LimeWire partners with AVG to protect its premium customers

Mar 12, 2010 15:20 GMT  ·  By

The developer of one of the most widespread peer-to-peer file sharing applications, Limewire, has partnered with AVG Technologies to protect its customers. The software company has licensed the AVG Anti-Virus SDK engine and integrated it into the commercial version of its product.

LimeWire is a Java-based cross-platform file sharing application boasting over 50 million unique monthly users. The program was originally written as a client for the Gnutella peer-to-peer (P2P) network, but has since added support for other protocols as well, such as BitTorrent.

LimeWire PRO, the program's commercial version, features several enhancements over the free offering. According to the agreement with AVG, only users of LimeWire PRO for Windows will benefit from the integrated antivirus engine that will scan downloaded files before they are executed.

The partnership was possible due to AVG's Global Strategic Alliances (GSA) program, which allows software developers to sub-license security solutions from the Czech antivirus vendor and incorporate them into their own products. Based on the GSA brochure, the AVG Software Developer Kit (SDK) contains only signature-based malware detection, the behavioral engine or the malicious URL detection being separate options.

The move, even if it impacts only paying customers, is certainly a step forward for LimeWire, a computer application viewed as a big source of accidental data leaks and malware infections. "Peer-to-peer networks have come a long way. People are using peer-to-peer networks to share files and documents, and we are pleased to be protecting them. AVG is committed to securing our online world, whatever it takes," Rocco Donnino, SVP of Global Strategic Alliances, AVG Technologies, said in a press release.

For those customers that already use an antivirus product, the new feature is unlikely to cause any problems. The technology has been integrated in such a way that it shouldn't conflict with other security solutions.

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AVG antivirus engine integrated into LimeWire PRO
LimeWire PRO file scanned with AVG antivirus engine
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