ESET News

ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4 Deliver Advanced Proactive Protection

SAN DIEGO - March 2, 2009 - ESET, the leader in proactive threat protection for PCs, servers, and other systems, today announced version 4 of ESET's award-winning anti-malware solutions ESET NOD32 Antivirus and ESET Smart Security, for consumers and businesses. The new versions build on ESET's ThreatSense®, the industry's most accurate proactive technology for detecting viruses and other malware, by adding over 20 new capabilities that improve malware detection, enhance system diagnostics and recovery, and improve management. The latest release continues ESET's tradition of delivering ultimate security with fast, transparent operation and minimal load on system memory, disk or CPU. ESET's unrivaled ability to deliver industry-leading proactive malware detection and high system performance can literally extend the life of PCs and laptops while improving their security.

"In an increasingly complex threat environment, anti-malware solution providers are tasked with packing even more security features into endpoint security products, but must be conscious of system performance when doing so," said Andrew Hanson, research analyst, Security Products, IDC. "Current economic pressures are causing businesses to extend or freeze PC-replacement cycles, but security expenditures are still required to address the growing threat landscape. Leading security vendors will provide cost effective solutions that successfully integrate multiple layers of protection, while extending the life of the computer by conserving system resources and maintaining performance — all at a price point businesses and consumers can afford."

ESET's new detection and diagnostic features safeguard users from deceptive forms of malware by digging deeper into the operating system, files and encrypted browser traffic to identify and eliminate hidden malware threats. The latest version also includes advanced self-defense technology that protects against malware designed to disable antivirus or anti-malware solutions, leaving the user completely unprotected. Together, these new features enable consumers and businesses to proactively block most new malware attacks before they can compromise systems to damage or steal data.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4 Business Editions also feature a full-range of management capabilities. These include support for high-end databases, fine-grained control of endpoint security, and even greater scalability for large, dispersed networks. ESET Business Editions include version 3.0 of ESET's Remote Administrator, which enables business to remotely deploy and manage ESET software.

ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4's new, industry-first security features include:

• Advanced Archive Scanning — This new feature makes ESET's consumer products the first to allow experienced users to fully customize scanning to do a "deep dive" of archive files created with popular compression formats, including .RAR, .ZIP and others. Comprehensive controls allow users to define archive scanning with scanning depth, maximum scan time, and maximum file size.
• Removable Media Access Control — Gives consumers removable media security for USB flash drives and CDs – protection previously extended only to businesses. The feature gives administrators the ability to allow or block mounting of removable media. If removable media is allowed, dangerous files like AUTORUN.INF are scanned for threats.
• ESET SysInspector — Newly integrated into ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4, this powerful system diagnostics tool quickly discovers hidden/potentially dangerous rootkits without running a full antivirus scan. It can also reveal hidden changes to the operating system, web browser, registry and applications. The scan results are standardized and can be reviewed by IT personnel, speeding up malware analysis and removal.
• ESET SysRescue — Enables users to diagnose and recover compromised systems more easily. Customers build their own system rescue CDs, which can be used to clean up and repair systems compromised by malware without reimaging the system.

With ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4, the company also adds the following additional features to further improve threat prevention, detection and management:

• Business-class interoperability and management — ESET includes powerful features to integrate into multi-layer security environments. Enhanced reporting, support for Cisco NAC, removable media control, and improved policy authoring simplify deployment and ongoing management, with improved interoperability.
• Power conservation — Already the most efficient and lightweight anti-malware products on the market, ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4 go one step further by automatically adjusting performance on laptops to maximize battery life without compromising security.
• Improved self-defense technology — ESET software features improved defenses against disabling of the antivirus system by malware or unauthorized users – among other things by restricting changes to ESET's processes and registry entries to authenticated users.
• User-friendly interface — Numerous enhancements to the GUI make the product even easier to use. Among many enhancements, there is auto-disabling notifications when full-screen applications like presentations, games or video are running, and a new non-graphical user interface that allows disabled and visually-impaired users to easily interact with the software using screen readers and other assistive technologies.

For a full list of ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4 features, please visit http://www.eset.com/products/

"While other companies attempt to play catch-up to the ever-increasing flood of complex malware, ESET's advanced heuristics and new feature-rich solutions continue to deliver superior prevention and detection capabilities, without compromising system performance," said Anton Zajac, CEO of ESET. "More than 70 million consumer and business users worldwide rely on ESET's reliable, proactive protection to secure them from Internet attacks. By continuing our tradition of delivering maximum protection with minimum overhead, we increase efficiency and decrease total cost of ownership."

Availability
The consumer and business editions of ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 and ESET Smart Security 4 will be available for purchase on March 2, 2009 at http://www.eset.com/ or through a network of partners worldwide.

The suggested retail price for ESET Smart Security 4 is US$59.99 for individual users which includes a one year subscription to all updates to the product, including new versions. ESET Smart Security 4 Business Edition is available on a tiered pricing structure starting at US$40.99 (5-10 seats, per seat).

ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 is US$39.99 for individual users which includes a one year subscription to all updates to the product, including new versions. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 Business Edition is available on a tiered pricing structure starting at $32.99 (5-10 seats, per seat).

About ESET
ESET develops software solutions that deliver instant, comprehensive protection against evolving computer security threats. ESET pioneered and continues to lead the industry in proactive threat detection. ESET NOD32 Antivirus consistently achieves the highest accolades in all types of comparative testing, and is the heart of the virus and spyware detection in ESET Smart Security. ESET Smart Security is an integrated antivirus, antispyware, antispam and personal firewall solution that combines accuracy, speed and an extremely small system footprint to create the most effective security solution in the industry. Both products have an extremely efficient code base that eliminates the unnecessarily large size found in some solutions. This means faster scanning that doesn't slow down computers or networks. Sold in more than 160 countries, ESET has worldwide production headquarters in Bratislava, Slovakia and worldwide distribution headquarters in San Diego, California. ESET also has offices in Buenos Aires, Prague, and is represented by an extensive global partner network. For more information, visit http://www.eset.com/ or call +1 (619) 876-5400.

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