AVG Technologies is launching AVG LinkScanner as a free standalone product to protect users against random, invisible online threats.

Everyday two million web pages are poisoned by hidden threats and 60 percent of those threats shut down or move to a different destination on the web making real-time link scanning crucial. Any type of site can be affected and if a user simply visits one of these poisoned web pages they don’t even need to click on anything to get into real trouble, to lose their credit card details, their ID or other valuable information or files. Regular anti-virus software alone cannot protect against this type of threat.

AVG LinkScanner gives users an additional real-time layer of protection apart from their existing security software. It works by looking at the web page behind a link or a web address typed into a browser and analyzing whether it harbors a threat. If it does, then AVG LinkScanner stops the user from downloading that page.  This means that Windows XP and Vista users can now know whether it is safe to click on a link when they click on it.

AVG LinkScanner also applies this targeted analysis of web pages to search results from Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Whenever users search using these search engines, they will see safety rankings for all ‘organic’ search results. In addition, the AVG LinkScanner will scan your bookmarks as well as links contained in instant messages and emails before you open them to ensure they are safe.

AVG LinkScanner’s ability to analyze web links in real time enables AVG to deliver more accurate and relevant protection than other safe-surfing solutions. AVG LinkScanner analyzes individual pages on a web site to generate a rating for those pages.

“The Web has become the primary distribution mechanism for viruses (and other malware), drive-by downloads and other stealthy web threats which represent vast majority of attacks,” said AVG Technologies CTO Karel Obluk. “So we’ve evolved our product range to put greater emphasis on combating this more insidious and dangerous form of attack. AVG LinkScanner is at the front line of this additional protective layer. It’s our goal, by making this layer freely available, to give users the confidence to always feel safe when they go online.”

AVG’s “neighborhood watch” approach to AVG LinkScanner research also increases the product’s ability to provide relevant protection to users – putting the protection where users actually go and when they go there, rather than trying to map and secure the entire Internet.

The software is free for use on any personal home computer for non-commercial purposes. It can be downloaded from http://linkscanner.avg.com . Support is available through a free online forum hosted by AVG at http://freeforum.avg.com

AVG LinkScanner runs under all current versions of Windows XP and Vista, both 32- and 64-bit. The software is compatible with all major security software and with Internet Explorer 6 or later and Firefox 2 or later browsers and is available in English.

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Phishing e-mail messages are designed to steal your identity. They ask for personal data, or direct you to Web sites or phone numbers to call where they ask you to provide personal data.

Phishing e-mail messages take a number of forms:
* They might appear to come from your bank or financial institution, a company you regularly do business with, such as Microsoft, or from your social networking site.
* They might appear to be from someone you know. Spear phishing is a targeted form of phishing in which an e-mail message might look like it comes from your employer, or from a colleague who might send an e-mail message to everyone in the company, such as the head of human resources or IT.
* They might ask you to make a phone call. Phone phishing scams direct you to call a customer support phone number. A person or an audio response unit waits to take your account number, personal identification number, password, or other valuable personal data. The phone phisher might claim that your account will be closed or other problems could occur if you don’t respond.
* They might include official-looking logos and other identifying information taken directly from legitimate Web sites, and they might include convincing details about your personal information that scammers found on your social networking pages.
* They might include links to spoofed Web sites where you are asked to enter personal information.

Here are a few phrases to look for if you think an e-mail message is a phishing scam.

“Verify your account.”
Businesses should not ask you to send passwords, login names, Social Security numbers, or other personal information through e-mail.
If you receive an e-mail message from Microsoft asking you to update your credit card information, do not respond: this is a phishing scam.

“You have won the lottery.”
The lottery scam is a common phishing scam known as advanced fee fraud. One of the most common forms of advanced fee fraud is a message that claims that you have won a large sum of money, or that a person will pay you a large sum of money for little or no work on your part. The lottery scam often includes references to big companies, such as Microsoft. There is no Microsoft lottery.

“If you don’t respond within 48 hours, your account will be closed.”
These messages convey a sense of urgency so that you’ll respond immediately without thinking. A phishing e-mail message might even claim that your response is required because your account might have been compromised.

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Phishing is a type of deception designed to steal your valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, Windows Live IDs, other account data and passwords, or other information. It is also known as identity theft, and is a type of social engineering.

You might see a phishing scam:
* In e-mail messages, even if they appear to be from a coworker or someone you know.
* On your social networking Web site.
* On a fake Web site that accepts donations for charity.
* On Web sites that spoof your familiar sites but that use slightly different Web addresses, so you won’t notice.
* In your instant message program.
* On your cell phone or other mobile device.

