Norton
Internet Security 2006
Reviewed by Bruce Brandsma
Norton Internet Security 2006 is a suite that includes full versions
of
Norton Anti-Virus, Norton Personal Firewall, Norton Privacy Control,
Norton
Spam Alert and Norton Parental Control. Also included is a Home
Network
feature that allows you include and regulate access of other computers
on
the network.
The application must be activated online using the provided serial
number.
You have 15 days to register, so the application disk can be used
as a
15-day free trial by anyone.
Virus threat, firewall, spam and web content protection updates
are
available via a subscription which must be renewed after one year
for a fee
of $39.95. Without this renewal, there will be no threat updates.
The Control Panel lists the following features:
Security Basics
Auto Protect-when this feature is enabled, viruses, Trojan
horses, worms and
other malicious threats are automatically addressed.
Personal Firewall-detects and blocks malicious traffic
and attempts by
outside users to attack your computer.
Windows Automatic Updates-When you start Live-Update, it
displays a list of
the Symantec programs installed on your computer. When you click
Next in
Interactive mode, it checks to see which installed programs have
updates
available on the Live-Update server. From the list of available
updates, you
can select which updates Live-Update should download and install.
Virus Definitions-are files that contain specific signature
information that
allows Norton Anti-Virus to detect and protect you against viruses
and
malicious code threats. Virus definitions also protect your computer
against
spyware, adware, and other security risks.
Full System Scan-checks all files and running processes
on your computer.
Web Browsing
Auto Protect-described above.
Spyware Protection-automatically detects and blocks high-risk
spyware and
adware programs before they are installed on your system.
Personal Firewall-Intrusion Prevention scans all the network
traffic that
enters and exits your computer and compares this information against
a set
of attack signatures. If the information matches an attack signature,
Intrusion Prevention automatically discards the packet and severs
the
connection with the computer that sent the data.
Parental Control-covers programs, chat, conferencing and
collaboration,
email, education programs that access the internet, file transfer,
newsletters, networked games and web browsers.
Ad Blocking-compares the addresses of ads that are being
downloaded by your
browser with its own list of ads to block. If it finds a match,
it removes
the ad so that it does not appear in your browser, leaving the rest
of the
web page intact.
Pop-up blocking-Many websites are using more aggressive
techniques to draw
attention to the ads on their pages. Some use larger, more prominent
ads,
while others rely on ad windows that appear when you enter or leave
the
site. Along with increasing the amount of time that it takes to
display web
pages, some ads contain offensive content, cause software conflicts,
or use
tricks to open additional browser windows.
Email Messaging
Instant Message Scanning
Worm Blocking-If a program tries to email itself or a copy
of itself, it
could be a worm trying to spread through email. A worm can send
itself or a
copy of itself in an email message without any interaction with
you. Worm
Blocking continually scans outgoing email attachments for worms.
If it
detects a worm, you receive a message telling you that a malicious
worm was
found. The alert presents you with options and asks you what to
do. If you
were not sending an email message at that time, then it is probably
a worm
and you should quarantine the file.
Privacy Control-Every time you browse the internet, computers
and websites
collect information about you. Some of this information comes from
forms
that you fill out and choices that you make. Other information comes
from
your browser, which automatically provides information about the
web page
you last visited and the type of computer that you're using. Malicious
users
can also collect personal information without your knowledge. Any
time that
you send information over the internet, the data must pass through
a number
of computers before it reaches its destination. During transmission,
it's
possible for third parties to intercept this information. Computers
include
some basic security features, but they might not be enough to protect
your
personal information. Privacy Control helps protect your privacy
by giving
you several levels of control over and other information that your
browser
sends to websites. There is a form that allows you to type the last
5 or 6
digits of sensitive numbers such as Social Security numbers, credit
card
numbers and bank account numbers and these numbers will not be allowed
to
leave the computer.
Spam-Customize your protection by identifying particular
text strings that
should and should not be filtered. When Norton AntiSpam encounters
a message
containing one of these text strings, it immediately categorizes
the message
based on your settings. This helps ensure that messages from trusted
senders
do not get marked as spam. Everyone using the computer shares a
single
customized Norton AntiSpam list.
Over all, I found Norton Internet Security 2006 rather simple to
use if only
the default settings are used. It gets a little complicated when
configuring
the parental controls and private information control.
Minimum system requirements: Windows 2000 Pro with SP3, or XP; 300MHz
processor; 256 MB RAM; 325 MB hard disk space; DVD or CD drive;
Internet
Explorer 5.5.
The retail cost direct from Symantec.com is $69.99; $49.99 for the
upgrade,
which means any previous software. The program is $59.99 from Amazon.com
less a $20 rebate through July 8th. A $20 upgrade rebate (through
12/31/06)
is also available for upgrades from any Norton/Symantec product
or
competitive program, bringing the net price at Amazon.com down to
$19.99.
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