AVG Launches Free Protection Against Online Threats

Standalone AVG LinkScanner Delivers Real-Time Protection for Windows Users, No
Matter What Other Security Products They May Use
AMSTERDAM--(Business Wire)--
AVG Technologies, developers of the world`s leading free anti-virus software, is
today launching AVG LinkScanner as a free standalone product to protect users
who want to safe surf the internet against random, invisible online threats. On
any given day, some two million web pages are poisoned by hidden threats. And
every day, 60 percent of those threats shut down or move to a different
destination on the web - which makes real-time link scanning crucial. Any type
of site can be affected, from a small business to a government department to a
major brand-name company. If a user simply visits one of these poisoned web
pages they don`t even need to click on anything to get into real trouble, to
lose their credit card details, their ID or other valuable information or files.
Regular anti-virus software alone cannot protect against this type of threat. It
requires a solution that provides safe surf and safe search capabilities.

AVG LinkScanner gives users an additional real-time layer of protection on top
of their existing security software. It works by looking at the web page behind
a link or a web address typed into a browser and analyzing whether it harbors a
threat. If it does, then AVG LinkScanner stops the user from downloading that
page. This means that, for the first time, Windows XP and Vista users can truly
know whether it is safe to click on a link at the only time that matters - when
they click on it.

"It`s our belief that every computer user has the right to basic security
protection, regardless of the ability to pay," said J R Smith, AVG Technologies`
CEO. "These dangerous web pages threaten to disrupt the very fabric of the
Internet as well as how we view and use it; posing an even bigger threat to
users than viruses. Our 80 million users are already protected by AVG
LinkScanner, which has been an essential part of our suite of security products
for some time. So now we`re making it available to users of other major security
software brands, who just don`t have the same degree or protection. Now any PC
user can surf and search the web with confidence and without fear of losing
their ID, bank account information, credit card details, valuable files and
information to cybercrooks."

AVG LinkScanner also applies this targeted analysis of web pages to search
results from Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Whenever users search using these search
engines, they will see safety rankings for all `organic` search results. In
addition, the AVG LinkScanner will scan your bookmarks as well as links
contained in instant messages and emails before you open them to ensure they are
safe.

The AVG LinkScanner Advantage

AVG LinkScanner`s unique ability to analyze web links in real time enables AVG
to deliver far more accurate and relevant protection than other safe-surfing
solutions. Checking the safety of a page at the precise time the user is about
to click to it is crucial in today`s world of transient threats. Relying on
information about a web site`s relative safety days or weeks in the past cannot
protect users against threats that remain in one place for less than 24 hours;
and so AVG has rejected the traditional approach of relying on information about
sites previously found to have been poisoned.

Unlike other solutions, AVG LinkScanner analyzes individual pages on a web site
to generate a rating for those pages. Imagine that one or two pages on a vast
site like Facebook or MySpace are being used to spread malware. If a
safe-surfing solution only rates entire sites based on what it finds on a couple
of pages, a bad rating on those one or two poisoned pages would result in
blocking users` access to any of their friends` pages on that site.

"The Web has become the primary distribution mechanism for viruses (and other
malware), drive-by downloads and other stealthy web threats which represent vast
majority of attacks," said AVG Technologies CTO Karel Obluk. "So we`ve evolved
our product range to put greater emphasis on combating this more insidious and
dangerous form of attack. AVG LinkScanner is at the front line of this
additional protective layer. It`s our goal, by making this layer freely
available, to give users the confidence to always feel safe when they go
online."

Neighborhood Watch Research

AVG`s "neighborhood watch" approach to AVG LinkScanner research also increases
the product`s ability to provide relevant protection to users - putting the
protection where users actually go and when they go there, rather than trying to
map and secure the entire Internet. The LIVE Intelligence Network has for the
past five years focused solely on this area of evolving threats through the
combined resources of:

* a global team of expert human researchers and a network of `hunting pots`
* an intelligent filter for known and suspected threat distribution sites and
mechanisms
* automated threat encounter feedback, ensuring focus on real-world threats that
affect real users

AVG LinkScanner aggregates intelligence gained through these three channels,
correlates it in real time, and integrates it back into the threat analysis
process to continually improve user protection.

Other tricks are being developed all the time, and users should not assume they
are safe if some other pop-up appears while they`re surfing the web or
downloading files. Running AVG LinkScanner will protect users against new as
well as existing forms of social engineering trickery.

Availability and System Requirements

AVG LinkScanner continues the AVG Technologies mission to deliver lightweight,
easy-to-use solutions that don`t slow users` computers down and provide robust
protection as soon as they`re installed. The software is free for use on any
personal home computer for non-commercial purposes. It can be downloaded from
http://linkscanner.avg.com. Support is available through a free online forum
hosted by AVG at http://freeforum.avg.com.

AVG LinkScanner runs under all current versions of Windows XP and Vista, both
32- and 64-bit. The software is compatible with all major security software and
with Internet Explorer 6 or later and Firefox 2 or later browsers. AVG
LinkScanner is available today in English and will be available in Brazilian
Portuguese, Czech Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish,
Turkish, Korean, Bahasa, Chinese (Traditional & Simplified), Russian and Malay
from mid May.

Keep in touch with AVG

For up-to-the-minute news on the latest cyberthreats:

* Subscribe to AVG Chief Research Officer Roger Thompson`s blog at
http://thompson.blog.avg.com/

For general AVG updates:

* Follow AVG on Twitter @officialavgnews.com
* Register at www.avgnews.com

About AVG Technologies

www.avg.com

AVG is a global security solutions leader protecting more than 80 million
consumers and small business computer users in 167 countries from the
ever-growing incidence of web threats, viruses, spam, cyber-scams and hackers on
the Internet. Headquartered in Amsterdam, AVG has nearly two decades of
experience in combating cyber crime and one of the most advanced laboratories
for detecting, pre-empting and combating Web-borne threats from around the
world. Its free online, downloadable software model allows entry-level users to
gain basic anti-virus protection and then to easily and inexpensively upgrade to
greater levels of safety and defense in both single and multi-user environments.
Nearly 6,000 resellers, partners and distributors team with AVG globally
including Amazon.com, CNET, Cisco, Ingram Micro, Play.com, Wal-Mart, and Yahoo!.

AVG Technologies
Siobhan MacDermott
Mobile: +420 725 695 132 or +1-415-299-2945
siobhan.macdermott@avg.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009