What is anti-phishing? Here's how it helps you against online scams

Phishing is one of the most common forms of online fraud. It may sound harmless, but the consequences can be serious. Cybercriminals use fake emails, websites, or messages to try and steal your personal details—like your login credentials, bank information, or even your ID. Fortunately, many types of security software include a built-in feature to protect you against this: anti-phishing.

In this blog, we explain exactly what anti-phishing is, how it works, what problems it prevents, and which software packages include this feature.

What exactly is phishing?

Phishing is a type of digital fraud where criminals pose as a trustworthy organisation, like your bank, a government agency or a well-known company. This often happens via email, but SMS, WhatsApp and fake websites are also used. The goal? To trick you into clicking a link and entering your details or opening an infected file.

Think of an email from “your bank” saying your account has been blocked. You’re told to quickly click a link and log in to verify your account. But the link leads to a fake website that sends your details straight to the scammers.

What does anti-phishing do?

The anti-phishing feature in security software detects suspicious links, websites and emails before you even interact with them. It uses a combination of:

• Real-time analysis of websites and links
• Comparison with known phishing databases
• AI and machine learning to identify suspicious patterns
• Warnings when you try to access a dangerous site

This way, anti-phishing helps prevent you from clicking on the wrong link or unknowingly giving away your information.

What problems does anti-phishing solve?

Phishing isn’t just annoying, it can lead to serious consequences:

• Identity theft: your personal data is used to, for example, take out loans in your name.
• Financial loss: criminals gain access to your bank or credit card details.
• Hacked accounts: your email, social media or even work accounts can be taken over.
• Spread of malware: phishing links can lead to websites that install harmful software on your device.

Anti-phishing prevents these scenarios by warning you in time and blocking access to dangerous content.

Which software includes anti-phishing?

Almost all modern security suites now include anti-phishing, but here are a few popular options:

Norton
Norton offers phishing protection in almost all their security products. With Norton 360, you get a comprehensive set of features, including real-time anti-phishing, VPN, and password manager.

McAfee
McAfee includes anti-phishing by default in all McAfee packages. Their most extensive package, McAfee+ Advanced, protects you against phishing attacks, identity theft, and also includes a VPN and password manager.

Bitdefender
With Bitdefender, you don’t have to worry about whether anti-phishing is included—it’s built into all Bitdefender packages. Bitdefender uses advanced technology that constantly analyses and blocks suspicious websites before you encounter them.

Why do you need an extra layer like anti-phishing?

You might think: “I’d never click on strange links.” But phishing attacks are getting smarter. The emails look professional, the links seem legit, and sometimes they even come from a hacked friend. Anti-phishing is that extra security layer that gives you just a bit more protection—even when you’re not paying full attention.

Conclusion: a small feature with big impact

Anti-phishing might sound like a technical extra, but it’s now an essential and standard feature in most security packages. It not only helps you recognise phishing attacks, but also prevents you from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft.

If you go with software from brands like Norton, McAfee, or Bitdefender, anti-phishing is already included. So you don’t have to make any complicated decisions to protect yourself properly. And if you’d like help choosing or installing it? We’ll get you started for free and we’re here to help seven days a week.