AVG's latest free anti-virus software warns users there are active threats on Standard Bank's Web site, and blocks access to it.
A reader says he tried to do his online banking as usual recently after having installed the new edition. The built-in LinkScanner warned him that the site contained active threats and would not let him access it.
He adds he has used the site for some time, and always connects to it through his bookmarks tab.
Phoenix Software distributes the anti-virus solution locally and AVG has over 1.5 million users in SA. Sales and technical support engineering manager, Rayaan Abrahams, says the product comes equipped with a feature called LinkScanner.
“LinkScanner lets you know if the Web page you are visiting is safe before you even get there. In some cases, because the banking sites are all secure sites, it could be mistaken for a malicious site and be blocked for your safety,” he says.
The IP address listed by the software as being malicious is 'Standard Bank Investment Corporation', he says. The company was not able to induce any detection surfing on the Standard Bank Web site.
Abrahams says other sites could be affected in this way, depending on whether the code that makes up the site consists of a large amount of virus scripts. If so, a malicious status gets assigned to this site.
To get around the issue, he says surfers can click on tools from the menu bar and select advanced settings, then select LinkScanner and uncheck 'Enable AVG Search-Shield' before restarting the browser.
When ITWeb searched for Standard Bank's site using LinkScanner, no threats were detected.
Standard Bank was not immediately available for comment.
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