PRESS RELEASE

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug, 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Panda Security, The Cloud Security Company, today announced a new beta of its popular cloud-based consumer anti-virus service Panda Cloud Antivirus, version 1.9.1. Available for the Pro Edition of the product only, the beta incorporates a smart community-based firewall to better respond to user needs and further maximize protection by blocking access to risky programs. This marks the first time Panda Cloud Antivirus has included a firewall and comes in advance of version 2.0 of both the Free and Pro Editions, expected to launch later this year.

"The addition of a firewall to Panda Cloud Antivirus Pro is a big milestone for users who want an affordable solution that aims for zero intrusiveness," said Pedro Bustamante, senior research advisor at Panda Security. "The new beta release optimizes protection for users by automatically managing rules and permissions based on the real-time knowledge gathered from our global user community. At the same time, advanced users get the flexibility to create, edit and prioritize their preferred rules manually."

Existing Panda Cloud Antivirus users will be automatically upgraded to the updated version, whereas new users can download the software at http://acs.pandasoftware.com/cloudantivirus/beta19/PandaCloudAntivirus.exe.

A screenshot of the beta is available at http://press.pandasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Firewall_main.bmp.

The full firewall automatically assigns inbound and outbound communication privileges to processes according to their risk levels. This new module includes the following features:

Application rules for users to specify what programs may access the network 1. or the Internet. System rules for all programs. Unlike other firewalls, system rules are included in the same screen as application rules, allowing for prioritization between the two sets 2. of rules. Rule priority for users to configure 3. the order in which rules are applied. Automatic management of permissions for programs establishing network connections, based on the risk rating 4. assigned by Collective Intelligence: --Automatic creation of rules allowing inbound and outbound connections for programs detected as "Safe." -- Automatic creation of rules allowing outbound connections for "Low-Risk" programs. -- Automatic creation of rules blocking inbound and outbound connections for "High-Risk" programs. Local notifications of connection attempts, and ability to create rules and set permissions from warning 5. messages. 6. Rule import/export. Notification in reports of blocked 7. connection attempts.

A picture of Cloud Antivirus' rule setting capabilities is available at http://press.pandasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Firewall_rules2.bmp.

In addition to incorporating the firewall, the beta release optimizes the performance of automatic and manual scans.

More information is available at http://www.cloudantivirus.com/en/.

About Panda Security

Founded in 1990, Panda Security is the world's leading provider of cloud-based security solutions, with products available in more than 23 languages and millions of users located in 195 countries around the World. Panda Security was the first IT security company to harness the power of cloud computing with its Collective Intelligence technology. This innovative security model can automatically analyze and classify thousands of new malware samples every day, guaranteeing corporate customers and home users the most effective protection against Internet threats with minimum impact on system performance. Panda Security has 61 offices throughout the globe with US headquarters in Florida and European headquarters in Spain.

Panda Security collaborates with Special Olympics, WWF and Invest for Children as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility policy.

For more information, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/.