Survey: 90 Percent of Consumers to Shop Online this Holiday Season; Majority Have Security Concerns

A new exclusive survey from Sunbelt Software, a leading provider of Windows security software, reveals that more than half (56 percent) of consumers have security concerns about using credit cards online, but more than 90 percent of the 650+ respondents will still do so this holiday season. In fact, despite security concerns, more than 60 percent of all respondents will be doing more -- not less -- online shopping this holiday season.

In an effort to raise awareness of the increased online risks and to help protect consumers, Sunbelt is offering special limited-time pricing incentives on its top-selling high-performance security product, VIPRE® Antivirus + Antispyware to those looking to safeguard their personal information and protect their PCs this holiday season.

In recent years the holiday shopping season has become synonymous with an increase in cyber crime. Cyber criminals take advantage of the increased online consumer activity in a number of ways, from creating fake shopping sites to tricking consumers to click on infected Web links with the promise of exclusive online savings or a holiday themed e-card. Past years have seen a spike in cyber crime activity on the Friday following Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday -- the busiest shopping day of the year, and the following 'Cyber Monday,' which is the busiest online shopping day of the year. The Sunbelt survey found that more than 25 percent of respondents plan to do most of their online shopping during this very period.

Sunbelt's survey of more than 650 consumers found that:

* More than 90 percent will shop online this holiday season;
* A majority (56 percent) of respondents admit having security concerns about using their credit cards online, yet 60 percent of all respondents plan to do MORE of their shopping online compared to last year; and
* More than a third (36 percent) regularly receives special online offers via email or social networking sites.

"Black Friday and Cyber Monday mark the beginning of the busiest time of the year for consumers, retailers, and cyber criminals," said Alex Eckelberry, chief executive officer for Sunbelt Software. "Cyber criminals feast on the fact that consumers are increasingly participating in ecommerce and online social networking with machines that are unprotected against the latest threats. To help curb the increase in cyber crime this year, today we are announcing pricing incentives for consumers to help keep data and systems safe and secure."

Availability and Licensing

On Black Friday, Sunbelt will offer a single one-year subscription license for $9.95, close to 70 percent off the normal ($29.95) retail price. The Black Friday special pricing is only available for purchase on Friday, November 27, 2009.

On Cyber Monday, Sunbelt is making available a one-year unlimited home site license subscription where all PCs in a single household are protected for $19.95. This is 60 percent off the normal ($49.95) retail price. The Cyber Monday special pricing is only available on Monday, November 30, 2009.

The VIPRE Black Friday and Cyber Monday specials include all of the features, U.S.-based toll-free support, and updates of a standard subscription.

About Sunbelt Software

Headquartered in Tampa Bay (Clearwater), Fla., Sunbelt Software was founded in 1994 and is a leading provider of Windows security software including antivirus, antispyware, email security, and malware analysis tools. Leading products include the VIPRE® and CounterSpy® product lines, Sunbelt Exchange Archiver(TM), CWSandbox(TM), and Threat Track(TM).

Contact:
Brian Alberti
Davies Murphy Group
+1-781-418-2403