Norton has compiled a list of the top US kids online searches last year and near the top of the pile was the somewhat predictable searches for “sex” and “porn” which were number four and five respectively with those aged 18 and under.

Norton, which is the anti-virus software made by Symantec, make the point that whilst parents may live in hope their teenage offspring are searching for things like the blockbuster movie hit New Moon, or in the case of the seven and unders Sesame Street, their kids will also be finding out a few other things as well.

However, the good news is that the top three kids’ searches in 2009 were YouTube, Google and Facebook.

But Norton advises parents to be aware of what their children are searching for, as each of the first three choices above can of course lead to highly inappropriate content. They are also recommend using a software package to help parents keep an eye on their kids online searches. The Norton OnlineFamily is one such choice for those parents keen to get help.

And when the stats are shown for those searches including the words Sex and Porn, there seems little differences between the boys and the girls. For example, although for boys the search term sex came in at number four, for girls it was only one less at number five. In case you were wondering, girls put the search words Taylor Swift in at number four.

As for the boy’s top 25 searches, they were mostly concerned, apart from the adult related words, with social networking and shopping sites, and games. The girls also had a panache for social networking sites, but were more interested in music, TV, film and celebrity sites.

Not surprisingly perhaps, recently deceased pop mega star Michael Jackson was the most popular celebrity search last year with kids, coming in at number 12, with Taylor Swift at number 13. Other top celebrity searches included Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Lil Wayne, Megan Fox, Eminem, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, the Black Eyed Peas, the Jonas Brothers, Rihanna, and Chris Brown.

Marian Merritt, Norton Internet Safety Advocate, said:
“When it comes to online threats, parents need to be concerned about more than just their child running into inappropriate content. What makes OnlineFamily.Norton unique is that it gives parents insight into kids’ online activities and what interests them most so that parents can ensure they have a discussion with them about topics they’re curious about, as well as protect them from cyber threats.”

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Learn how to control your kids surfing here

Symantec has just announced the worldwide release of Norton Ghost 15.

Symantec, which develop and produce the renowned Norton security suite, claim that the Norton Ghost 15 is one of the industry’s most advanced PC backup and recovery solutions. It is also compatible with Windows 7 and offers 25G and 50G Blu-ray Disc support. What’s more, this latest version introduces a new cold imaging feature that images computers without installing the product. Furthermore, Norton Ghost uses Symantec’s ThreatCon indicator to automatically back up PCs in the event of a severe security threat.

Norton Ghost 15 is pitched as a professional-grade backup solution for both home users and small businesses. Amongst it’s many attributes, lost, or damaged files can be recovered and restored in the event of a system failure, even if the computer’s operating system does not start. Additionally, it provides a backup of an entire system, or specific files, and folders, whilst saving recovery points to offsite locations using FTP.

Dave Cole, senior director of consumer products, Symantec, said:
“Norton Ghost has been the essential imaging and recovery product since 1996. Consumers PCs have never been more central to people’s lives, or more at risk due to cybercrime and critical failures. Ghost 15 not only is a powerful disaster recovery tool, but also it adds important features such as Windows 7 compatibility and Blu-ray Disc support to keep current with the way people are using their computers today.”

Symantec highlights the fact that their Norton Ghost 15 is also supported by Windows 7 Bitlocker. This provides enhanced data protection through drive encryption and integrity checking, keeping stored data safe and protected. They also point out that it works with both 25G and 50G Blu-ray Discs and most storage drives. This includes external hard drives, networked drives and recordable, and rewritable, CDs and DVDs. And the hot backups feature allows users to back up their computers without having to shut it down first.

The cold imaging technology employed by Norton Ghost 15 effectively backs up files without installing the product which, says Symantec, saves time and money. A handy feature is that after purchasing a new computer, users can image the PC immediately before any software is loaded which means that factory settings remain intact. It also allows easy back up of a system by simply booting to the recovery environment (which is a light version of the Windows operating system) from the Norton Ghost CD, and then initiating a backup.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

Cyber crime has become bigger than drug trafficking for the criminal fraternity. Whats more, say security company Symantec who develop the Norton software range of anti-virus products, one in five people will become a victim of cybercrime in the future.

Symantec research has shown that every three and a half minutes a crime is committed on the streets of New York City, and that every two and half minutes a crime is committed on the streets of Tokyo. Compare that though with every three seconds an identity is stolen online; that’s nearly 10,512,000 identities each year.

And one of the real attractions for cyber criminals is not only the profitability of such crimes, but their anonymity as well, which makes online crimes much more difficult to prosecute than offline crimes.

In response, Symantec has launched a self-styled ‘crusade’ against viruses. It claims to be exposing the inner workings of one of the largest illegal industries in the world and in doing so, hopes to help provide the information that people need to stay protected through a collection of educational and actionable assets and corporate actions.

These include:

• Internet Black Market video series. These videos invite people to take a virtual tour and learn how the online criminal marketplace operates, including what is for sale and highlight the latest cyber thief schemes;
• Every Click Matters website. This takes what they claim to be an entertaining and educational look at the world of cyber crime, exploring digital dangers and who’s behind them, understanding whether cyber crime can actually do to people and educate them on what you can do about it;
• Norton Online Risk Calculator. Could be a useful add on as it offers a quick and free tool to evaluate a user’s risk level and provides an estimated value of their personal data to thieves in the criminal underground;
• “Cyber Crime Exposed” Booklet. This educates on the threat of cyber crime, the risk it poses and how to safeguard against it through simple everyday steps;
• Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton AntiVirus 2010. Symantec lobbies governments and other agencies and organizations around the globe to support and influence legislation, policy and public education as it relates to online crime, Internet safety and privacy.
• Making it harder for cyber criminals to scam computer users. Symantec educate on the threat of cyber crime, the risk it poses and how to safeguard against it through simple everyday steps;
• Norton Internet Safety Advocate. Via one Marian Merritt who is a nationally recognized representative for Symantec’s ongoing efforts surrounding Internet safety. She works alongside educators and public and private organizations to help families enjoy the Internet safely and securely.

So there you have it; viruses are now more popular than drugs.

Guest Article by Neil Camp