Barclays Bank offers free security software online

Barclays hopes that security software and two-factor authentication will improve security

Retail bank Barclays is offering free security software to its two million online customers.

Barclays.co.uk users will be offered the security software free of charge for download from the web site. The bank is using supplier Kaspersky Lab for the software, which normally sells at £50 for an annual subscription – Barclays’ total software spending has not been disclosed.

The security software will protect users against phishing attacks and data leakage, alongside Barclays’ two-factor authentication system PINsentry, introduced last year to more than one million customers.

“For the past two years we have offered customers free anti-virus software, but as internet fraudsters become more sophisticated it is important that customers protect their computers from all threats and not just viruses,” said Barclays director of digital banking Sean Gilchrist.

“Kaspersky Lab has one of the best reputations in the business and together with PINsentry we believe Barclays online customers will have one of the best security packages of all online banks.”

Figures released by UK payments body Apacs show that online fraud totalled £291m in the past year.