MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – April 19, 2010 – Today Norton from Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) unveiled the 2011 beta versions of the award-winning Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security, which are now available for free download from the
Norton beta website. Additionally, the company launched its first beta security application for Facebook and two standalone security tools to address the increasingly common menace posed by fake antivirus programs and other infections.
Norton 2011 is Fast and Effective
Furthering Symantec’s commitment to deliver the fastest and lightest security available, the 2011 Norton betas are being developed to improve or maintain key performance benchmarks in installation times, scan times, and memory usage. In addition, the products will include System Insight 2.0 which goes beyond security and alerts users when applications are significantly impacting their system resources.
At the heart of this Norton release is the industry leading reputation-based security technology. This technology, only available in Norton security products, has been proven to attain unmatched detection of new malware far beyond what is possible with traditional security technologies. New to 2011, Download Insight 2.0 increases the breadth of the product’s reputation protection by applying it to virtually every download regardless of the client (browser, email, IM). This helps ensure that users are protected from harmful downloads no matter how the file is delivered to their machine. Additionally, Norton 2011 uses the reputation information to report on the “trustworthiness” of files on a system and help users understand if their download behavior is more or less risky versus the 53 million Norton Community Watch members today.
“With the Norton 2011 release, we’re determined to continue delivering the fastest and most effective security suite on the market,” said Jens Meggers, vice president of engineering, for Norton products. “Further to this, our customers are looking for value beyond ‘core security’ and the free new tools we’re bringing to market will keep the Norton community and the community-at-large safer from the cybercriminals who find new ways everyday to target people’s identity for a profit.”
Protecting the Community-at-Large
In addition to the Norton 2011 beta offerings, Symantec is announcing several new tools in the fight against cybercrime. These tools will remain free and address some of today’s trickiest and most prevalent issues related to malware infection and removal.
- Norton Safe Web for Facebook - To counter evolving social networking threats and help keep consumers secure, Norton is introducing the Norton Safe Web application for Facebook. This free beta application protects computer users by scanning their Facebook news feeds for malicious URLs, allowing them to identify risky sites before clicking through. This is critical because nearly 60% of unsafe sites identified by Norton Safe Web are found to contain threats that can infect a PC without requiring the user to download or install files. Facebook members can find the free Norton Safe Web application here.
- Norton Power Eraser - Some threats impersonate legitimate programs, modify browsers or boot screen graphics, and even redirect traffic. Due to their deceptive appearance, users will often times allow the installation of programs that may appear legitimate, but are actually harmful. Sometimes, these "scareware" programs can require special tactics to remove them. With Norton Power Eraser, these threats (and others) are specifically targeted, and effectively detected and removed. Learn about it and download it here.
- Norton Bootable Recovery Tool (only available to Norton subscribers) – This tool allows Norton users to boot a PC into a safe state when a system is so deeply infected that it will not properly start up. New this year, the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool wizard automatically creates a CD/DVD/USB bootable device in a quick and easy way. Learn about it and download it here.
The Norton Internet Security 2011 beta includes critical features such as Norton Identity Safe which has a new look for 2011, and
Norton Safe Web, a Web site rating service that annotates Google, Yahoo! and Bing.com search results with safety and ecommerce ratings. Delivering a safer online experience, the Norton Internet Security 2011 beta toolbar rolls all browser protection technologies into a single interface that not only indicates Safe Web ratings, it prevents users from visiting sites which contain malware, browser or media plug-in exploits, phishing attempts, or which have been determined heuristically unsafe.
All users are invited to try
OnlineFamily.Norton, a free Web-based service that keeps parents in the loop on their kids’ online lives.
Beta Availability
The beta is available for free public download now at:
www.norton.com/nis2011beta or
www.norton.com/nav2011beta. Norton beta testers are encouraged to share feedback and discuss their product experiences in our online
Norton Public Beta Forum.
About Norton from Symantec
Symantec’s
Norton products protect consumers from cybercrime with technologies like
antivirus,
anti-spyware and
phishing protection-- while also being light on system resources. The company also provides services such as
online backup and
PC tuneup, and
family online safety. Fan Norton on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/norton and follow @NortonOnline on
Twitter.
About Symantec
Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at
www.symantec.com.
Note to Editors: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States.
Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Forward-looking Statements: This forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. 
