AVG Technologies, developers of the world’s most frequently downloaded free anti-virus software, today announced the half-millionth download of its AVG LinkScanner® software, a free product that protects consumers against web-based security threats and prevents their computers from being recruited for botnets like the ones that brought down Twitter and Facebook last week.

AVG LinkScanner is designed specifically to protect against Trojans, spyware, rootkits and other malware that tries to steal your private information via compromised web pages, where the bulk of computer infections are happening today. This includes backdoors that are created by infections that allow botnets the ability to access a computer. LinkScanner provides an additional, invisible layer of protection that lets you search and surf the Web safely. Moreover, this protection is provided in real-time, which is the only way consumers can stay protected against transient threats — 60 percent of which last less than a day before moving on to another site — that occur even on well known and trusted websites.

“A few years ago we had the bad guys almost beaten by blocking their attacks with firewalls, email scanning engines, and some simple heuristics. But then they created ways to exploit the websites that we all visit with a trusted browser,” said Siobhan MacDermott, Head of Public Policy, Investor Relations and Communications, AVG Technologies. “The cyber criminals have become so good at it that even a trained eye can’t tell when a web page might be harvesting your private information or dropping some attack code onto your computer. That changed the game. AVG LinkScanner was created specifically to spot web-borne malware and alert computer users to hostile web pages. In real-time.”

In keeping with AVG’s promise to keep the Internet safe for all, AVG offers LinkScanner free for home use. AVG also lets LinkScanner work alongside most existing security software already present on consumers’ computers. This includes competitors’ software.

“We’re doing our part to stop the spread of cyberthreats; 500,000 customers protected by LinkScanner means that roughly eleven new botnets won’t be formed,” continued MacDermott. “So, LinkScanner customers, go ahead and click where you want — we’ll keep you and the Internet safe.”

Where to Download

AVG LinkScanner can be can be downloaded for free as a stand-alone product from https://linkscanner.avg.com. LinkScanner is also included as part of many of AVG’s home security products https://www.avg.com/221 and business security products https://www.avg.com/business-security. It is also included with AVG Free, which is AVG’s free basic anti-virus solution for home users.

Support is available through a free online forum hosted by AVG at https://freeforum.avg.com.