Symantec Corporation - Strategic

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Appendix:
Symantec Corporation Illinois Institute of Technology Stuart School of Business MBA‐517, Strategic Competitiveness Professor Krishna Eramilli Team Constellation Karthikeyan Viswanathan – Lead Analyst Dan Pugh – Analyst Ann Cheng – Analyst Recent Press SWOT Analysis …Strength… …Weakness… …Opportunity… …Threat… UPDATED: Symantec researchers issues first Mac botnet malware warning...
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http://www.9to5mac.com/mac_botnet_warning
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UPDATED: Symantec researchers
issues first Mac botnet malware
warning
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Security researchers at
Symantec have
uncovered what they
suspect may be the first
Mac OS X botnet
launching denial-of
service attacks.
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As revealed in a recent
edition of Virus Bulletin, the researchers claim to have found two
malware types which use different tricks to grab control of infected
Mac OS X machines.
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Hands on Future Touchscreen
Devices
The two malware bundles are called OSX.Iservice and OSX.Iservice.B,
and appear to be spread within pirated copies of iWork 09 and
Photoshop CS4, distributed on the popular P2P torrent network.
We've talked about these before but now these infected machines are
springing into action.
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online share grows
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Cut
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iPhone App
Seems the malware maker got hold of original copies of both
application and inserted the malicious binaries into the software. Users
who download and install these apps may then be affected.
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PSP Mini Than on the iPhone...
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Researchers Mario Ballano Barcena and Alfredo Pesoli warn this to be
“the first real attempt to create a Mac botnet”, and state that these
zombie Macs are already going about bad business. Thousands of
Macs may have been infected, they warn.
The men also note the malware author appears to have used the most
flexible and extendible approach when creating the code, “therefore,
we would not be surprised to see a new, modified variant in the near
future,” the researchers said.
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Is your AT&T iPhone rockin MMS?:
UPDATE: We've managed a little chat with Symantec, details
follow:
Yes! Finally
- The infection is also known as: OSX/iWorkServ.A [F-Secure],
OSX/IWService [McAfee], OSX/iWorkS-A [Sophos], OSX_KROWI.A
[Trend], OSX/iWorkS-Fam [Sophos], OSX/Krowi.A [Computer
Associates].
Not yet...still waiting
Who cares about MMS?
Comments!
- They warn: "Users who download files from third party sites and from
P2P networks such as BitTorrent are at risk. More generally, anyone
who surfs the internet should be aware of the threat of fake web sites,
called phishing sites, that steal passwords, identity information and
credit card numbers. "
Vote
- Asked if Mac users are under attack, Symantec notes: "The short
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10/1/2009 11:31 PM
UPDATED: Symantec researchers issues first Mac botnet malware warning...
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For a guy who makes $1 per year,
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http://www.9to5mac.com/mac_botnet_warning
answer, no. Users of Macintosh computers continue to have little to
fear from viruses, trojans and worms so long as they take reasonable
precautions."
$189.95
The trojans are distributed in pirated copies of Apple Computer’s iWork
’09 and Adobe Photoshop CS4 found on some P2P networks. Other
than installing the company's anti-virus technologies (and warning
against free solutions purporting to do this. as these are often flawed),
the company advises Mac users who frequently download files and
apps should, "Create a limited or non-administrator account for day to
day activities. Use an account with full privileges only when
necessary."
More Macintosh News
Colloquy Brings IRC to the iPhone
Snow Leopard Tip: Manually setup
new Mail accounts
The fake iWork ’09 installer has the filename iWork09.zip and is
approximately 450MB in size. In contrast, the legitimate trial version of
iWork ’09 that is available from Apple is named iWork09Trial.dmg and
is slightly over 451MB. The iWorkServices.pkg contains the Trojan
executable named iworkservices, and is approximately 404KB in size.
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company you've never heard of
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Apple iPod touch 8 GB (3rd Generation) …
Apple Computer
More general info on the malware:
The two versions of the trojan, called OSX.Iservice and OSX.Iservice.B
both create a network of computers (a “botnet) that can used by cyber
criminals to attack web sites, send junk email, steal passwords (SPAM)
and other malicious activities. This network has been called by some,
"iBotnet".
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Apple: 2 Billion App Downloads and Other
Mind-Boggling Numbers - Cult of Mac (blog)
more
The Trojan first determines if it is the root user on the compromised
computer and if not, it will end. Then, it checks to see if it was
executed with the file name iWorkServices. If not, it will create the
following folder:
/System/Library/StartupItems/iWorkServices
The Trojan then copies itself to both of the following locations:
/usr/bin/iWorkServices
Privacy Information
Mac Administrator Jobs
Programmer / Developer at Boston
Globe Media
Support EFF,
Support Bloggers' rights!
