MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- As the start of another school year quickly approaches, BitDefender®, a global provider of award-winning antivirus software and data security solutions, warns college students about the need to protect their computers with the latest security software updates before heading back to school.

College students put themselves at greater risk for viruses, spyware and other malware with their participation in instant messaging chats and by unknowingly adding personal information to social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook. According to market researcher ComScore Media Metrix, MySpace and Facebook attracted over 166 million unique visitors in June 2007, with between 18-34% of these visits being from people between the ages of 18-24.

Given all the research and writing done collaboratively by college students, there is also a tendency to share documentation via flash memory sticks, allowing for yet another avenue for viruses and other potentially dangerous malware to be spread among laptops, PCs and the college network.

“In addition to taking steps to physically protect themselves against campus-based data security leaks and the spread of viruses through file sharing, it is crucial for students to take the time to install the latest version of computer security software,” commented Bogdan Dumitru, BitDefender’s Chief Technology Officer. “Heuristics-based security software solutions such as BitDefender’s – which analyze and quarantine any potential threats in a virtual computing environment – offer the greatest protection for personal applications most used by college-aged students, such as web browsing, IM, email, music downloads, games, etc.”

BitDefender