Most Americans think that when it comes to computer security, most feel that it’s safer to be on the internet via a PC, rather than a mobile phone.

The statement comes from Symantec, the makers of the Norton range of IT security products, who discovered that a whopping 87% of people thought they were safer online via their desktops, rather than surfing on their mobiles.

Ironically, the study went on to find that less than half of those using their PCs to go online, were not fully protected. Nearly 60% claimed to Symantec that they believed that their PC was running a complete security software application, but when the company did a scan to check, they discovered only 37% were in fact fully protected.

Michael Kaiser, National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) Executive Director, said:
“We’re encouraged that more Americans feel safe going online from their home computers. We need to ensure that this is not a false sense of security and that a feeling of safety does not lead to complacency. Americans need to remain vigilant and be sure that all Web connected hardware has the proper security tools installed and is up-to-date. In addition, the use of sound judgment and common sense online is necessary to protect personal information and reduce the loss of important data.”

What’s more, Symantec went on to discover that US citizens are increasingly embracing the digital and computerized world. It’s discovered that over half Americans now have between two to three computers at home, with nearly 75% owning a laptop, or netbook.

Furthermore, just over 30% say that nowadays, their laptop, or netbook is their main computer; a trend which sees the desktop becoming less important than it was. And with an ever increasing amount of web-enabled devices being introduced onto the market, Americans now have a vast choice of internet ready devices at home, school, work and the environment in general.

Marian Merritt, an Advocate for Norton Internet Safety, said:
“Computer users can run into online threats regardless of where they might be connected and what device they’re using. However, on a Wi-Fi network, there are other risks consumers can run into, like ‘evil twin’ networks that trick people into connecting to unknown networks, giving cybercriminals access to their computer and its contents. Consumers should ensure they’re connecting to a legitimate network, using the access keys or portal given to them by the Wi-Fi provider.”

Food for thought for anyone wishing to compare antivirus software.

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

The makers of the Norton range of computer products has just released one of its regular antivirus reviews.

The Symantec Corporation MessageLabs Intelligence Report for September 2010 is one of the biggest antivirus reviews, and its publications are keenly noted by antivirus companies and users alike.

The highlight of this particular report revealed that 35% of workers using the MessageLabs Hosted Web Security Service triggered web site blocks when on the road more often than they did in the office. These web site blocks come about when a webpage is visited that infringe corporate policy, and emphasise the need to create acceptable use policies within the work place so that employees do not visit sites that are illegal, harmful, or offensive.

Whilst adult or sexually explicit websites were revealed to be more likely visited in the workplace, it was those working away from the office that were 5.4 more likely to trigger website blocks. These blocks included personals and dating categories, as well as shopping and search engines.

Paul Wood, MessageLabs Intelligence Senior Analyst explains: “In general, more policy blocks overall are triggered by workers when they are out of the office, indicating rather intuitively that users are more compliant with usage policies when in the office. More than one-third of workers that are both remote and desk-based trigger a greater number of policy blocks when they are out of the office perhaps taking the opportunity to visit a greater variety of websites than they would when at their desks.”

Attacks on emails in the work place were also highlighted in the research; the ‘Here You Have’ virus swept email servers by using social engineering. This is a long-standing way of proliferating a virus, which uses genuine email addresses to send the virus to the email users’ addressees. The recipients assume that the email is safe as it comes from a friend or colleague, and are then vulnerable to opening the email and having the virus downloaded onto their computer.

As with every report, MessageLabs Intelligence also underlined other statistics from their findings. With regards to spam, email traffic from new and unknown source was 91.9% in September 2010; this is a drop in 0.3% since August. Another decrease was that of 0.01% in phishing activity since August.

The geographical trends were also investigated. Once again, Hungary lingered at the top of the list of countries that receive the most spam, although this had dropped by 0.3% from August, now standing at a spam rate of 96%. South Africa was revealed to be the country most targeted by malware found in emails; in September, 1 in 99.2 emails were detected and blocked for being malicious.

With its in depth analysis, the Symantec Corporation MessageLabs Intelligence Report is one of the most thorough antivirus reviews in the business, and helps to keep Norton (as well as other companies) antivirus software ahead of the game.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

The last version of Norton has been released and owners Symantec reckon it is the best anti virus application out there.

Claiming to be the best anti virus software in an increasingly crowded marketplace is quite a call, but Symantec, the company behind the Norton range of products, believe they are onto a winner with the 2011 line-up.

They highlighted the product’s launch with news that they reckon that some 65% of people worldwide are falling prey to cybercrime. They also focus on the fact that the just released Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security 2011 is the only comparable application to achieve a 100% protection score.

The score was achieved using a third-party test from Dennis Labs.

Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security 2011 also comes with a free tool, the Norton Power Eraser, which has been developed to handle ‘scareware’ applications. These are becoming an increasing problem for many users (they pop-up on users’ computers and declare that the machine is virus ridden) and a tool that can attack them aggressively and eliminate their malicious intent, will be welcomed by many in the market.

President of the Consumer Business Unit at Symantec, Janice Chaffin, said:
“Today’s cybercriminals are not standing down – consumers need the very best protection to stay safe online. The Norton 2011 products are the highest quality we have ever built and the most comprehensive protection on the market with additional, value-added tools for protecting customers from today’s ever-evolving threats.”

Symantec claim that Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security 2011 is packed full of new features, performance improvements and enhancements, and free tools.

It has also undergone extensive stress testing by Dennis Labs, which has had its security testing methodology revived by AMTSO, the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization.

The key components of the new Norton product are as follows.

