AVG's challenge: Getting people to protect themselves
October 06, 2010
As the CEO of security vendor AVG, J.R. Smith oversees a lineup of antivirus products used by 110 million customers around the world. And while those people may be relatively secure from the latest malware threats, Smith feels a greater effort is needed to reach out to the many who aren't protected.
A lot of computer users think they're protected with antivirus software but actually aren't, believes Smith, while others just don't seem to take security seriously enough, assuming that their banks and other companies they do business with will protect them.
Beyond just basic protection, computer users today are also getting caught more by social-engineering scams in which cybercriminals try to trick them into revealing personal information. Though Smith said that AVG's security software now tries to warn you before you expose certain details, he cautions that people still need to be more aware and vigilant of their actions online.
The American-born Smith has been running AVG from its Czech Republic headquarters since 2007. Prior to joining AVG, he ran a mobile-services company as well as a network and telecom software development firm. His current mission has been to spread the word about security and protection, both through his own company and by working with people in the private and public sectors.
Smith was in New York last week attending a security conference hosted by AVG. Though he couldn't reveal many specific details, he did say that the conference was attended by some influential people in cyberspace and cybersecurity, including a number of "heavy hitters" from Capitol Hill. The conference's roundtable discussions centered on the topic of how the private sector and government can work together on cybersecurity and motivate people to better protect themselves.
I recently spoke with Smith about the kinds of security threats facing all of us online and his company's efforts to fight the never-ending threat of malware. Here is a portion of our conversation.
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