[September 01, 2011]

New Survey Ranks the Top U.S. Cities Most Vulnerable to Online Threats

Who is most at risk of fraudulent credit card charges, stolen identities, email security breaches or lost personal data? AVG Technologies, a leading provider of Internet and mobile security, today announced the results of a survey* of online and mobile consumer behaviors in 35 major U.S. cities to uncover which is most likely to be "digitally duped."

Across the country, Americans were most likely to be guilty of poor mobile habits - 40 percent don't use a password on their mobile device and of those that do, another 34 percent have not changed the password in the past year. Even more revealing, 75 percent don't take active measures to back-up their phone's data - many relying on their provider to restore their contacts should an accident occur.

Many consumers are also unknowingly putting themselves at risk of falling victim to identity thieves, viruses and malware with bad PC habits and a lack of comprehensive protection. Of the more than 8,000 Americans with access to Internet at home surveyed:

• 23% don't back up the data on their PC
• 38% admit to sharing online passwords with at least one other person
• 41% never run a manual antivirus scan to ensure computer is virus free
• 67% don't use an identity monitoring service

"Recent news demonstrates that consumers need to be more vigilant than ever about safeguarding the personal information sitting on their PCs and mobile devices," said JR Smith, CEO of AVG Technologies. "Consumers are getting smarter about online threats but still fail to connect the dots when it comes to understanding that today's climate requires users protect any device that is internet enabled. At AVG, our goal is to help consumers stay ahead of cybercriminals by protecting their families with simple, yet powerful online protection for all online devices - your smartphone, tablet and PC."

While the threat is high for many U.S. cities, the report isn't all bad. AVG found 55 percent use two or fewer credit/debit cards each month for online purchases and more than 72 percent of online Americans are checking their online banking accounts at least once per week for errors. In addition to a high level of caution around personal finances online, 72 percent also claim to have never been fooled by an email phishing scam within the past year.

To help consumers protect themselves even further, AVG also unveiled today AVG Internet Security 2012, a nimble, high-performance solution that answers consumers' call for simplicity, dependability and freedom of choice. Based on its connection-acceleration technology, light footprint and scanning speeds, AVG is at the forefront of security innovation and provides first-class protection without hampering today's connected consumer.

"AVG is committed to helping consumers protect themselves and the things they care about the most," said Smith. "Computers and devices have become an extension of every individual at work and at play - and the more we protect these machines, the more we protect ourselves."

In addition to installing a free, robust antivirus program on all your online devices, AVG recommends the following simple steps to minimize the risk of fraudulent charges, identity theft and personal data loss:

• Use one credit card with a low spending limit for all online purchases. Monitor this account regularly, and flag any inappropriate activity immediately to the bank or lending institution.
• Change passwords regularly, use variations for each online account, and never, ever share them with others.
• Back up data! Back up data on computers with external hard drives or a cloud-based solution such as AVG LiveKive™, and don't forget about mobile devices, too.
• Protect data on the go. The more personal information is shared via mobile devices, the more hackers will target these tools. AVG Mobilation™ for Android (News - Alert)™ smartphones and tablets not only adds protection from malware, it can remotely wipe the device if lost or stolen.
• Be wary of phishing scams. Never click on links in emails from banks, or other financial institutions - go directly to their URL and enter your log-in information from their homepage.

Download AVG Internet Security 2012 for free and learn more about AVG's ecosystem of security and internet lifestyle products at www.avg.com.

* AVG Technologies commissioned Research Now, a leading global online sampling and online data collection company, to survey 8,000 consumers in 35 U.S. cities who own an Internet-connected device and have Internet-access at home between August 5 and August 22, 2011. Individuals in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand were also surveyed.

About AVG Technologies

AVG is a global security software maker protecting 98 million active consumers and small businesses in 170 countries from the ever-growing incidence of Web threats, viruses, spam, cyber-scams and hackers on the Internet. AVG has nearly two decades of experience in combating cybercrime and advanced laboratories for detecting, pre-empting and combating Web-borne threats from around the world. Its free, downloadable software allows novice users to have basic anti-virus protection and then easily upgrade to greater levels of safety and defense when they are ready. AVG has a strong reseller network consisting of resellers, partners and distributors globally including Google (News - Alert), CNET, Ingram Micro, and Wal-Mart.
www.avg.com

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