Glendale (CA) - Increased phishing protection, new spyware roadblocks, and support for Windows Vista are part of the next generation Panda Antivirus software, which is available now as a free public beta download.

Spain-based Panda Software adds new security precautions with Panda Antivirus 2008, including protection against spyware. By default, the software will prevent users from logging on to a known malicious site, regardless of the browser, unless they manually override the pop-up warning.

Panda also says the new software, which is labeled as the company’s "lightest" one yet, implements a new anti-rootkit scanning platform that does not interfere with Internet performance.

The 2008 security suite also has extensive anti-phishing technology. Panda says that one individual bank location in Florida reported more than $50,000 fraudulently withdrawn from customers’ accounts every day via phishing schemes.

Microsoft’s proprietary security application, Windows Defender, has been notorious recently for not responding adequately to spyware concerns. The entire security software market reached record sales last year. Panda was in fourth place with around 4% market share, behind Symantec, McAfee, and Trend Micro.