This is development supposed to "broaden the search functionality of AVG’s Security Toolbar product and real-time Internet security solution, AVG LinkScanner," AVG explained in a statement.

The security firm also said, "By integrating Google search technology into these industry-leading Internet security solutions, AVG is making its already best-in-class security products even more powerful and continuing to deliver on its belief that everyone is entitled to protection from Internet threats."

That’s a nice endorsement of Google’s abilities.  And when consumers start seeing Google’s name and logo attached to products that keep them safe, that association should also work in the search giant’s favor.

Just don’t go looking for too many more details concerning the deal.  Google and AVG have both stayed mum so far with regards to financial arrangements (assuming there are any), and there’s also something of a question mark on the subject of how long the partnership’s supposed to last.

J.R. Smith, the CEO of AVG, only said, "AVG is committed to providing our users with intuitive technology that allows them to proactively prevent computer infections while they search the Web."

According to the poll results most social network users fail to perform the following basic security measures on a regular basis:

• Changing passwords (64 percent infrequently or never)
• Adjusting privacy settings (57 percent infrequently or never)
• Informing their social network administrator (90 percent infrequently or never)

Donovan Neale-May
Executive Director
CMO Council

"As social networking populations grow globally and the proliferation of niche social networks and mobile offerings extends the reach of social communities, the threats and vulnerabilities are escalating accordingly," said Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council.

"More frequent breaches and outbreaks on popular social sites are a testament to the need for a more preventative mindset and threat-alert culture among community users."

Other security risks to social networking users include:

• 21 percent accept contact offerings from members they don’t recognize
• More than half let acquaintances or roommates access social networks on their machines
• 64 percent click on links offered by community members or contacts
• 26 percent share files within social networks

Because of the widespread increase of links, files, and unsolicited contacts, users have experienced high levels of breaches and threats:

• Nearly 20 percent have experienced identity theft
• 47 percent have been victims of malware infections
• 55 percent have seen phishing attacks

"The fact that users understand the risks, and yet are failing to take the basic steps to protect themselves presents an interesting challenge to companies, like AVG, that are working to create a safer cyber community," said Siobhan MacDermott, Head of Public Policy, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, AVG Technologies.

"It is disconcerting to see what in concept is a very informed audience knowingly rolling the dice when it comes to staying secure on line – it is an important indicator of the practices of general consumers," said Siobhan MacDermott, head of global communications and investor relations with AVG. "If the informed press is exposed, then even more so is the home user that is not as savvy at detecting or protecting against the latest scam."

"The value of the research is not that it exposes journalists, but rather it gives us great insight to how our more knowledgeable users are, or are not, protecting themselves," said MacDermott. "This tells the security community that we have a great deal of work to do as users are not doing many of the basics."

Here are some highlights from the poll:

- More than half don’t change their passwords, or rely on their company to do it for them, even though 13 percent have experienced critical data loss or system failure due to malware to their systems.

- 80 percent of media staff rarely or never inform their network administrator of online security concerns they encounter.

- 36 percent use Wi-Fi networks most of the time, potentially endangering them to security risks associated with public networks

- 90 percent of them use some sort of social networking site, with LinkedIn (75 percent) the most popular site followed by Facebook (70 percent) and Twitter (51 percent).

-  20 percent access social networking sites both from their mobile phone and their computer

"Clearly, we’ve got to do a better job as a security community in shifting the mentality of our users from one that is dependent on the system to keep them safe to one that takes personal accountability and understands their role in the security continuum," said MacDermott. "Users have to understand they are a vital piece of [the] equation and that they have a great deal of ownership in shoring up their cyberspaces."

According to AVG, over 40,000 new viruses and malware arrive in virus labs around the world every day. Many of these are documented in the media. 

The company says on any given day two million web pages are infected with malware, and every day 60 percent of threats move to a different webpage, including (and especially) those on trusted websites. Available for Windows XP and Vista users, AVG’s LinkScanner prevents users from downloading compromised webpages.

“It’s our belief that every computer user has the right to basic security protection, regardless of the ability to pay,” said J R Smith, AVG Technologies’ CEO. “These dangerous web pages threaten to disrupt the very fabric of the internet as well as how we view and use it; posing an even bigger threat to users than viruses.

The tool scans pages individually, so prevention and labels only apply to one page on a given website, not the entire site itself.

The free scanning tool comes at a good time as Google has been struggling with malicious pages making their way high up in the search results before the search engine can identify them as attack sites. The problem has gotten bad enough that Google says its ranking algorithm will be tweaked to make this less likely.

No word yet on whether the tool also works with URL shorteners, used on social networks and microblogging platforms like Facebook and Twitter to fit links into character limits. Recently hackers have been using URL shorteners to trick users into clicking out to malicious sites.   
 

The poll of 1,400 UK adults revealed that men are more likely to be confident about their online security and only 4 percent are unsure of what protection their computer has. "My gut feeling, because I’m a man, is that it is one of those societal gender things," said Larry Bridwell, global security strategist at AVG, which commissioned the study.

"Men feel that they are more in control of what they do. It’s like map reading. In fact the risk is equal among the sexes." Even so 1-in-5 men say they have experienced fraudulent emails and one -in- three have experienced some type of cybercrime. Those who were affected by cybercrime, just 18 percent changed their Internet usage habits.

Bridwell said that does not mean that men are not concerned about security, but they are not able to do anything about the situation. "It would be comical if it wasn’t sad," he said. "Users are locked in. In my case I fly between 100,000 and 200,000 miles a year, so I have to pay for things online. If I didn’t I’d have a horrible credit rating and no power at home."

One in five men say they would feel stupid if they were a victim of cyber theft. Forty percent of men feel more should be done to make people aware of how to avoid cyber theft.

Women lean towards being more cautious about the level of cyber protection they have. They still continue to shop and do their banking online as much as men do.

Bridwell recommends that consumers do not use an unfamiliar PC or laptop for personal transactions, and to use only established online payment systems. He also says to never open email from people you don’t know and not to open or save attachments unless you know the sender.

"Since instances of cyber theft are about the same for both sexes it shows that women need to familiarize themselves more with Internet security so that they can use the Web with greater confidence," said Bridwell.

"Men on the other hand need to be less macho and think twice about whether they have really done enough to protect themselves – especially when it comes to the amount of personal information they supply when making purchases and financial transactions online."