Thread: AVG Anti Virus v 8.0

If you're using AVG Anti-Virus 7.5 free edition or do not have any antivirus program at all, download and install the free AVG Anti-Virus 8.0.

The latest version incorporates protection against spyware through a new combined antivirus and anti-spyware engine. It offers protection against viruses, worms and Trojans as well as protection against spyware, adware and identity theft. There is also a feature called 'Safe Search', which lets users safely browse through search results.

AVG's unique 'Search-Shield', available with the AVG Security Toolbar Free
Edition, marks all web pages which are known to be infected by zero-day exploits and drive-by downloads. AVG claims that its powerful 'LinkScanner' feature works
in real-time to provide comprehensive protection, whereas other programs rely
on static databases and cannot protect you at the most important time-when
you click on a link. When you search using the AVG Security Toolbar Free Edition you immediately find out which links are safe and which could be exploits, phishing pages, or malicious websites. Exploits take advantage of vulnerabilities in a software application to infect a PC. Exploits usually target a PC through a drive-by download-

where the user has no idea that a download has even taken place. Phishing pages falsely represent themselves as coming from a bank, or other trusted institutions, to fool unsuspecting visitors into providing personal information. This information is used by cyber-criminals to steal your identity and financial information, or for other malicious reasons. These pages attempt to trick you into doing something you would not otherwise do. You might, for example, be asked to install a plug-in in order to watch a video, when you are really installing spyware. The AVG Security Toolbar alerts you to these types of threats before you actually go to the site. Note that the Free Edition will only provide you with a rating for each link returned on your search results page.



From the main AVG interface page you can control every single aspect of the package, from anti-virus and anti-spyware utilities and tweaking the 'LinkScanner', e-mail scanner and 'Resident Shield' components. It's a good idea to periodically check the history logs of past scans and the detection logs of the 'Resident Shield' and e-mail scanner as these reports will alert you of any unauthorized activity. Also, regularly check the 'Virus Vault', where the virus infected files are moved to once they are detected, and empty it, if there are any files listed.

During the installation, you can opt to install the 'LinkScanner' tool, which comes with 'Yahoo!' Toolbar, and also to opt into a study where information about malicious sites you encounter on the Internet will be sent to AVG. Registering online also gives you access to the AVG Forum where you can discuss any difficulties you encounter while using the software. AVG Free 8.0 is only intended for personal and noncommercial use on computers running Windows 2000, XP or Vista.

FOR: Free real-time antivirus protection with LinkScanner and e-mail scanner. AGAINST: The free version does not include any proactive safe-surfing for protection against hackers and keyloggers.