isoftware Technology CO.,Limited |
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Self-Healing Norton 360 Version Computer Antivirus Software
Intelligent Firewall
The most obvious difference between Norton 360 and Norton Internet
Security is the user interface. Symantec has made it clear that
Norton 360 is aimed at the average user who just wants protection
while Norton Internet Security lets expert users dig deeper. In
truth, these days they're not so very different. If the added
backup and tuneup features found in Norton 360 appeal to you,
choose it over Norton Internet Security.
PROS | Remote Management. Self-healing. Very good antivirus. Intelligent firewall. Accurate antispam. Excellent antiphishing. Password management and form-filling now portable, Web-accessible. 2GB online backup; local backup too. Useful tuneup features. |
CONS | Premier parental control features cost extra. |
BOTTON LINE | Norton 360 Version 6.0 gives you all the same protective features as Norton Internet Security 2012, with a friendlier face. You also get flexible backup, including 2GB of online storage. Tuneup features are also useful, especially the diagnostic report. This full-featured suite is definitely a good choice. |
Hardware |
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Self-Healing Installer
Malware can easily interfere with security installations that rely
on the standard Windows installer. Like other Norton products,
Norton 360 uses Symantec's "self-healing" installer. It can take
steps to counter malware that tries to block installation. Once
installed, if something goes wrong with the product it sends a
coded message to Symantec central and, in most cases, gets back a
script that will fix the problem automatically.
I've had occasions to see this feature in action. On one test
system, the installer ran a quick virus scan, requested a reboot,
and proceeded without incident. Another sent an error query and
apparently received a fix.
Collin Davis, Senior Director of Engineering for Symantec, called this automated system "an opportunity to delight customers." Because so many routine little problems are handled automatically, said Davis, support agents have more time to spend with customers whose problems go beyond the usual.
Norton Management
Norton Management, introduced with the 2012 Norton products,
expands on the existing Norton Account concept to allow management
of all your protected computers online. With the latest release
Norton 360 now connects to Norton Management as well.
From the Norton Management console you can manage licenses for all
your Norton products including Norton Internet Security, Norton
AntiVirus, Norton Anti-Theft, and Norton Mobile Security. You can
update licenses with new keys, uninstall products remotely (so as
to re-use the key), and even correct configuration problems
remotely.
The features offered by Norton Management are similar to the online
management portion of McAfee All Access , except that you purchase
your licenses separately.
Intelligent Firewall
Norton's firewall does everything a firewall should, and then some.
It stealths all ports, making the PC invisible from outside the
local network. My attempts to disable its protection in ways a
malware coder might manage had no effect. And its control over
internet access permissions for programs on your system is more
intelligent than most.
Aggregated information from the millions of Norton users feeds into the Norton Insight database. The firewall automatically configures permissions for hundreds of millions of known good files, and the suite automatically terminates known bad files. When the firewall encounters an unknown program attempting Internet access, it applies extra behavioral scrutiny and smacks down the program if it tries anything nasty.
I very much approve of security tools that take responsibility for
their own decisions. Asking the user whether to allow or deny a
particular network connection just doesn't make sense.
As usual, I found that Norton ignores most leak tests. These
demonstration programs attempt to connect with the Internet without
being caught by program control, but since they're not actually
harmful Norton leaves them alone. I did notice that the SONAR
behavior-tracking technology silently whacked one of the leak tests
when it made its connection attempt.
Norton is also extremely effective at identifying and blocking Web-based attacks on potential system vulnerabilities. I attacked a test system with 30 exploits generated by the Core IMPACT penetration tool. After the first attack, Norton put the penetration-testing system's IP address on a blacklist; I had to turn off intrusion auto-blocking in order to complete the test. Norton blocked every single exploit and identified most of them by name.