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For release April 30, 2003
America Online and Network Associates Launch New Premium Virus Protection Service for AOL Members
DULLES, VA and SANTA CLARA, CA April 30, 2003 - America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company,
and McAfee Security Consumer, a business unit of Network Associates, Inc.
(NYSE: NET), today announced a new, comprehensive premium virus protection
service to help AOL members guard against thousands of known viruses,
trojans, and worms, as well as new threats that may arise.
Available now, McAfee VirusScan Online - Brought to you by AOL offers easy-to-use virus protection that enables AOL members to have an
even safer and more secure online experience. Always on guard and always
up to date, the McAfee Security premium service provides AOL members with
comprehensive, PC-based protection that guards files against infection or
corruption whether the member is online or not.
A recent online survey shows that three-quarters (75%) of respondents are
open to Internet threats because they either do not have or do not update
anti-virus software on a weekly basis. In addition, while over 100
million American adults have computers hooked up to the Internet at home,
only half of computer-equipped households use anti-virus software,
according to recent studies.
The new premium anti-virus service provides users with a desktop solution
that goes beyond email protection and helps to guard against infection
from peer-to-peer file sharing, Web site downloads, infected CD-ROMs and
disks, multi-media files, and more.
Jeff Kimball, Vice President of Product Marketing at America Online, Inc.,
said: "Every month, about 250 new computer viruses are created, so
up-to-date virus protection is critical. This is especially true for
broadband users, who spend even more time online. We're delighted to be
working with McAfee, the most trusted name in virus protection, to offer
AOL members this always on, always up to date premium offering. This
comprehensive new service can help protect a member's PC whether they're
surfing the Net and download a song with a virus, a family member sends a
photograph that's corrupted, or a small-office user is given a CD-ROM with
an infected file. In keeping with AOL's hallmark ease-of-use, AOL members
will also receive regular and automatic updates every time they sign onto
AOL - providing the peace-of-mind of knowing they're always protected,
while freeing them from the burden of manually downloading anti-virus
upgrades themselves."
Key benefits of the premium service for AOL members include:
"AOL and McAfee Security share very similar objectives-make a consumer's
online experience simple, safe and enjoyable," said Art Matin, president
of McAfee Security, Network Associates. "The McAfee VirusScan Online
service is an ideal virus-protection solution for AOL members because it
offers the always on, automatically updated features AOL members have come
to expect-trademarks of the exceptional AOL online experience."
In addition to the regular scan of the AOL member's hard drive performed
by the new service, members can also scan specific files, zipped files,
folders, subfolders, drives, downloads, DVDs, and CD-ROMs at any time.
When an infected file is found, members have the option to clean, delete
or quarantine it.
McAfee VirusScan Online - Brought to you by AOL does not require any special equipment. Members can simply sign up for
the service; click the download button; download the software; and follow
the instructions for installation. McAfee VirusScan Online - Brought to you by AOL is available for AOL 7.0 or higher for Windows users.
The launch of the new premium service follows the recent rollout of AOL
8.0 PLUS, which includes e-mail attachment scanning from McAfee, a service that
automatically scans and protects all AOL members' mail from known viruses
and other threats that could be included within incoming or outgoing email
attachments. For AOL® for Broadband users, AOL and McAfee are also
offering at no additional charge the McAfee® Personal Firewall Express
service, which allows for comprehensive threat protection, with an option
to select an always-on guard barrier between hackers and the users' hard
drive. Together, these services offer unmatched safety and security
features for dial-up and AOL for Broadband members.
At launch, McAfee VirusScan Online - Brought to you by AOL is available to AOL members for $2.95 a month. For a limited time, new
and existing AOL members can try the premium virus protection service for
a no-cost, one-month introductory period. To sign up or to learn more, AOL
members can visit AOL Keyword: VirusScan Online.
About America Online, Inc.
About McAfee Security
McAfee's advanced retail desktop solutions include premier anti-virus,
security, encryption, and desktop optimization software. McAfee's managed
Web security services employ a patented system and process of delivering
software through an Internet browser to provide these services to users
online through its Web site www.mcafee.com, one of the largest paid
subscription sites on the Internet with over two million active paid
subscribers.
About Network Associates, Inc.
America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc.
(NYSE: AOL). Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's
leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and
e-commerce services.
McAfee Security Consumer is a division of Network Associates, Inc. that
delivers world-class retail and online solutions designed to secure,
protect and optimize the computers of consumers and home office users.
With headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., Network Associates, Inc. is a
leading supplier of network security and availability solutions for
enterprises, small and medium size businesses, home office users and
consumers. Network Associates® is comprised of three product groups:
McAfee Security, delivering world-class anti-virus and security products
and services; Sniffer® Technologies, a leader in network availability and
system security; and Magic Solutions®, a leader in innovative service
management solutions. For more information, Network Associates can be
reached at 972-963-8000 or on the Internet at http://www.networkassociates.com.
