eyewitness travel guides: AVG CEO Calls for Tax Credit on Internet Security Tools ...

Company launches Twitter campaign in response to Maine ruling on
consumer and business liability in high-profile hacker theft

SAN JOSE, Calif.?(BUSINESS WIRE)?AVG Technologies CEO JR Smith today called the Maine US District Court?s
ruling that Ocean Bank is not liable for $300,000 stolen by hackers from
Patco Construction Company?s online banking profile, a ?landmark
decision? to which consumers and small businesses pay close attention.
The judge asserted it was Patco?s responsibility to protect account
credentials ? namely via use of internet security and identity
protection tools. Smith believes the decision represents a critical
shift in liability of the industry?s willingness to absorb the
skyrocketing costs of identity theft and fraud via the World Wide Web.
With more than 110 million customers around the globe, AVG is one of the
leading providers of internet and mobile security software. The company
has been on the forefront of protecting consumers and small businesses
from organized crime on the internet for more than a decade.

?AVG has long predicted that banks and retailers would reach a tipping
point where they could no longer fully cover losses that are incurred as
a result of small businesses and consumers not taking responsibility for
securing their personal information?

?AVG has long predicted that banks and retailers would reach a tipping
point where they could no longer fully cover losses that are incurred as
a result of small businesses and consumers not taking responsibility for
securing their personal information,? said Smith. ?More than two years
ago AVG began asking governments to consider tax incentives for
consumers and small businesses as a way of helping them understand their
role in securing the World Wide Web. We believe the money ultimately
saved by thwarting online attacks could not only offset, but supersede
the revenues lost in a tax incentive.?

Smith would not be surprised if the Maine decision is soon joined by
others that take the side of the retailer and banks who have long
covered for their customers? inattention to security threats. According
to Smith, a recent US study
carried out by AVG Technologies and the Ponemon Institute revealed very
disconcerting trends relating to consumer practices in the mobile space
? trends that banks, governments and retailers will probably no longer
ignore.

66 percent of respondents store significant data on their phones
29 percent store debit and credit card information
38 percent use their phone to make payments
89 percent of respondents were unaware that smartphone applications
can transmit confidential payment information such as credit card
details without the user?s knowledge or consent
91 percent of respondents were unaware that financial applications for
smartphones can be infected with malware designed to steal credit card
numbers and online banking credentials, while nearly a third (29
percent) report already storing credit and debit card information on
their devices and 35 percent report storing ?confidential?
work-related documents as well
Less than half of consumers use keypad locks or passwords to secure
their smartphones and only 10 percent of consumers say they turn off
Bluetooth ?discoverable? status on their smartphone when not in use
90 percent do NOT turn off Bluetooth discoverability
Less than 50 percent use key pad locks and 71 percent have never even
considered installing AV software

Furthermore, AVG?s recent SMB landscape report found that one in seven
small businesses have no security software (rising to one in four for
single-employee businesses in the US) ? and less than half are aware of
the real and tangible threats posed by Internet based attacks. AVG also
found that 77 percent of firms recognise that a security breach could
have a significant impact on their business and 83 percent feel that
having the right level of protection is critical to their business. Yet
less than half have a clear security policy in place.

?Banks and retailers are going to expect small businesses and consumers
to meet them halfway when it comes to security,? said Smith. ?AVG
believes that tax incentives for small businesses and consumers are
important steps in the process of helping them understand they are a
critical link in the security chain. Because consumers and small
businesses really do not have a choice when it comes to doing business
in the digital world, and as business and government are completely
dependent on the worldwide web to conduct commerce, it is important they
have tax incentives to make the right security investments.?

For people who wish to show their support for the government to provide
tax incentives for consumers who utilize security software and tools to
protect their online activities, AVG is initiating a viral effort on
Twitter where consumers can get involved. Please tweet the following:
@avgfree The US government needs to provide tax incentives to help
consumers utilize security software #SecurityCredit Please retweet . The
volume of tweets will send an important message to the decision makers
who can enact this important decision to protect consumers.

About AVG

www.avg.com

AVG is a global security software maker protecting more than 110 million
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 cyber
crime and one of the most 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 nearly 6,000 resellers, partners
and distributors globally including Amazon.com, CNET, Ingram Micro,
Play.com, Wal-Mart, and Yahoo!

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