Akamai NetSession - Is this a virus? What is it?
Thanks Larry. Very useful info. 
I created a screenshot of the Akamai NetSession Interface Console so people know what it looks like. As Larry already mentioned, you can get to it via your Control Panel applets in Windows. Here's a quote from it's own About screen:
The Akamai NetSession Interface is secure client-side networking technology that enhances networking protocols for delivery of software and media, improving the speed, reliability, and efficiency of content downloaded from the Web.
Aha! Someone mentioned AutoCad - I installed Autodesk and Inventor yesterday then got the Akamai firewall exception question today. Inventor is a huge program, took hours on fast broadband, so I guess a download manager was necessary, and maybe somewhere in the mega notes might have been a note saying to allow it - who knows? Still I'm blocking it to see when it pops up. My download installed without problems anyway. Thanks bloggers.
This post may be too old, but anyone who comes across this post can use this info to learn if they have a potential virus or not.
If you play games at aeriagames.com then it comes with some of those games. be sure to check in your add/remove programs of the date when akamai was installed, and check other programs/games that have the same date. may not be the same time exactly.
Here is a link to a list of programs and such that use Akamai NetSession.
If you don't have any of the programs in this list, it would probably be safer to just remove it.
List of programs that use Akamai NetSession
bump! wondering the same thing
Mine came with an educational release of AUTOCAD 2013. It's the delivery system they use for downloading it to your pc, maybe bigger packets are involved or someting, I dont know but it hasnt caused problems until my firewall just said 
I had downloaded several Dell updates on my laptop. Apparently, that is when it was installed, so in my case, Dell was the culprit.
ASUS uses this software on their driver download page, thats where mine came from.
When i uninstalled this from C:\Users\********\AppData\Local
it stated that it came with my recent puchase of from autodesk ie 3ds Max
I found Akamai today on my system. It seems to come from Aeria Games. It might come from others, I am not sure. But That is where mine got downloaded in when I was downloading one of there games into my system. Hope this helps everyone out.
Who's New
This is part of the akamai download manager software. It is used by several companies (incl Adobe store and trial downloads from adobe).
Suposedly it is safe (personally I don't know). Kind of deceptive to install (maybe there is a mention in the terms to download?)
In Windows control panel there is an option to launch its control settings. This is the way to see what program/company is using it.
uninstall through control panel PROGRAMS AND FEATURES (or add remove programs).
What is frustrating is (with Adobe) after the trial software is installed/downloaded this download management software STAYS INSTALLED. it would be better if Adobe (and others) have found a better solution for download accelleration. I mean 8MB of wasted system resources (ram) that could be better used by other background programs since I am not always downloading trial adobe software or updating software, etc.
Larry