It’s fair to say that roughly 99.9 percent of the technology and financial worlds’ attention on Wednesday afternoon was directed to Facebook’s first public prospectus.

But lost amid the hubbub was that another Internet-focused company, the antivirus software maker AVG Technologies, had priced its initial public offering that same afternoon. Unfortunately for AVG, its underwriters sold 8 million shares at $16 each, at the bottom of its expected price range.

Of the shares being sold, 4 million were offered by the Dutch company and 4 million from AVG’s controlling shareholders, including Enterprise Investors, Intel’s venture capital fund and members of the management team.

Interestingly, the bookrunners for the offering happen to be the same ones leading Facebook’s own I.P.O. and are listed in the same order: Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.

Source:http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/antivirus-software-maker-avg-prices-its-i-p-o/

The cloud antivirus software is the latest software technology that performs scanning processes on the Internet, instead of your computer’s hard drive. This way, your computer remains lightweight and performs much better than in the case of normal antivirus download. The Cloud antivirus technology uses an agent which performs the tasks without putting any additional pressure on your computer hardware. Thus, you can work on normal speed even when the scanning and updating of the software is going on.

There is a lot of paid and free cloud antivirus software available in the market today. However, not all of them work intelligently. The top three cloud antivirus software that all have exceptional features and run successfully in the market today can be seen below:

Immunet

Last in the list of top three, but certainly an effective tool which performs antivirus tasks on the Internet is Immunet. Immunet is taken from the word “Immune”, which means protection against threats. It is free software and 35 times lighter than the traditional antivirus tool. This light layered virus detection and protection tool is used by several PC users today. This tool gathers strength to fight against malwares with the growth in the surrounding community. Moreover, you are not required to download any virus signature file. Immunet also has the convenience to work for Collective Immunity. In the Collective Immunity program, once a virus or an online threat is detected on any computer; it automatically protects all users connected to that PC.

Panda Cloud

The first in the list is Panda cloud, which is free antivirus software used for Windows. This is a very fast and user friendly tool. The software scans your entire PC for any kind of potential threats and safely removes any malwares. All you will need for the Panda Cloud is a smooth working internet connection. Panda cloud also safeguards your system with all malicious downloads or online attacks, perfect for the protection of your local computer system.

Threat Fire

The antivirus technology in ThreatFire allows complete protection against all known and unknown types of internet threats. These threats include spyware, adware, key loggers, viruses, Trojans and more. The software carries unparalleled protection and hunts and paralyzes all threats, which may not be recognized by other antivirus software. ThreatFire is a technology which is not just restricted to experts. Any layman can use and benefit from this Internet based software.

With so many outstanding features of the latest antivirus technology, the cloud antivirus certainly becomes the choice of all PC users. Be sure to try the Cloud antivirus technology to save your computer from any form of online attack.

Source:http://cmvlive.com/technology/top-3-cloud-antivirus-software

Antivirus software is helping researchers in the hunt for an HIV vaccine, a surprising new use for a filtering system otherwise used to block email lottery scams and spam about erectile dysfunction drugs.

Researchers from Boston and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, along with Microsoft’s research division, are using a spam-fighting antivirus software to search for the virus that causes AIDS, which like email spam is constantly mutating and adapting to bypass blocks, Johannesburg’s Sunday Times reported.

David Heckerman, who developed the computational biology software called PhyloD, told the Los Angeles Times that he and his team are searching for the “Achilles’ heel” of the virus that causes AIDS:

Source:http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/weird-wide-web/phylod-microsoft-antivirus-software-hiv-aids-research-south-africa

For example, last week alone 1.13 million people scooped up AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, 772,215 folks downloaded Avast! Free Antivirus, and nearly 400,000 choose to install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Avira Free Antivirus apiece.

Microsoft Security Essentials is also a popular pick and will be bundled with Windows 8, as well (but could be uninstalled, if desired).

Given the fact premium software packages usually cost between $40 and $60 a year — from security software leaders like Norton and McAfee – should you download the freebies and trust they’ll protect your PC and perhaps more importantly, the data that resides on it?

Generally speaking, based on my experience using many of these free tools over the years, they don’t work quite as well as the paid packages.

