Symantec's New Norton AntiVirus 2003 Provides Consumers Automatic Protection From Multiple Threats
New Benefits Include Protection of Instant Messages, Detection of New Worms, Automatic Removal of Worms/Trojan Horses
CUPERTINO, Calif. - Aug. 21, 2002 - Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), the world leader in Internet security, announced Norton AntiVirus 2003, the world’s most trusted antivirus solution for home computer users. Utilizing new exclusive technologies, Norton AntiVirus 2003 removes malicious code automatically, and protects e-mail messages and Instant Messaging attachments from viruses. The latest version of Symantec's award-wining antivirus solution also keeps virus definitions up-to-date without requiring user intervention, which allows consumers to continuously maintain the highest level of virus protection.
"This new release of Norton AntiVirus represents the easiest, smartest, and most reliable antivirus solution for securing home users, professionals, and small businesses," said Steve Cullen, senior vice president, Consumer and Client Product Delivery at Symantec. "Norton AntiVirus 2003 ensures maximum virus protection by automatically safeguarding customers against malicious code at multiple points of entry and by keeping itself up-to-date to defend against the latest virus threats."
Norton AntiVirus 2003 now scans incoming Instant Message attachments, augmenting the multi-layered scanning capabilities of Norton AntiVirus to further ensure users’ protection from viruses and other malicious code. Instant Messaging scanning supports Yahoo! Instant Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Windows Messenger. Combined with automatic scanning of both inbound and outbound e-mail, this capability assures users that their systems remain protected from viruses—without requiring user intervention.
Exclusive, heuristics-based Worm Blocking technology in Norton AntiVirus 2003 detects email worms such as Nimda and Badtrans, stopping them before they spread through outgoing e-mail. Used together with Symantec’s automatic updating and response capabilities, and complemented by Symantec’s powerful Script Blocking technology that detects fast-moving script-based viruses, Worm Blocking helps provide proactive protection against known and unknown threats even before new virus definitions are created.
In addition to automatic virus removal, Norton AntiVirus 2003 now removes Trojan horses and worms without interrupting work. This capability, used in conjunction with current virus definitions, significantly reduces the ability of Trojan horses and worms to present a potential security threat to systems and data.
Norton AntiVirus 2003 continues to keep users up-to-date by automatically downloading the most recent virus definitions through LiveUpdate, which now offers reduced virus definition size for faster delivery and better system performance. Norton AntiVirus 2003 includes one year of virus definition subscription services, which provide reliable, ongoing protection against new and unknown threats.
The Professional Edition of Norton AntiVirus 2003 includes all the features and capabilities of Norton AntiVirus 2003 plus data recovery and data cleaning features designed specifically for professionals and small businesses. These tools allow users to protect and recover critical files and ensure confidentiality by digitally shredding files no longer needed. Norton AntiVirus 2003 Professional Edition further ensures protection and recovery by offering a license for two computers.
