Anti-Virus Users Are Restless, Avira Survey Finds

Over 60% of Consumers Tried Multiple Anti-Virus Products in a Year’s Span; 1 out of 4 Have Actually Turned Off AV Protection on their PC

Tettnang, Germany, December 16, 2010 – IT security expert Avira conducted a consumer security survey of its computer users worldwide in November which showed that more than 60 percent of respondents have tried multiple anti-virus products over the course of a year. In addition, 25 percent of the users admitted to turning off their anti-virus protection because they thought those programs were slowing down their computers.

The sample size of the consumer security survey was 9,091 with a margin of error between 0.28 and 1 percent. The questions were posed to Avira’s 100+ million customers worldwide, giving the survey an international flavor. Here are the top findings from Avira’s November security survey:

• 62.84% – Have tried multiple security products in a one-year span on the same computer.
• 25.15% – Turned off the anti-virus software because I had the feeling it was slowing down my computer.
• 12.01% – Thought about not using the Internet because of safety reasons.

It’s not surprising that consumers try multiple security products each year since everyone is trying to find the right security product which can effectively balance protection and a computer’s resource usage” said Sorin Mustaca, data security expert of Avira. “The scary take-away from this survey is that 25 percent of the respondents admitted to just turning off their security products because they feel that it hurt the performance of the machine. That’s not a good idea because such a practice leaves the computer totally exposed to the even simplest of viruses, allowing the bad guys to include it in a botnet used to distribute malware and phishing. It is a clear sign for the vendors that even more care has to be taken in order not to overload the security software with features which may have a great impact on system performance. In the end, when it comes to security, it is better to have minimal protection which goes unnoticed than protection with all whistles and bells which the user deactivates in order to be able to use his computer.”

About Avira

Avira wants its customers to ‘live free’ from spyware, phishing, viruses and other internet-based threats.
The company was founded 25 years ago on Tjark Auerbach's promise to "make software that does good things for my friends and family." More than 100 million consumers and small businesses now depend upon Avira’s security expertise and award-winning antivirus software, making the company the number-two market share leader globally. Avira provides IT-security protection to computers, smartphones, servers and networks, delivered as both software and cloud-based services.

In addition to protecting the online world, Avira's CEO promotes well-being in the offline world through the Auerbach Foundation, which supports charitable and social projects. The philosophy of the foundation is to help people to help themselves.

For more information, please visit www.avira.com or join the community at www.facebook.com/avira.