Barclays Bank has announced that it will provide its two million online banking customers with a free 2-year license of F-Secure Anti Virus to help protect them against the unsavoury side of the web.

"Studies show that nearly two-thirds of home PCs don't have active virus protection, and one in five is actually infected by a virus, placing people at risk from data theft as well as damage to their computers. Because of the risks, some people are concerned about the security of online banking, despite banks' best efforts to make their own procedures secure", said Jeremy Law, Head of Business Development for Electronic Banking at Barclays Bank.

"F-Secure's Anti-Virus product will provide our customers with excellent protection, giving them peace of mind when using the Internet and banking online, without annoying them with pop-ups and confusing instructions. The software and service met all our requirements - it's straightforward to set up, provides thorough protection that's updated daily and is backed up with an excellent support", concluded Law.

The agreement with F-Secure allows Barclays to offer a free service to its online customers that would normally cost over £45 for the 2 years.

Barclays Bank customers using F-Secure Anti-Virus will also have the option to upgrade to F-Secure’s flagship Internet Security product for a reduced price of £9.95 a year (usual price £38.95), giving them additional features including parental control, a personal firewall, spam filters and application control.

Barclays will be marketing the software to its online customers via its website and direct mail from this week.