Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2004 is world's first anti-virus solution to protect consumers from spyware

Symantec, the world leader in Internet security, today announced Norton AntiVirus 2004, the newest version of the world's most trusted anti-virus solution.

Utilising new, state-of-the-art technology, Norton AntiVirus 2004 will provide consumers with core protection against certain emerging non-virus threats such as spyware and keystroke logging programs. Scheduled for wide availability in early September, Norton AntiVirus 2004 will empower home and small office users to proactively ward off privacy and security breeches that are often caused by the presence of these non-virus threats.

"With the emergence of recent high profile security threats like BugBear and Blaster, which are complicated and blended in nature, traditional anti-virus solutions are no longer enough to guarantee trouble-free computing," said Patrick Evans, regional manager for Africa at Symantec.

"The additional protection provided by Norton AntiVirus 2004 helps combat spyware and keystroke logging programs, which can be left behind by some of these new blended threats. Spyware can also be acquired through everyday Web surfing, installing itself in the computer's background, frequently with most users never knowing it is there."

The new expanded threat detection capabilities of Norton AntiVirus 2004 will include scans for programs on the user's computer that can be used with malicious intent to compromise the security of a system, spy on the user's private data, or track users' online behaviour. To help ensure maximum protection Norton AntiVirus 2004 will identify and block these threats at the point of entry to the system, detecting the threats during scans of e-mail and instant message attachments, or during scheduled or on-demand system scans.

Norton AntiVirus 2004 will also offer users of Windows 2000/XP added protection from viruses lurking in compressed files - the type of files commonly exchanged with the use of services such as peer-to-peer networks or instant messaging. This new, real-time compressed-file scanning feature prevents users of file-exchange services from sharing or downloading infected files even if those files are compressed.

Additionally, as a measure to protect users from pirated or counterfeit software, Norton AntiVirus 2004 will also now include a product activation component.

Like previous versions of the product, Norton AntiVirus 2004 will continue to help users achieve maximum protection with minimum effort by automatically scanning all files for malicious code, and automatically removing viruses, worms and Trojan horses without requiring user intervention. Protection is further enhanced by Norton AntiVirus's consistent ability to protect automatically against both inbound and outbound online threats at all points of entry. Unlike many of its competitors, Norton AntiVirus 2004 will also install out of the box with all key protection settings and technologies active by default, including real-time scanning, automatic updating and sophisticated heuristics.

To ensure Norton AntiVirus 2004 users' protection stays updated against new online threats, Symantec's LiveUpdate will check for new anti-virus updates whenever the user is online. LiveUpdate will then automatically and unobtrusively download updates in the background to minimise disruptions, thus allowing users to achieve the continued peace of mind that comes with knowing their anti-virus product is working at its best.

Norton AntiVirus 2004 will also be offered in a professional edition, which will include all of the capabilities of the standard version, as well as additional protection features to help ensure the integrity and safety of data. Norton AntiVirus 2004 Professional will include both a data recovery component that helps users restore files that were damaged or accidentally deleted as well as a data-cleaning tool that digitally shreds deliberately deleted files. In addition, to help protect households and home offices with more than one PC, Norton AntiVirus 2004 Professional will include a two-computer licence. For small businesses, Norton AntiVirus 2004 Professional will also be available for purchase in small office five-packs and 10-packs.