Symantec on Omid Farhang

Symantec to Overhaul Its Norton Security Line

Fri, 22 Aug 2014 17:35:36 +0000

Symantec is overhauling its Norton security software, going from nine products to just one as the company turns its attention to smartphones and connected devices.

The new product, called Norton Security, doubles down on the company’s renewed focus on subscription models. In its most recent quarter, when Symantec reported a $236 million profit on a 2% gain in revenue to $1.74 billion, the company said it planned to optimize the Norton business while streamlining product support.

Symantec updates Norton 2013 range to v20.4

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:41:51 +0000

Symantec has updated its suite of Windows security products with the release of Norton Antivirus 2013 v20.4, Norton Internet Security 2013 v20.4 and Norton 360 2013 v20.4.

Version 20.4 is primarily a bug-fix release, with some notable fixes, but also tweaks the user interface.

One visible change for users who also have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free installed as additional protection is a fix that prevents Norton from blocking or flagging up MBAM as incompatible.

Symantec planning to discontinue PC Tools security products

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:48:44 +0000

Symantec has stopped selling the security-related products in its PC Tools portfolio, according to an announcement on the company’s web site. Customers using the affected programs – Spyware Doctor, Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus, and Internet Security – can continue to use them until their subscription runs out.

Symantec says that the decision is related to consolidating its product range in order to offer customers fewer but higher quality products. To that end, the company suggests that customers looking to replace the discontinued products consider Norton Internet Security.

Symantec vs AV-Comparatives, Which one do you trust?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:42:01 +0000

Cross-posted from PCMag SecurityWatch:

Last week independent antivirus lab AV-Comparatives released the results of an on-demand antivirus detection test. The fact that Microsoft came in near the bottom wasn’t big news; the fact that Symantec scored even lower was surprising indeed. In a blog post released today, Symantec decried the entire practice of performing on-demand malware scanning tests, calling it “misleading.”

In the early years of antivirus testing, every test was an on-demand scanning test. Researchers would assemble a collection of known malware, run a full scan, and record the percentage of samples detected. Modern labs work hard to devise tests that more closely reflect a user’s real-world experience, taking into account the fact that the vast majority of infections enter the computer from the Internet. Symantec contends that only the real-world sort of test is valid; I don’t entirely agree.

Symantec releases Norton 2013 security suites

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:29:00 +0000

BetaNews: Symantec has released brand new versions of its Norton security packages for Windows, Norton Anti-Virus 2013, Norton Internet Security 2013 and Norton 360 2013. It’s the first time all three packages have been updated simultaneously, while the branding has also been amended to remove all references to a date, simply naming each Norton Anti-Virus, Norton Internet Security and Norton 360, respectively.

The 2013 versions come with what Symantec describes as “five layers of patented protection”, which include stronger social networking and anti-scam protection. There’s also full, certified support for Windows 8 and the promise of better performance on multi-core CPUs.

Symantec claims losses from cybercrime exceed $100 billion

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 06:58:00 +0000

h-Online: According to Symantec’s 2012 Norton Cybercrime Report, worldwide, private individuals have suffered approximately $100 billion (more than £69 billion at the current exchange rate) in financial losses as a result of cybercrime. In the period from July 2011 to July 2012, losses averaged $197 (£124) per victim.

A total of 556 million adults are reported to have fallen victim to malware, phishing or similar virtual crimes. The report claims that there are 1.5 million victims of cybercrime each day, or about 18 per second. The security specialist’s report also states that two-thirds of internet users have been caught out by cybercriminals at some point in their lives, and almost half (46%) were victims during the period covered by the report. The results reveal that many of those affected are victims of their own carelessness. Around 40% of people don’t use complex passwords or don’t change their passwords regularly.

Symantec CEO steps down, replaced by chairman

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:31:00 +0000

Computer World: Security software vendor Symantec said Wednesday that Enrique Salem, its president and chief executive officer, had stepped down with immediate affect, after the company reported that its revenue for the quarter ended June 29 grew 1% year-over-year to $1.7 billion.

Symantec said its board of directors has appointed Steve Bennett, the current chairman of the board, to also hold the posts of president and chief executive officer.

The board’s decision to make a leadership change was not based on any particular event or impropriety but was instead made after ongoing consideration and a deliberative process, said Dan Schulman, Symantec’s newly-appointed lead director, in a statement. Bennett however said that in his view “Symantec’s assets are strong and yet the company is underperforming against the opportunity.”

Hackers fail to extort $50,000 from Symantec, as pcAnywhere source code is published

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:37:00 +0000

SophosLabs: Symantec has confirmed that a file made available on the internet for anyone to download, does contain the source code for an old version of its pcAnywhere product.

For a short while last month, before releasing a patch, Symantec advised customers to disable their pcAnywhere installations because of concern that hackers could exploit vulnerabilities.

In addition, the firm says that in January someone claiming to be the hacker responsible for the data theft tried to extort $50,000 from the firm in exchange for not releasing Symantec’s stolen source code.

Microsoft tempts antitrust lawyers with expanded antivirus offering

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:08:00 +0000

Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report posted something interesting in ZDNet:

You want a good, solid, free antivirus program? Microsoft Security Essentials fills the bill nicely. Unfortunately, even though it was officially released more than a year ago, it’s still one of the best-kept secrets in personal computing. Its installed base of 30 million users worldwide might sound big in raw numbers, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the billion-plus Windows PCs in use.