Tettnang, Germany/November 11, 2010: German IT Security and Anti-Virus company, Avira, conducted a survey of computer users worldwide in September which showed that one out of every three users have chosen not to access their financial accounts online. In addition, almost 50% of respondents admit to being wary of online banking, even as 20% of the survey respondents reported feeling secure while banking online.

In the survey, which was posed to Avira’s 100 million customers worldwide, collected 3,127 responses, as follows:

• 20.5% - Of course, I feel secure.

• 48.5% - I do online banking, but I am concerned about the increase of Internet crime.

• 31% - I never do online banking, due to security concerns and instead go in person to the bank.

“It’s a good sign to learn that almost half of the people we polled at least had some concerns with banking online and eye opening that almost one out of three just didn’t practice online banking in any form whatsoever,” said Sorin Mustaca, data security expert of Avira GmbH. “This proves that financial institutions have a long way to go before they persuade most of their customers to trust doing business online. The reason for this lack of trust comes from the fact that almost all banks have been targets of phishing attacks and other security threats. In addition, the software security industry has to do more in this area to ensure safety online. We must give to all Internet users the freedom to do whatever they want to do without fear.”

About Avira

Avira is a global provider of antivirus software and IT security solutions for consumers and businesses, with twenty years of experience and more than 100 million customers. The company’s flagship product, Avira AntiVir, is known for its extreme reliability and nearly flawless string of VB100 awards. And as a founding member of the “IT Security made in Germany” association (ITSMIG e.V.), Avira is the only antivirus software vendor to guarantee that no third parties or governments can access or spy on its customer data.

For more information, please visit www.avira.com or at www.facebook.com/avira.