New Releases Make Windows 8 Safer and Faster While Setting New Benchmarks for Protection and Performance 

SYDNEY, Aust. – Sept. 11, 2012 – Norton by Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) has released the latest versions of its award-winning core security products, Norton 360, Norton Internet Security, and Norton AntiVirus, delivering on Norton’s commitment to extend protection to consumers on all of their devices and in all they do online.  With five patented layers of protection, stronger social networking defenses, anti-scam capabilities, and improved cloud-enabled features, the latest Norton products set new benchmarks for protection and performance.  In addition, the latest releases are Windows® 8 compatible and engineered to make Windows 8 safer and faster compared with running Windows Defender on Windows 8.

According to third-party testing, when paired with Norton, Windows 8 is 50 percent faster[1] and 20 percent safer than with Windows Defender[2].  In addition, testing showed that Norton was able to correctly detect and block all the threats that Windows Defender failed to recognise.[3]

“According to this year’s Norton Cybercrime Report[4], one in 10 social network users said they’d fallen victim to a scam or fake link on social network platforms.  Today, consumers are living nearly every aspect of their lives online and often putting personal information at risk,” said Janice Chaffin, Group President, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec.  “With our latest releases, Norton responds to this and other consumer vulnerabilities with stronger social media and scam protection to ensure consumers are safe in the multi-device, Wi-Fi-enabled world.”

The latest Norton products are engineered to be safer, optimized for speed and performance, and simpler to use.  In third-party testing, the new products ranked first in both protection[5] and performance[6] among a field of competitors.  New features and improvements include: 

Safer

In addition to industry-leading core security technologies, the new Norton releases feature protection enhancements including:

–        Social Networking Protection – New defenses protect consumers from attacks and scams on social networks, such as likejacking, malicious messages, posts and notices on social networks

–        Scam Insight – Anti-scam capabilities warn users of potentially risky sites that are new or do not have an established reputation within the Norton user community, enabling users to keep personal information such as bank account or login data secure

–        Enhanced Network Defenses – To keep consumers safe from constantly evolving web-based attacks, the latest releases feature stronger networking defenses including a new Intelligent Firewall and broader uses of Insight information, which now tracks IP address reputation in addition to file, URL and domain reputation

Faster

With consumers becoming more on-the-go with devices such as tablets and ultrabooks, faster startup, shutdown and improved battery power are increasingly important.  The latest Norton products feature:

–        Faster Startup & Shutdown – Completely re-engineered to minimise startup and shutdown time

–        Maximized Battery Power – Reduced power consumption, resulting in extended battery life and faster response from system sleep and hibernate states

–        More Efficient Support for Digital Media Files –  Designed to ensure digital media files – such as photos, music and videos – are safe from attack, without impacting performance

Simpler
In addition to being safer and faster, Norton products are also simpler to use, offering enhancements including:

–        Touch Screen-Friendly – User interface is engineered for faster performance and optimized for touch screens

–        Version-Less – With all product updates now downloaded in the background and installed automatically, consumers can rest assured they are safe from the latest threats without manually checking for updates

–        Reboot-Less – Product updates no longer require reboot, so consumers can receive the most up-to-date protection without being interrupted

Pricing & Availability

The latest versions of Norton 360, Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus are now available for purchase in Australia through various retailers and the Norton online store at http://buy.norton.com/. The MSRP for Norton 360 Multi-Device (previously Norton 360 Everywhere) is $129.95, which provides one year of protection for up to five devices.  The MSRP for Norton Internet Security is $99.95, which provides one year of protection for up to three PCs.  The MSRP for Norton AntiVirus is $59.95, which provides one year of protection for one PC.

Norton customers with a valid product subscription are eligible to receive the latest product updates via the subscription service model.  For more information, visit the Norton Update center at http://updatecenter.norton.com.

About Norton

Norton protects the Stuff that matters to consumers, across all aspects of their digital lives. Norton provides a range of security solutions including technologies for PCs and mobile devices, live tech support services and online backup. For free antivirus and other free tools to keep you safe from malware, phishing and identity theft go to http://au.norton.com/.  Like Norton on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/norton. 

About Symantec

Symantec is a global leader in providing security; storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world.  Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.com.