Symantec Security Check assists more than 20 million users

Symantec, the world leader in Internet security, today announced that 20 million users have utilised Symantec Security Check, the most widely visited security testing site worldwide, to identify and address online safety threats. Available at

, the free service enables PC and Macintosh home users around the globe the opportunity to pinpoint, understand, and resolve online security vulnerabilities of their individual computers.

As security threats increase in complexity and number, more and more computer users are turning to Symantec Security Check. From March 2001 to March 2002, the site helped 15 million users; from March 2002 to the present, another five million users checked their computers with the site.

"As evidenced by the growing popularity of Symantec Security Check, online safety has become a priority for PC and Macintosh users everywhere," said Patrick Evans, regional manger for Africa at Symantec. "Symantec Security Check provides users with a convenient, trusted tool to assess their security risks and offers immediate resources online to protect against those threats."

Symantec Security Check performs a comprehensive combination of scans to test a system^1s exposure to online threats. A network vulnerability scan determines if the computer allows unknown or unauthorized Internet communication, while a NetBIOS availability scan determines if the computer^1s information is accessible to hackers. An active Trojan horse scan identifies if the computer allows Internet communication through methods commonly used by Trojan horses, and a browser scan ascertains whether the Web browser reveals information about the last-visited site to other Web sites. In addition, antivirus product and definition scans pinpoint if the computer has a recent version of a commonly used antivirus product installed and, if so, whether the protection is current.

A recent addition to Symantec Security Check is a visual tracing service, which provides information about the network from which a potential attack originated and the geographical location of the computer used in the attack. This service determines precisely where and how traffic is flowing between the source and destination systems, then provides an actual map of the route. The map is updated and redrawn in real-time as new information becomes available.

Symantec Security Check also provides information to help users better understand and use the service. Security risk statistics, virus detection statistics, frequently asked questions, free e-mail alerts, information for network administrators, and product data are available with the click of a mouse.