Symantec, the world leader in Internet security, today announced the availability of the most advanced virus detection and repair technology engineered to address the growing need for Linux-based virus protection. Award-winning Norton AntiVirus now scans and analyzes files in the ELF file format - the format used by the Linux platform.
"Since Linux is free, "open source," and runs on everyday PCs, we expect increasing numbers of viruses on this platform," said Sanjiv Bhargava, vice president of Core Technology. "By delivering this technology, Symantec demonstrates its commitment to meeting the ever changing security needs of our customers."
Existing Norton AntiVirus users benefit immediately from Linux-based virus protection by using the product's LiveUpdate feature. LiveUpdate provides a simple way to keep users protected by automatically connecting to a Symantec server to download the latest virus definitions and software updates. In this case, LiveUpdate interacts with Symantec's modular core anti-virus engine, NAVEX to create the Linux modification. NAVEX is an advanced technology designed to provide customers with compact, easy-to-distribute, easy-to-install updates to the Norton AntiVirus scanning engine.
"Adding Linux support illustrates Symantec's effort to provide solutions that protect customers using all types of platforms," said Paul McNamara, vice president of business development, Red Hat, Inc. "We are please to see top security solutions, like Symantec's anti-virus solution, available for Linux."
According to research conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC), preliminary figures for 1999 show that Linux shipments hold 24.6 percent of the server operating system market, up from 15.8 in 1998; and that 40 percent of all spending on Linux servers is for Internet-related applications. Research performed by NetCraft, Inc. states that 29 percent of all public Web servers also run on Linux, making Linux one of the most popular operating system for public Web sites.
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Symantec
Symantec, a world leader in Internet security technology, provides a broad range of content and network security solutions to individuals and companies. The company is a leading provider of virus protection, risk management, Internet content and e-mail filtering, and mobile code detection technologies to enterprise customers. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has worldwide operations in more than 24 countries.
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