avast! Free Antivirus Gets Even Better with avast! 6.0

There's no need to pay lots of money for an (often overpriced) antivirus program. The new avast! Free Anitvirus 6.0 is packed with advanced capabilities you won't find in your mainstream antivirus product.

Here are six good reasons why you should remove antivirus products such as Norton or McAfee and install the new avast! Free Antivirus 6.0.

1. AutoSandbox - The first automatic virtualization feature in a major antivirus package.

AutoSandbox identifies suspicious applications and automatically prompts users to run them in a safe virtual environment. "If the item is dangerous, the virtual computer is shut down and the user's real machine remains safe. And, if the item is safe, there is no hassle from a false positive," stated Ondrej Vlcek, CTO of AVAST Software.

2. WebRep - The first reputation guide for malware and website content incorporated into a free antivirus application.

"WebRep interfaces directly with search engine results, combining CommunityIQ data on infected websites with user-submitted information on the content and reputation of individual sites," added Mr. Vlcek. "Thanks to our more than 120 million active users, our WebRep has the deepest support of any web reputation option on the market."

3. More internet protection - Additional internet security options have been added to the new avast! 6.0 Free Antivirus.

"As 85 percent of malware is now transmitted through the internet, we've extended our protective features to all avast! users," remarked Mr. Steckler. Avast! Free Antivirus now includes both Web and Script Shields, protecting users at both the http level and the browser level. Site Blocking, another new feature in avast! Free Antivirus, allows users to block selected websites.

4. Well behaved – Increased Behavior Shield ability to spot suspicious malware activity.

The 6.0 Behavior Shield has been strengthened for easier identification of polymorphic malware and new threats which are difficult to spot with traditional database methods. "Combining a stronger Behavior Shield with AutoSandbox testing means we get over 12,000 unique samples sent daily to the Virus Lab – which then enables us to fine-tune our detection abilities," said Mr. Vlcek.

5. Knows what's bad – Recognizes and stops malware attacks in the billions, thanks to CommunityIQ sensors.

avast! stopped 1.2 billion viruses in January of this year, a significant increase from the over 900 million viruses stopped in the previous January. avast! also prevented over 32 million users from visiting infected sites in the past 30 days. Thanks to its massive CommunityIQ network of user-sensors, avast keeps the largest – and freshest - list of infected websites in the security industry.

5. Great ratings – Consistent high reviews in independent product reviews.

Avast! Free Antivirus is a regular top performer, placing at or near the top for its malware detection, fast scanning speed, and its performance – even when competing against the leading paid-for products. New avast! 6.0 features are set to continue this trend. "It looks like avast! 6 will land far closer to the high end of the spectrum thanks to its new WebRep browser add-on and sandbox environment, unique in the free antivirus marketplace," wrote Seth Rosenblatt, senior associate editor at Download.com in his review.

6. It's free – Light on computers, even lighter on the wallet.

avast! Free has a well-deserved reputation for its light demands on computer resources. As a free application, it has an even lighter impact on users' financial resources. With avast! Free Antivirus, users pay less and can get more protection.

"Put these new 6.0 features together and avast! is again setting the standard for what an antivirus software should provide," said Mr. Steckler. "And, we haven't stopped with that. For users that want extra security features, we have added SafeZone, a new virtual desktop for safe online banking and shopping to our paid-for products." SafeZone shuts out malware like keyloggers, enabling secure financial transactions – even with an infected computer. The SafeZone feature is available only in avast! Pro and avast! Internet Security.

For additional information and to download avast! Free Antivirus 6.0 go to the avast.com website.