The 1st Worldwide Internet Security Campaign Launched to Rid the Planet of Viruses in 45 Days

THE 1ST WORLDWIDE INTERNET SECURITY CAMPAIGN IS UP AND RUNNING WITH THE AIM OF MAKING THE INTERNET A SAFER PLACE • Organized by the Internet Users Association and Panda Software and under the slogan “Ridding the Planet of Viruses”, the campaign has been set up to make the Internet a safer place for users • The campaign is available at http://www.worldwidesecure.org and in the eight most widely-spoken languages, covering 86.4% of Internet users • Internet users can access the information, training and solutions they need to protect their PCs against Internet threats until July 31 on the campaign site • This open initiative has both private and public support in over 50 countries. Any individual, company or entity can join in and help promote this initiative MADRID, SPAIN - June 17, 2004 - The 1st Worldwide Internet Security Campaign has been organized by the Internet Users Association and Panda Software and is supported by sponsors in over 50 countries who are joining forces to help the initiative reach each and every Internet user under the slogan “Ridding the Planet of Viruses”. The campaign is set to run until July 31. Available at http://www.worldwidesecure.org, the 1st Worldwide Internet Security Campaign is an open initiative set up to reply to a vital need of Internet users and responds to the objective to create a more secure Internet for everyone. This campaign aims to provide every Internet user in the world with training, information and solutions. For this reason, the campaign is available in the eight most widely-spoken languages on the Internet. These are, in order according to Global Reach: English (35.8%), Chinese (14.1%), Japanese (9.6%), Spanish (9.0%), German (7.3%), French (3.8%), Portuguese (3.5%) and Italian (3.3%). Any internaut, company or institution who wants can join in and contribute to promoting the campaign. Anyone who has a website can get the resources needed to spread the word from the campaign website at http://www.worldwidesecure.org. All visitors to the 1st Worldwide Internet Security Campaign website can clean their computers of viruses and other intruders using the free tools available on the site, including full versions with free services, exclusive to the visitors to this portal. Internet users will also have a direct line to security experts through a forum in which they can post any questions they may have. The aim of the forum is to resolve any questions, or problems and collect suggestions about any issues related to Internet security. According to Victor Domingo, president of the Internet Users Association: “Our objective is to reach as many Internet users as possible and help them form part of a secure community.” Jose Maria Hernandez, VP international expansion at Panda Software adds: “At Panda Software we are proud to be participating, in the field which we know best -virus and intrusion prevention-, in a drive to make society safer and more productive through this initiative open to all internet users around the world.” THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION According to Global Reach, there are currently 729.2 million Internet users. Over 86 percent of these users speak one of the eight most widely spoken languages on the Internet. What’s more, there are over 76,000 viruses currently circulating across the Internet, 1,600 of which, according to data collected by Panda Software, are particularly active and continue infecting computers. In extreme situations, up to 100 new viruses can appear every day and an average of 600 new viruses emerge every month. The combination of these situations along with other types of threats, such as hackers, spam, spyware, etc., create a feeling of insecurity about the Internet among users and make them feel vulnerable. This feeling is made worse still by worldwide epidemics like those caused by the Netsky, Bagle and Mydoom in 2004. The 1st Worldwide Internet Security Campaign had been set up to provide an answer to this situation. ABOUT THE INTERNET USERS ASSOCIATION The Internet Users Association is made up of Internet users who in 1998 decided to form an alliance in order to represent their own interests and get affordable, universal and quality access. From then on, millions of Internet users have had a voice through the Association principally through their portal at http://www.internautas.org/ ABOUT PANDA SOFTWARE Panda Software (http://www.pandasoftware.com/), a world leader in virus and intrusion prevention, offers unrivalled proactive security solutions for all types of users, from the largest corporations through small and medium-sized companies to home users. Its corporate products offer hassle-free automatic and centralized administration and provide network-wide protection, via multi-layer security technology, to ensure uniform protection across the enterprise, from remote users and workstations to mail gateways and internal and perimeter servers. Panda Software's solutions have received awards and quality certifications from the sector's most widely-respected organizations, including ICSA Labs and Checkmark and its commitment to customer service, innovative products, and the pioneering concept of 24h-365d tech support have revolutionized the IT security industry. FOR MORE INFORMATION: CONTACT FOR US MEDIA: Alan Wallace [email protected] (818) 543-6909 CONTACT FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDIA: Internet Users Association Víctor Domingo [email protected] Tel. +34 678 64 69 57 Yolanda Ruiz Panda Software [email protected] Tel. +34 91 806 37 00