Your password has arrived…

Bucharest, Romania - July 16, 2002 - BitDefender, a leading provider of PC anti-virus software and computer security services, today decided to release a FREE antivirus tool to remove all versions of Frethem, a highly spreading executable mass-mailer. The decision came after the outbreak of another two versions of the virus (Win32.Frethem.J@mm and Win32.Frethem.K@mm), which are said by the experts to be booming in the wild with greater speed. The virus' message already became famous: the victim should believe that he (or she) has received a very valuable password.

"This threat has already arrived at its 11th version in less than two months, so is getting more and more mature. Pivoting on a very efficient social-engineering trick, the writer was aiming especially the human curiosity: who wouldn't wish to be aware of the most confidential information in the world?" said Costin Ionescu, Virus Researcher at BitDefender Lab. "With the newer generations, the virus has become more efficient in acquiring e-mail addresses, so it has now even more chances to spread" concluded Costin.

Computers which have installed the keyboard layouts specific for Russian and Uzbek keyboards are not infected by none of the virus versions.

BitDefender is known for having stopped - by releasing cutting-edge, free antivirus solutions - the infections generated by Sircam, Nimda, Klez and other threats with a superior probability of spreading.

The free removal tool to remove all virus versions is to be found at http://www.bitdefender.com/html/free_tools.php, together with other free antivirus solutions.

For technical details about this threat and about its removal, please visit the BitDefender Virus Center at http://www.bitdefender.com/html/virus_info.php.

The users of the BitDefender Professional solutions are protected against this threat and they don't have to download and to use any removal tools.

BitDefender Professional starts at $ 44.95, including an entire year of free services and updates, and a free 30-day trial version may be downloaded from HERE.

About SOFTWIN:
Founded in 1990, SOFTWIN is the leader of the software industry in Romania, employing now more than 400 professionals committed to personalized attention and client orientation. The company developed and applied cutting edge technologies at worldwide level in over 500 software applications and more than 2500 data conversion projects for clients in the United States and Europe. The SOFTWIN headquarters are in Bucharest, Romania.

The mission of the SOFTWIN data security department is to ensure the protection of systems against computer viruses, to do antivirus research, to develop new technologies for monitoring all possible ways to infect a system and, last but not least, to educate the IT public of the danger of computer viruses.

BitDefender and the BitDefender logo are trademarks or registered trademarks, in the United States and certain other countries, of SOFTWIN SRL, Romania. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are respectfully acknowledged.