Well-known anti-spyware pioneer Lavasoft today announced the global release of Ad-Aware - Anniversary Edition, the latest version of their flagship product that celebrates 10 years at the forefront of malware detection and removal.

"We were the first on the global market with anti-spyware protection when it was still largely unknown. And now with a decade behind us as a leader in the anti-malware industry, we know that today's computer users need advanced technology that comes in the form of a light, easy-to-use product," said Lavasoft CEO Jason King.

King continued, "We have focused our efforts for this new version on our core competence for online security - blocking, detection, removal, and clean-up - and we have poured our technological advances in these core areas instead of simply adding more bells and whistles that generally add to the strain on a user's computer."

The repair and clean-up of files after a malware infection is one of the main competitive advantages for Ad-Aware. Most companies today are good at finding and removing malware, but there is a final step of repairing and cleaning-up the aftermath of a computer infection that distinguishes Ad-Aware from other products on the market.

What's new:

• Radically reduced computer resource use: Only 18% of CPU during scans - Improved 60% over the previous version, and markedly better than top competitors including AVG, Kaspersky, Norton 360, and PC Tools
• Rapid scans hitting 36 MB per second: Top scanning speed over AVG, Kaspersky, Norton, and PC Tools
• Behavior-based heuristics methodology to pinpoint the newest forms of malware
• Overhauled real-time blocking with the newly integrated Ad-Watch Live!
• Lavasoft SmartSet: Default settings based on our expert recommendations mean you are 'good to go' immediately after installation
• Lavasoft Toolbox: includes AutoStart Manager, ThreatWork, Process Watch and Hosts File Editor
• Real-time blocking and rootkit protection now also included with the Free version
• Available in English, Portuguese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, Traditional Chinese (new), Simplified Chinese (new), and Japanese (new).
• Coming Soon: Anti-Virus in the Free version!

The price of Ad-Aware remains unchanged at $26.95 for the Plus version and $39.95 for the Pro version. Deep discounts are available for multi-user licenses, and technical support is free. Lavasoft continues to distribute a Free version as a no-strings-attached option to ensure that all computer users are able to protect their privacy when connecting to the Internet. For a full performance report and competitive comparison, see http://www.lavasoft.com/company/pdf/ad-aware_ae_performance.pdf.

All valid licenses for Ad-Aware receive a free update to the new version.