Taking the lead is Reputation Based Security. This checks whether a particular download is risky (comparing it to the downloads undertaken from its near 60 million user customer base) and whether the programme is likely to contain malware. The check is almost instant, which prevents users from getting trapped.

Next up is the System Insight 2.0. At the core of this feature are Proactive Performance Alerts and these constantly monitor all running applications, recognising when a particular programme is hogging the machine’s resources.

Moving along and attention switches to the Download Insight 2.0. Symantec claim that this provides the best, and most fearsome, reputation-based protection system. It checks every download before they are allowed to operate on the computer.

SONAR 3 –as the name might suggest – adds the spice of behavioural security, which gets to the nitty gritty with ‘zero-day’ protection against emerging threats. And it takes any confusion away from the user as it automatically makes the key decisions.

Last, but not least, is the dependable Norton Bootable Recovery Tool. This is useful if a machine becomes seriously compromised and needs to boot up in a safe mode so that a cleansing operation can take place.

Performance is said to be industry leading and previous users will see a smart new look.

Is it the best anti virus to date? Only time will tell, but given the ever increasingly online threats, it does need to be pretty good.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

For those wondering if they need the best internet security software when surfing, they should read the latest study from Norton.

The Norton range of anti-virus products is developed by the Symantec company and their latest study will no doubt convince the most sceptical of computer users that they require protection by using the best internet security software out there. Cybercrime is pervasive and indiscriminate, and Norton reveals that 65% (two thirds) of internet users globally have been affected by some form of cybercrime. In the US alone, 73% of internet users have faced cybercrime in some shape or form; whether that’s viruses, identity theft, or the loss of personal information. China is the worst affected country at 83%, with Brazil and India also huge targets at 76%.

Cybercrime does not just affect your computer; it takes an undeniable toll on the people involved. Norton decided to take this angle when putting together their report. In their survey, they asked for internet users to tell them the feelings that are elicited by cybercrime. The strongest reactions were annoyance at 51%, anger (58%), and a sense of feeling cheated (24%). There is also no doubt that these victims have felt overwhelming helplessness; the report showed that 80% of internet users questioned believe that the cybercriminals will never be punished. With no belief that the criminals can be brought to justice, internet users feel unable to move on.

Joseph LaBrie, PhD, professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University, says: “We accept cybercrime because of a ‘learned helplessness’. It’s like getting ripped off at the garage – if you don’t know enough about cars, you can’t argue with the mechanic. People just accept a situation, even if it feels bad.”

No wonder, then, that there is an apathy towards reporting a crime that has been committed. However, software security companies urge internet users to report these crimes just like they would feel compelled to any other kind of crime: there are ways of dealing with these criminals.

Adam Palmer, Norton lead cyber security advisor, explains: “We all pay for cybercrime, either directly or through pass-along costs from our financial institutions. Cybercriminals purposely steal small amounts to remain undetected, but all of these add up. If you fail to report a loss, you may actually be helping the criminal stay under the radar.”

So what can internet users do to keep themselves safe from cybercriminals in the first place? Norton’s report echoes many security companies who urge users to buy comprehensive security software for their computers; the first and best defence against these criminals. The best internet security software will keep your computer safe, not only from day-to-day annoyances, but also from making you into another cybercrime-related statistic.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

The computer security industry may continue to encourage users to buy anti virus software, but the words might take on a greater significance if Microsoft decides to bid for massive bug catcher Symantec.

Internet security is essential to the wellbeing of computer users everywhere and the corporate world appear to be getting excited about its future potential. Not only has Intel snapped up McAfee for north of seven billion dollars, but news has just come of the purchase by Hewlett Packard of another computer security company, ArcSight, although for the lesser figure of $1.5 billion.

Hence the reasons for the bid rumours re Microsoft and Symantec. City dealers work on gossip, rumours and trends (some say like sheep), so the jump from two major bids, to talk of a third, is not unsurprising.

And it’s a persuasive theory. What worries many companies in any given sector is the size of the competition and their ability to lever their cash resources. McAfee and Symantec are both giants in that sector, with Symantec – the creators and developers of the Norton range of products – recognised as being the largest player. Now suddenly their main rival has the likes of Intel looking after them. This means that McAfee will have the financial muscle to step up research and development, and, should they so choose, implement an aggressive sales strategy with wholesalers and retailers. Symantec will now wonder how Intel’s big pockets will affect their competitive and technology standing.

The theory therefore goes, that Symantec might welcome a move from a larger company to offer it the same kind of weight that Intel now offers McAfee. And shareholders of Symantec might think that payday is around the corner with such a bid from a company like Microsoft. And Symantec’s recent near 10% rise in its share price suggests that the markets are hoping for a suitor for the internet security giant in the near future.

What’s more, many wags suggest that given Microsoft’s arguably terrible reputation when it comes to being the hacker’s favourite target, the Seattle company could do with a helping hand on the inside to help repel boarders.

But investment analysts aren’t convinced that Microsoft is ready to make such a move. They point to Microsoft’s better security record and their development of their own range of antivirus products, including anti-malware programmes and effective firewall solutions. Does it need Symantec to improve this area for them – maybe not? Nor would Symantec’s reputation for its Norton products to hog processor power like a jealous lover, endear it to the geeks in Seattle.

And nor would Symantec be cheap. Microsoft certainly has the deep pockets needed to acquire such a large company, but it may not give its own investors a reasonable return. A smaller computer security company might just do the trick instead. So many investors are taking the slide rule to other credible players, which have the technology, but not the premium price tag.

So, buy anti virus might just be the corporate buzz phrase for the end of 2010, and even if Microsoft don’t want to swallow Symantec, expect some smaller players to be targeted by other general computer companies.

Guest Article by Neil Camp