Often phishing scams rely on links in e-mail messages, on Web sites, or in instant messages that seem to come from a service that you trust, like your bank, credit card company, or social networking site.

Tip: To see updated examples of popular phishing scams or to report a possible phishing scam, visit the Anti-Phishing Working Group Archive.

The purpose of social engineering is usually to secretly install spyware or other malicious software or to trick you into handing over your passwords or other sensitive financial or personal information.

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Online fraud can be annoying and costly for you and might pose serious risks to your computer. You can help reduce online fraud by learning to recognize scams and taking steps to avoid them.

Identity theft has been around for a while, but the cost to consumers has risen since criminals have gone online. Criminals who want to gain access to your online accounts use phishing, hoaxes, or other scams to obtain personal information such as your name, social security number, account name, or password.

Common types of online scams:
Here are some common types of scams that you should learn to recognize and avoid.
* Phishing scams are fraudulent e-mail messages or Web sites designed to trick you into entering personal or financial information. Phishing scams often spoof companies you know and trust, like your bank, and might contain urgent messages with threats of account closures or other alarming consequences. Some phishing e-mail messages and Web sites contain malicious or unwanted software that can enter your computer if you click links or file attachments. For more information, see ID theft and phishing scams.

* Hoaxes include lottery scams and advanced fee fraud scams. For example, an e-mail message might request your help in a financial transaction—such as the transfer of a large sum of money into your account. Or a message might contain a claim that you have received a large inheritance from someone you do not know, or that you have won a lottery that you did not enter. For more information, see Scams that promise money, gifts, or prizes.

Six signs of a scam
Be on the lookout for these six things to help protect yourself from scammers.
1. Generic introductions such as “Dear Customer,” which indicate that the sender does not know you and should not be trusted.
2. Alarming or urgent statements that require you to respond immediately.
3. Requests for personal or financial information, such as user names or passwords, credit card or bank account numbers, social security numbers, date of birth, or other information that can be used to steal your identity.
4. Misspellings and grammatical errors, including Web addresses. The Web address might look very similar to the address of a legitimate business, with a minor change. For example, instead of www.microsoft.com, the scammer might use www.micrsoft.com. For more information, see Typos can cost you.
5. The text of the link in the e-mail message is different from the Web address that you are directed to when you click the link. You can determine the actual Web address for a link by hovering over the link without clicking it. The Web address appears in a text box above the link.
6. The “From” line in the original e-mail message to you shows a different Web address than the one that appears when you try to reply to the message.

How can I help prevent a scam from happening to me?
The following suggestions could help you avoid online fraud.
* Delete spam. Do not open it or reply to it, even to ask to be removed from a mailing list. When you reply, you confirm to the senders that they have reached an active e-mail account.
* Use caution when you click links in an e-mail message, text message, pop-up window, or instant message. Instead, type Web addresses in a Web browser, or use your online bookmarks.
* Do not open e-mail attachments or click instant message download links, unless you know who sent the message and you were expecting the attachment or link.
* Be cautious about providing your personal or financial information online. Do not fill out forms in e-mail messages that ask for personal or financial information.
* Create strong passwords and avoid using the same password for your bank and other important accounts. For more information, see Creating a strong password for your e-mail account: why you should and how to do it.
* Use Internet Explorer 8 or similar Web browsers that include an additional layer of protection with sites that use Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates. With Internet Explorer 8, the address bar turns green to notify you that there is more information available about the Web site you are visiting. The identity of the Web site owner is also displayed on the address bar.
* Visit Microsoft Update to install the latest security updates and turn on the automatic update feature.
* Make sure your computer’s firewall is turned on and that you use antivirus software, which should also be regularly updated.
* Check your bank and credit card statements closely to identify and report any transactions that are not legitimate.
* Never pay bills, bank, shop, or conduct other financial transactions on a public or shared computer, or over a public wireless network. If you do log on to public computers, look for computers on networks that require a password, which increases security.

What should I do if I notice suspicious activity?
If you think an e-mail message might be fraudulent, we recommend taking the following precautions.
* Delete the message. Do not respond or click links in it.
* Report any suspicious activity. (See below for contact information.)
* If you believe that someone is using your Windows Live account, you can reset your password. Go to http://login.live.com and click Forgot your password?
* Fraudulent e-mail messages sometimes contain unwanted or malicious software (also known as malware). If you think you might have malware on your computer, go to safety.live.com and scan your computer to check for and remove unwanted software.

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