Symantec Offers Consumers Worry-Free Security and Data Protection

Business Wire, Sept 26, 2005

CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq:SYMC) today announced the release of the latest line of security solutions that offer consumers stronger security and data protection while also requiring less user intervention. The products -- Norton Internet Security 2006, Norton AntiVirus 2006, and Norton Personal Firewall 2006 -- also provide a more adaptive, personalized defense against existing and emerging threats.

"In today's precarious Internet environment, security software is critical for everyone who uses email, downloads new software, or uses the Web to shop, bank, communicate, or play," said Matthew Moynahan, vice president, consumer products and solutions, Symantec Corp. "One of the greatest challenges for users is figuring out whether they have adequate protection to safely enjoy those activities online. Symantec helps put those worries to rest by incorporating its new Norton Protection Center into all of its 2006 consumer security solutions. Norton Protection Center uses simple, everyday language to let users know if their PC, data, and online activities are secure."

All computer users today face a common set of problems in keeping their systems safe and protected. Norton Internet Security 2006, Norton AntiVirus 2006, and Norton Personal Firewall 2006 are designed to make protection easier and better than ever. New features and functions unlock users' computing potential by making security less user-intensive and more proactive, automatic, and effortless right out of the box. The new solutions also make it quick and easy for users to understand their security status by providing one destination point for protection rather than requiring them to go to multiple Web sites or product interfaces. In addition, to ensure that security is relevant to every user, the updated products help users understand how each security solution safeguards their specific online activities.

Included in all three of these Norton 2006 solutions is Norton Protection Center, a new approach to alleviate the frustration most consumers feel when it comes to system and data security. By aggregating and summarizing what users need to know, Norton Protection Center effectively addresses the confusion many people experience with other computer and data safety products. Norton Protection Center uses simple, everyday language to make security relevant to the activities consumers use their computers for such as Web surfing, email and downloading digital photos and music. Also new this year, Norton users will now receive the added benefit of obtaining product technology and feature updates throughout the year, helping provide protection against the latest security risks as they surface.

Today's complex threats require comprehensive protection. Norton Internet Security 2006 delivers on that necessity by seamlessly integrating Norton AntiVirus, Norton Personal Firewall, Norton AntiSpam, Norton Privacy Control and Norton Parental Control in one simple-to-use solution. Norton Internet Security 2006 offers users better security and data protection than ever before. For example, the antispam component of Norton Internet Security has been specially tuned to identify and stop new emerging phishing emails while allowing legitimate emails to be delivered to the user's inbox.

The unique Security Inspector feature, also new to Norton Internet Security 2006, offers users a simple and easy way to look at and fix inadequate browser security settings, weak Windows passwords, risks within hidden shared folders, or unneeded services -- the most common vulnerabilities that expose users to threats. Security Inspector, coupled with the Norton Protection Center, gives users an easy, streamlined, hassle-free way to answer the critical question: is my system safe?

Norton AntiVirus 2006 is available both as a standalone solution and as a component of Norton Internet Security 2006. Norton AntiVirus 2006 extends Symantec's best-of-breed antivirus removal technology to new risks such as spyware and adware and deals with the unique side effects of these risks, including changes to the registry, processes, files, and more. Norton AntiVirus 2006 now stops home page hijacking spyware to give users improved protection without requiring definition updates.

As always, Norton AntiVirus 2006 is an install-it-and-forget-it solution that actively works in the background, is fully automated, and remains up-to-date by retrieving daily protection updates from Symantec without requiring user interaction. The 2006 version has been significantly enhanced to automatically detect and remove today's high-risk spyware and adware programs. Spyware and adware risks are evolving rapidly and many of the most aggressive spyware applications are adopting virus-like characteristics. Norton AntiVirus' fresh approach to detection and removal provides a robust new defense to help address the changing spyware landscape.

Because not all risks are the same, Norton AntiVirus 2006 does not forcefully remove low-risk adware programs but provides users with a recommended course of action. Norton Quarantine and Restore also makes it easy to undo the removal of low-risk adware programs if necessary.