That is, some spyware has slipped through on occasion, causing pop-up windows, browser toolbars I don’t want and overall slower performance. Again, this is just my experience on various Windows PCs using some of the free products available. I did have a good run on a spare laptop with Avira as it ran quietly in the background and didn’t impact its overall performance, while on another (older) desktop in a spare room I’ve been running Microsoft Security Essentials without any issues.

According to PC Mag, AVG, Avira and Avast! are three of the highest rated free computer security software offerings.

But on my main computer, I’ve been using Symantec’s Norton Internet Security faithfully for the last three years (prior to that I wasn’t a fan of the software as I found it bloated and it bogged down my PC quite a bit). Another advantage to paid security software is they’re usually updated often to safeguard from the latest threats — usually handled automatically, such as Norton’s Live Update.

So, what if you can’t afford premium security software or don’t want to pay for it?

While it might not be as good as paid options, using free antivirus software is better than nothing at all.

If you’re going to use one of these no-cost solutions, take heed to the following advice:

* If you pay for a high-speed Internet connection your Internet Service Provider (ISP) might give away free antivirus and antimalware software, too, so ask if it’s available before resorting to freebies. Some are licensed versions of the biggies like McAfee, Norton and Kaspersky.

* If you’re using free antivirus software, be sure to check for virus definition updates regularly – in case it’s not an option to do it regularly (Windows Security Essentials can stay updated automatically, with your consent). Because threats change often, be sure to protect your PC and files with frequent updates.

* Always back up your important files on a regular basis – just in case your PC gets infected. It doesn’t really matter how you back up – external hard drive, recordable DVD or online storage, for example – but be sure to do it before it’s too late. Important files to back up include documents, irreplaceable photos, bookmarks, contacts, calendar entries and important emails.

* Steve Hilton, vice president for SMB and enterprise research at the Yankee Group, says to ask around before you go with free security software. “Try out free solutions and talk with someone who’s already used the product to avoid any gotchas.” For example, Hilton says the software company probably doesn’t offer technical support the free version, plus you’ll probably see “nag screens” to upgrade to the full suite and you might not get access to all its features.

* Even with software that can catch malicious threats, exercise some common sense when you’re spending time online. For example, don’t click on suspicious attachments in an email, delete phishing attempts, stick with legitimate websites and be sure to create strong passwords for all your online activity.

* Spam, or unsolicited junk mail, isn’t just a productivity drain as you can spend a lot of time deleting these unwanted messages per week, but often they contain viruses, spyware or phishing attempts that try to lure you to authentic-looking websites to steal your identity for financial gain. If you use Microsoft Outlook, however, a free plug-in program called SPAMfighter dramatically reduces the amount of junk mail you get by segregating suspicious messages and dropping it into a folder.

Source:http://www.moneyville.ca/blog/post/1093340–is-free-antivirus-software-good-enough

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Optical Media Board (OMB) said yesterday they foiled an attempt to smuggle P75 million worth of antivirus software at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

BOC Commissioner Rufino Biazon said they confiscated 18,000 units of Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 software that arrived at the MICP from Malaysia on Nov. 5.

The shipment was misdeclared as ordinary compact disc kit cleaners and CD plastic cases with a declared value of $7,095.70 (approximately P305,115.10) and an assessed tax value of only P100,367 when the actual import value based on Kaspersky’s published online rates was $599,598.12 (approximately P25,782,719.20).

The shipment is also not covered by an import permit from the OMB, officials said.

OMB executive director Ronnie Ricketts said they received a tip about the arrival of the illegal shipment and had it placed under surveillance five or six months ago.

“These are top of the line antivirus software for computers. They cost between P3,000 to P7,000 apiece,” he said.

The next step, Biazon said, is to confirm the legitimacy of consignee Plinth Enterprises, which has an office address at Trinity Building on T.M. Kalaw street in Ermita, Manila. He said they will also check on the customs brokers who aided the delivery of the shipment.

BOC-MICP District Collector Ricardo Belmonte hopes that the seizure of the computer software would send a strong signal to smugglers, that the BOC, particularly the MICP, is serious in its anti-smuggling campaign.

The seized items would be turned over to the OMB. Ricketts said the software could be distributed to government agencies and public schools so they could protect the important files stored in their computers. Another option is that they could be auctioned off to help raise the bureau’s revenue collection.

Source:http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=65&articleid=751698