Norton Internet Security , developed by Symantec Corporation, provides malware prevention and removal during a subscription period and uses signatures and heuristics to identify viruses. Other features include a software firewall, e-mail spam filtering and phishing protection.
Symantec distributes the product as a download, a box copy, and as OEM software. Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus combined held a 61% antivirus market share in 2007. Competitors, in terms of market share, include antivirus products from CA, Trend Micro, and Kaspersky Lab.
Norton Internet Security runs on Windows and Mac computers. Version 17.0.0.136 is the current stable Windows release. Windows 7 support is in development for versions 2006 through 2009. Version 2010 will support Windows 7 without compatibility patches. The latest Mac version is 4.0.
Windows edition
In August 1990 Symantec acquired Peter Norton Computing from Peter Norton. Norton and his company developed various applications for DOS, including an antivirus. Symantec continued the development of the acquired technologies, now marketed under the name of "Norton", with the tagline "from Symantec". Norton's crossed-arm pose, a registered U.S. trademark, was featured on Norton product packaging. However, his pose was later moved to the spine of the packaging, and later dropped altogether.
Existing users of the 2006, 2007, 2008 or 2009 versions can upgrade to the latest 2010 version without buying a new subscription. The upgraded product, in this case Norton Internet Security 2010, uses the number of days left on a user's subscription.
Version 2000 (1.0)
Norton Internet Security 2000, released January 10, 2000, was Symantec's first foray beyond virus protection and content control filters. Its release followed an alliance between Internet provider Excite@Home and antivirus vendor McAfee.com to provide Internet subscribers with McAfee's new firewall software, McAfee Personal Firewall . Version 2000's firewall, based on AtGuard from WRQ, filters traffic at the packet level. It can block ActiveX controls and Java applets. Other functionalities include cookie removal, and banner ad blocking. ZDNet found the ad blocker removed graphics that were not ads, breaking pages. Adjusting the settings fixed the problem, however the process was complicated. ZDNet noted the lack of information presented concerning attacks the firewall blocked. Norton LiveUpdate downloads and installs program updates.
The Family Edition adds parental controls. Parental controls are backed by a quality control team of 10 searching the web for inappropriate content. Found content is categorized in subject matter and placed on a blacklist of about 36,000 sites. A designed administrator can add blocked sites, however the pre-supplied blacklist cannot be viewed or edited since it is hard coded. Administrators can block certain subject matters. Another option is to block all sites, then create a whitelist of allowed sites. Family Edition can also block transmission of specified personal information. Such information is replaced with the letter "X". However, CNN noted X-rated sites are retrieved when personal information is queried by a search engine.
Version 2001 (2.5)
Version 2001 was released September 18, 2000, adding support for Windows ME in addition to the Windows 9x series, Windows NT, and Windows 2000. Following attacks by the ILOVEYOU and Anna Kournikova script viruses, this version can block malicious scripts without virus signatures, but by analyzing behavior.
The firewall scans for internet-enabled applications and creates access rules based on a knowledge base maintained by Symantec during installation. In PC Magazine testing, the installation took 24 minutes to complete on a 750-MHz Pentium III with 92 Internet-enabled applications. Using the firewall, users can determine whether to accept cookies, Java applets, and ActiveX controls on a global or per-site basis. A new feature, Intrusion Detection with AutoBlock , can detect port scans and block further intrusion attempts. The program provides notifications for intrusion attempts, stating the severity level and providing access to threat details. Alternatively, the firewall can put the computer in stealth , essentially hiding the system. Users can configure the security level, affecting the number of notifications. Testing conducted by PC Magazine using Shields Up and Symantec's Security Check found that the firewall successfully stealthed all ports, hiding the computer from view. A leak test was conducted to see the firewall's ability to detect outbound connections. Each attempt was detected and the suite offered to block the attempts.
The Family Edition , like the prior version, includes parental controls and the information filtering feature. Parental controls come with a list of objectionable sites, separated into 32 categories. The list is updated every two weeks by Norton LiveUpdate. Using the list alone, Norton only blocks sites present on the list. Consequently, Norton may not block sites until the next update. Parents can customize the list, adding or removing sites. A list of allowed sites can be created to restrict children to those specific sites. This version uses application blocking rather than protocol or port filtering to control Internet access. Children can be restricted in what applications they used to access the Internet. A parental controls profile can be setup for each child, and settings can be automatically configured based on their age group, whether they be a child, teenager, adult, or administrator. Internet usage and violations are noted in a report presented to parents. PC Magazine found that enabling parental controls added a minute to a computer's boot time.
Version 2002 (5.0)
Version 2002 was announced August 28, 2001. The Family Edition was dropped, so parental controls and information filtering are bundled with this release. The installation was noted as quick and simple by both PC Magazine and CNET. An installation requires a reboot, and afterwards the Security Assistant guides users through a questionnaire to best configure the settings. A problem CNET encountered when upgrading from the prior release was the loss of customized settings. PC Magazine found the default settings, aimed at avoiding frequent notifications, were somewhat permissive. Windows 95 support was also dropped.
Running a full scan complies a list of Internet-enabled applications. Users set permissions or accept Norton's default settings. The firewall detects and blocks port scans and logs intrusion attempts. This version does not run a trace on attackers, however Symantec is planning an online tool to do so. To ensure rogue programs can not masquerade as a trustworthy application, Norton verifies programs against a list of digital signatures for known programs, updated every two weeks. The Norton Alert Tracker warns users if hackers attempt to gain access to users' computers. The firewall blocked all access attempts from Shields Up and Port Checker . This version includes a wizard to simplify firewall setup to accommodate for multiple computers sharing a Internet connection. With this release, Norton can prevent specified personal information from being transmitted via a compatible instant messenger client, e-mail, and websites. Ad-blocking includes the Ad Trashcan , where users can place ads that slipped past ad-filtering.
A Professional Edition was announced December 11, 2001, with marketing aimed towards business owners. This version features Norton Intrusion Detection , which intercepts suspicious connections and attacks, such as the Code Red worm. Intrusion Detection focuses on Windows-based attacks only. Central management is also present in this version. Administrators configure firewall and productivity settings for client computers. Productivity settings allow administrators to block newsgroups, websites, and advertisements. The suite integrates with XP user accounts, settings can be personalized for each user.
Version 2003
Version 2003 was announced September 16, 2002, scheduled to be available for purchase later that month. This version adds Norton Spam Alert to reduce e-mail spam. Spam filtering scans the whole message and its context, rather than looking for keywords to ensure accuracy. A POP3 client must be used. When a message is identified as spam, Norton inserts an identifier, by default it is "Spam Alert:", in the subject line. Using the mail client, users can create a rule to delete or move flagged messages. Users can also create strings of text for Spam Alert to look for when classifying e-mail. In PC Magazine testing, Spam Alert mistakenly classified 2.8 percent of legitimate e-mail as spam. 47 percent of spam slipped passed the filter. Although misidentification of valid e-mail was low, the feature did not fare well at finding actual spam.
The updated main interface has green and red indicators to show which features are active and which need attention. The firewall has several updated features in this version. A Block Traffic button present in the main interface blocks all incoming and outgoing Internet traffic. Another new feature, the Visual Tracker , graphically maps attacks back to their origin. The firewall blocked all port scans conducted by CNET, stealthing each port.
Following the Nimda and Code Red worms, this version scans all incoming and outgoing traffic for suspicious data exchanges against a routinely updated database, a feature ported f
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