All-in-One Software: Grisoft/AVG Technologies

AVG Technologies, formerly known as Grisoft, was once again awarded with the VB (Virus Bulletin) 100% Award in February of 2008.  This award was given due to the company's proven ability to detect every virus categorized in the wild, while producing very few false positives.  These outstanding revelations were made during Virus Bulletin's on-demand and on-access comparative scanning tests. 

New Features

Grisoft's award winning technology continues with AVG Internet Security 8.0, a fully functioning security suite.  This software has seamlessly integrated previous stand-alone applications, such as the AVG Anti-Virus and AVG Anti-Spyware, along with the AVG Anti-Rootkit and LinkScanner, to make one powerful package. 

The latest version features a totally revamped user interface and several refined elements that enhance performance and make the program more efficient at blocking security threats.  The LinkScanner is an advanced component that intercepts online content and scans it for probable exploits before allowing them to pass through the browser.  Unlike static phishing protection settings offered by McAfee and Google, AVG Internet Security 8.0 has the ability to block troublesome sites in real-time.  This gives AVG an advantage over the competition, as phishing sites have a good chance of slipping through static settings opposed to a real-time method. 

Aside from direct internet threats, AVG Internet Security 8.0 filters out annoying spam messages and protects exploits found within downloaded photos, audio and video files, instant messaging sessions, and peer-to-peer file sharing. 

Installation and Setup

Installing AVG Internet Security 8.0 is an easy process that requires no rebooting.  Users upgrading from an older AVG product must completely remove it before installing version 8.0. 

During the install, the software asks and recommends that you also install a security toolbar.  The toolbar it installs is essentially a search box provided by Yahoo.  Of course this is optional, as the LinkScanner technology can be used even without installation of the toolbar.   

AVG recommends that users proceed with the Firewall Wizard after the initial setup process has concluded.  The wizard will ask whether your computer is a standalone or part of a network then allows you to select commonly used programs that need online access.  From there the wizard walks you through the simple process of actually configuring the firewall.