Over the last several years, AVG has earned a reputation among computer users as a provider of security solutions that are tough on threats, but easy on the user. Key to this is AVG's relentless dedication to producing software that operates unobtrusively, minimising the use of system resources. This results in a security solution that does not slow the computer down, enabling users to focus on the professional or leisure pursuits for which they intended the computer to be used. Thanks to AVG's state of the art technology and dedication to customer service, the company now protects over 70 million computers worldwide.

With AVG 8.0, AVG raises the bar further by providing improved protection against traditional threats such as viruses, spam, spyware and Trojans as well as new protection against emerging threats including web exploits, drive-by downloads, phishing and rootkits.

The following is a summary of new and improved features:

New LinkScanner Anti-Exploit technology - AVG 8.0's patent-pending LinkScanner safe surfing and safe searching technology is designed to protect users of Internet Explorer and Firefox web browsers against drive-by downloads from poisoned web pages, and to flag dangerous search results in Google, Yahoo and MSN search engines.
New Web Shield - Complementing AVG 8.0's LinkScanner safe surf and safe search technology, the new Web Shield module scans files during download or exchange over ICQ or MSN instant messaging to ensure they are safe and free of malicious content. It also protects against infected files while using online chat.
New High Performance Scanning Engine - AVG has reengineered the scanning engine from the ground up to tackle viruses and spyware in a single pass, delivering improved performance and speed through support for multi-core computers, reduced system resource requirements and streamlined maintenance.
New User Interface - Enables more intuitive and efficient operation for novice and advanced users alike.
New Anti-Rootkit - This new component removes and protects against rootkits, an especially pernicious form of malware that can give cyber criminals high-level control over infected computers.
New Firewall - The all-new AVG firewall is designed to protect computers against unauthorised access from internal and external networks as well as direct attacks from hackers and cyber criminals.
Improved Anti-Virus - Provides improved detection of hidden viruses, faster scanning and more intuitive scheduling of scans.
Improved Resident Shield - Provides enhanced on-access scanning with the ability to scan multiple file-open requests simultaneously.
Anti-Spam - Brings faster performance to minimise e-mail processing time and ensure prompt delivery of messages.