14 DAY TRIAL // Symantec has launched its latest iteration of security solutions under the Norton brand, tailoring the releases to Windows 7, but also its precursors, Windows Vista and Windows XP. The lineup of products includes two offerings: Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton AntiVirus 2010, and users can get a taste of both via the links at the bottom of this article. With the general availability of Norton 2010, the security outfit is emphasizing Codename Quorum as a new reputation-based technology that comes to the table to complement traditional security models based on signatures but also modern heuristics approaches.
“One in five people will become a victim of cyber crime,” revealed Rowan Trollope, senior vice president, Consumer Products and Marketing, Symantec. “We know that hackers don’t destroy computers, they destroy lives. The powerful new reputation-based security in Norton 2010 gives people the power to deny digital dangers wherever they are found online.”
Essentially, both Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton AntiVirus 2010 include Quorum, and are illustrative examples of Symantec’s strategy to turn the weapons of malicious writers against themselves. Quorum is capable of building a reputation score for each file it comes across based on its uniqueness and its attributes. Symantec has spent over three years building its reputation-based technology and the final result takes into consideration a multitude of aspects from age, to download source, digital signature, and prevalence. Complex algorithms are then applied to determine a reputation and the reputation of the file is then used to determine whether new code is malware.
“The expanding number and sophistication of security threats can no longer be contained through signature files and behavioral heuristics alone,” added Jon Oltsik, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. “Symantec’s reputation-based security technology for 2010 represents a new and important safeguard in a multi-layer antivirus defense. I believe it’s likely that the internet security industry will be building on technologies like Quorum for the next ten years.”
But of course, Quorum is just one of the features brought to the table by Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton AntiVirus 2010. In this regard, Norton Download Insight is designed to warn users of threats before installation, Norton System Insight and Norton Threat Insight are set up to provide information on the protected system and threats detected on the computer, while Norton Insight Network is an example of Cloud-based security at work leveraging statistical analysis for malware detection.
In addition to the standard security capabilities, Norton 2010 products are feature-pack suites that bring to the table behavioral security technology Sonar 2, antispam features, Norton Safe Web, and parental control with OnlineFamily.Norton. Norton Internet Security 2010 has a price tag of $69.99 for a three-PC license and Norton AntiVirus 2010 is just $39.99.
But in addition to features, Norton 2010 introduces unprecedented performance and speed, Symantec noted. These are the conclusions of independent 3rd party test lab, PassMark Software: “Fast install — Norton Internet Security 2010 installs in about a minute. Least working memory usage — Norton Internet Security 2010 uses just over 10MB. Fastest scan — Norton Internet Security 2010 scans in only 61 seconds on a Hard Disk Drive and in only 31 seconds on an Solid State Drive.”
Norton Internet Security 2010 is available for download here. Norton AntiVirus 2010 is available for download here.