Topic: AVG offers free LinkScanner for real-time Web page scanning

[georgecloner]

AVG LinkScanner puts marks by search results that are unsafe and displays a pop up box with more information when the cursor hovers over the mark.

AVG on Monday will begin offering a free version of its LinkScanner software, which offers real-time scanning of Web pages while surfing or doing Web searches.

LinkScanner, which is currently part of the AVG Free Edition suite, scans a Web page before a surfer visits the page and warns if the page appears to be unsafe.

AVG LinkScanner also offers safety rankings for all organic search results on Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Safe pages in searches will have green check marks next to them and unsafe ones will have red "X"es and pop up windows offer more explanation.

AVG LinkScanner scans bookmarks as well as links in e-mails and instant messages before they are opened. Individual pages are scanned separately, so that if one page on a site like Facebook are spreading malware that page will prompt a warning and other pages on the site won't.

There is other software that flags malicious sites in searches. McAfee SiteAdvisor works with Yahoo search results and Symantec offers ratings on Ask while Google serves up its own warnings in its search results.

The news will be announced at the RSA 2009 security conference which starts on Monday.

CNET

[Samker]

As I remember this is very controversial "technology".

First at all, is influence at Web Analytic Data because this tools and their tag configurations generates false page views and visits... that is also related to more expensive server costs (bandwidth) because of false traffic.

Second, the Link Scanner tool may have a short shelf life and may offer limited protection.  Malware creators will easily adjust. This's what Steve McInerney (security expert), said on the Web Analytics Forum:

       

What strikes me about this particular solution by AVG is how
        incredibly ... stupid it is on several fronts.

        1. Noticeably impacting a users bandwidth is, technically, a security
        breach in the first place, aka Denial of Service Attack.

        2. Some of us live in countries that have rather severe bandwidth
        charges/limits and the like, whom shall I send my excess bandwidth
        bill to?

        ...(this) method is fundamentally
        flawed. ie malware ignores any first request and only infects on a
        second request - alternate cloaking. Whatever. This type of "solution"
        only provides weak protection for a strictly limited period of time.

        ...not just "no security" but bad
        security. Because folk feel they are being protected when they are
        not, and hence will take greater risks and hence inflict greater harm
        on themselves. :-(

        Ignoring the balance of positive to harm that this problem inflicts on
        the users who use this product.