AVG Upgrades Internet Security Package

Internet security software provider AVG Technologies has introduced extra protection against the latest web-borne threats for consumers and SMBs.

It said AVG Internet Security 8.0 provides protection against viruses, spam, spyware, and Trojans. It also protects against emerging threats, including web exploits, drive-by downloads, phishing, and rootkits.

AVG said it offers faster scanning performance than previous versions through the use of a multi-threaded scanning engine. It offers protection against rootkits and system intrusion, security for MSN and ICQ instant messaging, and detection of infected file downloads. It also has a redesigned user interface.

In addition, it includes anti-exploit technology designed to protect users of Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers against drive-by downloads, a web shield that scans files during download or exchange or messaging, a scanning engine for tackling viruses and spyware in a single pass-through, support for multi-core computers, and reduced system resource requirements. It also includes a firewall to protect computers against unauthorized access from internal and external networks and direct hacker attacks, improved anti-virus, improved resident shield, and anti-spam for email processing.

Karel Obluk, chief technology officer at AVG, said AVG 8.0 delivers reliable protection against sophisticated web-borne threats that can infect computers without the user clicking them. “AVG 8.0 expands upon our traditional strengths in anti-virus and anti-spyware with the integration of the LinkScanner real-time safe searching and surfing technologies obtained through our acquisition of Exploit Prevention Labs in December 2007.”

AVG CEO JR Smith added: “Real-time detection of these threats is essential, as poisoned web pages may only be infective for a matter of hours, after which the perpetrator moves on to another site. Other products on the market offer web protection based on databases of sites that may or may not have contained some kind of malicious content at some time in the past.”

The single-user version costs $54.99, with the network version available for $79.99.