Citing the urgent need to protect its users from online
threats, America Online (AOL) will begin bundling anti-virus
software from McAfee with the latest version of its software, AOL
9.0.
The company is making McAfee's VirusScan Online available at no
additional cost to both broadband and dial-up AOL customers,
eliminating a premium service for the anti-virus protection.
The software will allow AOL members to protect their AOL account
and scan their computer hard drive for viruses and quarantine or
disinfect corrupted files, AOL said.
Customers who upgrade to AOL 9.0 Security Edition, will be able
to download and activate VirusScan after the AOL upgrade is
complete. AOL members using earlier editions of the 9.0 software
will have to download the software separately from AOL's
website.
AOL has been offering VirusScan as a premium service since April
2003, for users of AOL 7.0 and 8.0 software. The service previously
cost $2.95 (£1.60) a month, a price that entitled customers to
VirusScan and periodic software and virus definition updates.
Customers who signed up for the premium anti-virus protection
will continue to receive the service, but will not be charged for
it, according to Andrew Weinstein, a company spokesman.
In addition to the desktop anti-virus protection, AOL already
scans file attachments in incoming and outgoing e-mail messages,
the company said.
AOL has taken an increasing interest in online security and is
promoting security as a key benefit of AOL membership.
In September, RSA Security and AOL announced a new premium
service called "AOL PassCode" that will allow AOL customers to use
secure tokens to protect account information.
The company released study results, conducted in conjunction
with the National Cyber Security Alliance, that found 20% of home
computers were infected by a virus or worm, and that various forms
of snooping programs such as spyware were on 80% of systems.
The survey of home computers and their owners also revealed a
gap between users' perceptions and the prevalence of actual threats
on the internet, with more than two-thirds of home users
interviewed for the survey saying they felt safe from online
threats.
AOL 9.0 Security Edition will be released in November.
Paul Roberts writes for IDG News Service