Sunbelt Software, a leading provider of Windows security software,
today announced an upgrade to its award-winning VIPRE Antivirus +
Antispyware product. The new version, now called VIPRE Antivirus 4.0,
includes extensive under-the-hood enhancements and improvements that
continue the company’s rich heritage of providing powerful,
high-performance desktop antivirus and antispyware protection. The
company also announced a new addition to the VIPRE product family, VIPRE
Antivirus Premium 4.0, which includes desktop firewall and
other anti-malware technologies to deliver fast, powerful and
comprehensive malware protection. The releases are part of a significant
technology platform upgrade to all of the company’s endpoint security
products.
"These new releases continue to provide our end-users high
performance protection from malware threats that has made VIPRE so
successful in the market," said Alex Eckelberry, CEO of Sunbelt
Software. "The Premium edition is notable in that we didn’t set out to
build a suite with ‘everything but the kitchen sink’. Instead, we
focused on the task of providing outstanding desktop anti-malware
protection, without any compromises in performance."
VIPRE Antivirus 4.0
VIPRE Antivirus 4.0, the new version of the company’s original VIPRE
Antivirus + Antispyware, includes notable enhancements such as improved
support for removable drives; enhanced support for 64-bit environments,
including a 64-bit boot cleaner and 64-bit rootkit scanner; support for
Mozilla Firefox Scan Extensions; and other overall quality improvements
to bolster the efficiency and performance of the VIPRE product.
New VIPRE Antivirus Premium 4.0
VIPRE Antivirus Premium 4.0 is designed to provide the core,
necessary desktop malware protection that users need in today’s threat
environment. Instead of creating a product loaded with largely marketing
features (such as parental controls or online backup), Sunbelt focused
on the core features that provide users with comprehensive protection —
a desktop firewall, host-based intrusion prevention (HIPS), malicious
URL filtering and an intrusion detection system (IDS).
Features in the Premium edition include:
Two-way firewall: Based on the company’s Sunbelt Personal
Firewall(TM) technology, the new fully integrated bi-directional
firewall supports 32 and 64-bit environments and protects users from
unwanted incoming and outgoing traffic. The firewall can run in a
"Simple" mode (which provides inbound protection and requires virtually
no user interaction) or for advanced users, a "Learning" mode (which
adds outbound protection, requiring the user to train the firewall on
acceptable outbound traffic). In addition, there is a "Boot Time"
firewall mode, which limits access on the PC to only certain resources
upon loading.
Web filtering: Since most threats are web-borne, the web
filtering module provides vital protection against a wide range of
web-based attacks. Features include:
— Malicious URL Filtering: Leveraging Sunbelt’s industry-leading ThreatTrack database of malicious URLs, Malicious URL Filtering provides a significant additional layer of protection against the rapidly evolving online threat environment. Constantly updated by Sunbelt’s malware research labs, ThreatTrack is used by numerous leading security organizations.
— Ad blocking: Ad blocking cleans the clutter on the web, blocking many third-party advertisements from ever appearing while surfing.
— Anti-phishing: Blocks access to known phishing websites by email or through the web browser.
— Script blocking: Optionally block Javascript, VBScript and ActiveX controls.
— Cookie settings: Filter persistent cookies, session cookies, foreign cookies and referral information from an originating website.
IDS (Intrusion Detection System): The desktop IDS
functionality of VIPRE provides an additional layer of protection
against a wide range of both inbound and outbound malicious internet
traffic (such as an attempted exploit).
HIPS (Host Intrusion Prevention): The HIPS functionality
protects against an attack vector known as code injection, where an
application attempts to "ride-along" the credentials of another
application to exploit a system.
Pricing and availability
Both versions of VIPRE Antivirus are currently available. Annual
subscriptions include one year of threat definition updates, software
upgrades, and live US-based toll-free technical support. Customers of
the existing VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware on an existing subscription
plan will receive the new VIPRE Antivirus 4.0 at no charge. An upgrade
to VIPRE Antivirus Premium is available for a nominal fee.
VIPRE Antivirus pricing for a single user annual subscription is
$29.95, a 2-user subscription is $49.95, or an unlimited home license is
$59.95 that protects all PCs in a single household.
VIPRE Antivirus Premium pricing for a single user annual subscription
is $39.95, a 2-user subscription is $59.95, or an unlimited home
license is $69.95.
VIPRE is compatible with both 32 and 64 bit version of Windows 2000,
XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008, Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7.
