Phoenix Software, MWEB partner to protect Internet users

Since MWEB, South Africa's leading Internet service provider, was founded in 1997, its sole mission has been to unlock the full potential of the Internet for its customers. The company does this by delivering an online experience that is fast, simple, reliable and tailored to the needs of each customer, whether a home or business user.

This drive towards total customer satisfaction has led to a partnership with Phoenix Software, specialist software distribution house and local distributor of AVG.

The partnership will provide MWEB customers with affordable Internet security, with Phoenix Software providing the ISP with downloadable and trackable free anti-virus versions.

“MWEB is at the forefront of Internet research and development, always looking for new ways to delight our customers with constant innovation and superior service,” says Carolyn Holgate, General Manager, MWEB Connect. “We are constantly looking at offering consumers the best products in the market, and when it comes to Internet security software, AVG is one of the best.”

For MWEB's 320 000 South African users, this is very good news. But it's equally good news for the rest of us. A small majority of Windows boxes worldwide have anti-virus protection, but not all users have updated their anti-virus subscription or updated the programs themselves. Fewer Windows computers worldwide have personal firewalls installed.

Every one of those unprotected computers linking to the Internet today is a potential breeding ground for new viruses, worms, and Internet attacks. “We know this because security researchers routinely set up deliberately unprotected boxes, called honeypots, on the Internet to trap the latest malware. In most cases, these boxes are infected with something within only a few hours. You can only imagine what an unprotected computer that's been connected to the Internet for years must look like,” says Bruce Goodwill, AVG country manager.

Criminal hackers love unprotected boxes. One way for spammers to avoid detection is to plant a Trojan horse on an unprotected Windows computer, then use that computer to launch thousands of e-mail messages onto the Internet. Recent viruses have been 'seeded' the same way. Virus writers set up thousands of computers worldwide for the moment when they launch their latest virus; this both helps get the numbers of initial virus infections high enough for the anti-virus vendors to sound a warning, and it helps spread the virus fast enough to evade any anti-virus solutions, which can take up to several hours to create.

“Therefore, protecting bigger numbers of computers reduces the threat of new viruses and Internet attacks,” Goodwill adds.

A good number of current MWEB subscribers have already put their own anti-virus protection in place, but all MWEB customers will now be able to download AVG Internet Security. AVG Internet Security offers superior Internet protection and monitoring, as well as a LinkScanner for safe surfing and searching. It also provides a WebShield for safe social networking, chatting and downloading.

“The growth of the Internet and lifting of bandwidth restrictions in South Africa is changing the landscape,” says Simon Campbell-Young, CEO of Phoenix Software. “As consumers have greater access to bandwidth, so they will increasingly appreciate the simplicity and ease of use that software downloads provide.”

He adds that this is, in turn, creating huge opportunities for forward-looking companies. “As software publishers, we believe this environment is helping us drive our focus on value-added services, and this is something we believe our customers and partners can see the benefits of.”