Computer security firm Avira has boosted its flagship product with some new innovations.

Avira AntiVir Version 10 now boasts a behaviour-based detection called "ProActiv" which introduces single-click malware removal.

And the new version of Avira AntiVir Version 10, which is used by around 100 million computer users worldwide, also introduces generic system repair for damage that may be caused by new variants of viruses and malware.

Further features include enhanced security (possibly thanks to shared intelligence on emerging viruses from the 100 million-plus strong Avira community); express installation, transparent user interface and slide-up virus information with one-click antivirus removal feature; and, parental control in the Avira AntiVir Suite which gives control over Internet surfing hours.

Travis Witteveen, Head of Sales and Marketing at Avira, said:
“Our antivirus solutions minimize our users’ malware worries and maximize their PC security. It is very important to us that our solutions should be even more user-friendly.

“We are also making online life easier for parents by including Parental Controls the AntiVir Suite that provide more powerful tools to protect their children while surfing the net – for example by allowing them to monitor what there are doing and seeing online, and by defining surfing times and days.”

The new ProActiv technology is integral to the Premium and Professional editions of Avira AntiVir Version 10. In effect, it adds an extra fourth layer of protection by introducing analysis of a programme’s behavioural patterns to help detect malware in addition to heuristic, generic and pattern-based scanning methods. This means that by blocking suspicious programmes, threats can be eliminated immediately.

What’s more, those Avira AntiVir Version 10 users who join the Avira AntiVir ProActiv Community will benefit from increased protection. In practice, this means members can automatically run an advanced check on suspicious files. And those will be sent to Avira’s security experts for analysis, with the results being used to further refine the behaviour-based detection.

And the great thing about it’s genetic repair feature, says Avira, is that it cleans up after undetected viruses. It does this by searching for any residual data and removes this from the hard disk and registry. This helps to remove traces that may otherwise allow a PC to become compromised.

The revised editions of Avira AntiVir Version 10 also come with an enhanced user interface. This not only provides a clearer overview of the available features, but by means of colour-coding, it provides users, at a glance, with a view of their system’s health and well-being. Green means that everything is okay, but red warns if problems.

The interface also includes slide-ups (when a problem is detected); discreet information boxes; malware findings are displayed in reports as appropriate; one mouse-click can get rid of suspicious files; and, the system is also quickly repaired by the application.

Guest Article by Neil Camp