sensitive Data Shield displays a list of any unsecured .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, and .xlsx documents found on your PC that contain sensitive data. You can choose if you want Sensitive Data Shield to protect all or some of these files.

How can I use Sensitive Data Shield?

To scan for sensitive documents on your PC:

1. Open Avast Premium Security and go to Privacy ▸ Sensitive Data Shield.
2. Click Scan for sensitive documents to start scanning your PC for sensitive documents.
3. When the scan completes, Sensitive Data Shield displays a list of unprotected files that may contain your personal data. All files are selected by default. Optionally, untick the box next to a file to deselect it. Click Protect all or Protect selected to start protecting all selected documents.

Your sensitive documents are now protected and cannot be opened by unknown, untrusted, or blocked applications.

During a scan, Sensitive Data Shield checks your entire hard drive, including each page of every document, and looks for files that contain sensitive data. The duration of the scan depends on the number of files stored on your PC.

Can I protect my files from other people who use my PC?

By default, Sensitive Data Shield ensures that protected files are inaccessible to other user accounts on your PC. This is useful if you have sensitive documents stored on a shared PC.

To check this setting:

1. Open Avast Premium Security and go to Privacy ▸ Sensitive Data Shield.
2. Click Settings (the gear icon) in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Ensure that the box next to Block other user accounts on this PC from accessing protected documents is ticked.

Can I block a particular application from opening my sensitive files?

Yes. You can specify applications that are always blocked or allowed access to your protected files. To manage Sensitive Data Shield application permissions:

1. Open Avast Premium Security and go to Privacy ▸ Sensitive Data Shield.
2. Click Settings (the gear icon) in the top-right corner of the screen.
3. Click View allowed / blocked apps to open and modify the list of applications that are always blocked or allowed by Sensitive Data Shield. For more information, refer to the following article:
   • Using the Blocked & Allowed apps screen in Avast Antivirus

Where can I learn more about Sensitive Data Shield?

To learn more about how to use Sensitive Data Shield, refer to the following article:

• Sensitive Data Shield - Getting Started