AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, December 17 /PRNewswire/ --

- AVG's LinkScanner Technology Keeps Users Safe as Microsoft Determines How and When to Fix Flaw

Security software from AVG effectively blocks attempts by cyber criminals seeking to capitalize on the recently discovered vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser. The vulnerability enables unauthorized third parties to take control of users' PCs by tricking them into visiting poisoned web pages.

AVG, the global anti-virus and Internet security software provider with over 80 million users in 167 countries, today assured computer users that its commercial AVG 8.0 security software products have provided protection against this vulnerability since December 11th. AVG estimates that its software has already blocked close to 5,000 attacks against 3,000 users since Microsoft announced the flaw.

Computer users can immediately safeguard their systems by downloading a trial version of AVG software at http://www.avg.com.

Today, the fastest growing dangers on the Internet are fast-moving, transient threats that appear on one or more web sites temporarily, from a few weeks to just a few seconds, noted J.R. Smith, CEO of AVG Technologies. Because they're so fleeting, these threats are easily missed by typical built-in browser security measures, and require the real-time detection capabilities of technology like LinkScanner, which tracks the spread of specifically these types of threat and blocks them before they can endanger users' valuable information.

According to Roger Thompson, AVG's Chief Research Officer and original developer of the LinkScanner technology, the likely perpetrators of this particular IE vulnerability exploit are the same people who have been stealing World of Warcraft passwords from users for the past couple of years.

AVG software provides the most timely, precise and reliable safe searching and surfing protection by analyzing web pages at the only time it matters -- when the user is about to visit them. AVG offers the security software industry's only real-time web exploit detection and prevention, using proprietary behavioral analysis and other breakthrough technologies to protect personal information and defend against unwanted intrusions while users are on the web.

About AVG Technologies

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!. More information is available at http://www.avg.com.

Siobhan MacDermott of AVG Technologies, +420-725-695-132, +1-415-299-2945, siobhan.macdermott@avg.com; or Ron Tomczyk of GlobalFluency, +1-646-652-5210, rtomczyk@globalfluency.com, for AVG Technologies