Symantec Network Security 7160 Intrusion Prevention Appliance Earns Certification from The Tolly Group

Business Wire, June 23, 2005

CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Extensive Review of Symantec's Intrusion Prevention Appliance Confirms Superior Protection Against Today's Network Attacks, Threats and Security Risks

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq:SYMC), the global leader in information security, today announced that the Symantec Network Security 7160 intrusion prevention appliance was awarded the "Up to Spec" Certification by The Tolly Group, a third-party Information Technology testing, research and certification organization that conducted a comprehensive review of the solution.

The Symantec Network Security 7160 intrusion prevention appliance, one of three models in the Symantec Network Security 7100 Series, was evaluated by The Tolly Group for its ability to detect and block attacks, threats and security risks common to enterprise networks, as well as threats using evasion techniques. To test its detection and prevention capability, the appliance was subjected to an extensive barrage of more than 500 variants of worms, exploits, spyware, adware, peer-to-peer communications, Instant Messaging events, stealth scans and probes.

"The Symantec Network Security 7160 appliance detected and blocked everything we threw at it," said Kevin Tolly, President/CEO/Founder of The Tolly Group. "This device proved it can handle real-world Internet traffic at high 1Gbps data rates while introducing very low latency. That's a formula necessary for security products that serve enterprise networks."

According to the review, "the Symantec Network Security 7160 appliance accurately detected and blocked 100 percent of the more than 500 network attacks launched against it, and properly detected all suspicious activity, security risks and audit events it encountered." The review also highlighted the intrusion prevention appliance's ability to "effectively detect and block attacks that were modified by common and advanced evasion techniques attempting to bypass the security appliance and reach the victim."

In addition, The Tolly Group review showed that the "Symantec Network Security 7160 appliance was able to deliver 1 gigabit of aggregate throughput with low latency and without any failed transaction when handling Internet-like traffic." The Tolly Group engineers also praised the appliance for its management and ease of use, stating they were able to "deploy, setup and manage the Symantec Network Security 7160 in a matter of minutes" and that it "offers an important set of features that help network managers to easily deploy, control and analyze important information."

"Symantec is committed to protecting our customers' against today's evolving threat environment," said Greg Gotta, vice president of product delivery, Symantec. "The Tolly Group's test results validate the superior capabilities of Symantec Network Security 7100 Series, specifically its ability to detect and prevent today's broad range of attacks, threats and security risks commonly targeting our enterprise customer's networks."

For The Tolly Group's entire review of the Symantec Network Security 7160 intrusion prevention appliance, please visit http://www.tolly.com/UTS/UTS_Home.aspx.> About Symantec Network Security 7100 Series

Symantec Network Security 7100 Series provides real-time, proactive network intrusion prevention to protect critical enterprise assets. An innovative Intrusion Mitigation Unified Network Engine (IMUNE(TM)) combines multiple detection technologies to accurately identify and block known, unknown (or "zero day") and DoS attacks, and stop worms from propagating throughout the network. Symantec LiveUpdate(TM) technology automatically updates protection policies to help organizations stay ahead of continuously evolving threats. The highly scalable, best-of-breed appliances meet a range of deployment needs by supporting aggregate network bandwidth from 50Mbps to 2Gbps across as many as eight network segments.

About The Tolly Group

The Tolly Group, an independent testing and strategic consulting organization based in Boca Raton, FL., offers a full range of services designed to furnish both the vendor and end-user communities with authoritative and unbiased information. Additionally, The Tolly Group is recognized worldwide for its expertise in assessing leading-edge technologies. For more information on The Tolly Group's services, visit its Web site at http://www.tolly.com, E-mail info@tolly.com, call 561-391-5610, or fax 561-391-5810.

About Symantec

Symantec is the global leader in information security providing a broad range of software, appliances and services designed to help individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and large enterprises secure and manage their IT infrastructure. Symantec's Norton brand of products is the worldwide leader in consumer security and problem-solving solutions. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in more than 35 countries. More information is available at http://www.symantec.com.

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