Norton AntiBot goes into public beta
These days, criminal enterprises don't just want to steal your Outlook contact list, they want to own your computer, and they will download a remote-access Trojan horse at the first available opportunity. Within the last six months, Symantec has seen the number of these "bot" infections increase 29 percent over the previous six months. That's why Symantec is rushing to market a new application they're calling Norton AntiBot.
While most antivirus applications today provide adequate protection against spyware and malware, once these are removed, your machine is vulnerable to new and different variations of the same. Say a site you visit has been compromised with a stealth-like IFrame that, each time you visit the page, downloads a different Trojan. Symantec has licensed new behavior-based technology that picks up on this activity and proactively protects your computer from repeat attacks.
Norton AntiBot is designed to complement Symantec's existing SONAR technology, a behavior-monitoring and blocking feature acquired from a company called Whole Security last year and currently available on Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security, and Norton 360.
The download for the public beta, along with appropriate caveats, can be found on the Symantec site. Information on price and final availability was not available at press time.
As CNET's resident security expert, Robert Vamosi has been interviewed on the BBC, CNN, MSNBC, and other outlets to share his knowledge about the latest online threats and to offer advice on personal and corporate security. Listen to his podcast at securitybites.cnet.com or e-mail Robert with your questions and comments.