It then modifies the following file to ensure that it runs when the
compromised computer restarts:
Pre-Press Technician - The Citizen
- Auburn, NY
/StartupParameters.plist
IT Support (Student) - University of
Minnesota - Minnesota
Systems Administrator - New York
University - New York, NY
Desktop Technician - L-3
Enterprise IT Solutions Washington, DC
more
The Trojan then restarts itself from its new location in /System/Library
/StartupItems/iWorkServices, and decrypts an AES encrypted
configuration file, which is located in /private/tmp/.iWorkServices.
Finally, the Trojan acts as a back door and opens a port on the local
host for connections. It then attempts to connect to the following
remote hosts:
Enter your email address:
Subscribe
Delivered by FeedBurner
User Login
69.92.177.146:59201
qwfojzlk.freehostia.com:1024
Username: *
We're fairly confident now this isn't a wide-spread outbreak, but do
hope that any Mac user who may have been affected now has the
knowledge they need to identify if indeed they have been, and
potentially to protect themselves from any further propogation of this
malware thingummy...
Password: *
Log in
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10/1/2009 11:31 PM
For Symantec and McAfee, ‘Arms Race’ for Security - NYTimes.com
1 of 3
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/technology/business-computing/06vi...
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July 6, 2009
For Symantec and McAfee, ‘Arms Race’ for Security
By ASHLEE VANCE
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The two leading makers of computer security software, Symantec and McAfee, are
like preachers who conduct dueling tent revivals.
They boast and frighten and denounce each other while trying to convince the crowd that their particular
brand of salvation will ward off the devil — in this case, malicious e-mail viruses and evil Internet worms.
The stakes are huge: millions of global followers willing to donate a steady sum every year for protection
against online threats.
Recently, the competition between the two has become fiercer, as both have tried to get their software tied
to more new personal computers, Web sites and Internet service providers. McAfee has been particularly
aggressive, using a string of deals with large PC makers in a bid to usurp Symantec’s leadership position.
“It’s like an arms race,” said Albert A. Pimentel, the chief financial officer of McAfee, who goes by the
pugilistic nickname Rocky. Security companies must constantly persuade customers and partners to renew
subscriptions or switch from a competitor with similar products.
For years, McAfee served as a self-defeating also-ran, cleaning up the scraps left by Symantec. The
company, based in Santa Clara, suffered from a decade of legal and accounting problems that left it in poor
competitive shape, and employee morale low.
Things, however, have changed in the last two years since David G. DeWalt left his post as head of sales at
the storage company EMC to run McAfee, succeeding George Samenuk, who stepped down in a stockoption backdating scandal. Under Mr. DeWalt, the company has expanded well beyond antivirus software,
acquired some niche security players and increased sales to consumers and large businesses.
McAfee is poised to overtake Symantec next year in sales to the business market if current trends hold.
Symantec, based in Cupertino, Calif., remains the overall security market leader, with just about double the
market share of McAfee, according to the research firm Gartner.
In the consumer market, Symantec holds an even larger lead, with 52 percent share and $1.8 billion in
revenue last year, compared with 18 percent of the market and $624 million in revenue for McAfee. A host
of smaller players like Trend Micro, CA and Kaspersky Lab round out the field.
“It is really Symantec and the seven dwarfs,” said Enrique T. Salem, the chief executive of Symantec.
In a bold and somewhat risky bid to raise its stature with consumers, McAfee has tried to win over PC
10/2/2009 3:32 PM
2 of 3
makers with something they all like: lots of cash. In the last year, it spent $55 million, more than any of its
rivals, to get McAfee security software preloaded onto new computers. It now counts Dell, Acer, Toshiba,
Sony and Lenovo as partners.
“We are shipping on twice as many computers as the year prior,” Mr. DeWalt said.
Up to 40 percent of all computers bought by consumers this year will include McAfee’s software, the
brokerage firm Jefferies & Company estimates.
Hewlett-Packard, the world’s largest computer seller, has an exclusive deal with Symantec on its consumer
PCs. Mr. DeWalt said that deal should come up for bids within the next year, and Symantec will have to
fight to keep it.
“They didn’t have much competition back then, but they will this time,” he said.
Mr. Salem shrugs off Mr. DeWalt’s tough talk. “I love the rhetoric and the chest-pounding,” he said.
“We need to be on as many computers as possible without being irrational,” Mr. Salem said. If McAfee bids
too high, Symantec will walk away from the deal and direct its money toward building some of its other,
nonsecurity products, he said.
But, in another breath, Mr. Salem boasts that Symantec has won eight out of the nine PC deals up for bid so
far in 2009. Symantec, for example, has chipped away at parts of Dell not covered by McAfee, like gaming
PCs.
The payments that both companies make to partners have their own byzantine accounting, and critics
complain that the companies are not being straightforward with shareholders.
Quite often, the deals with the PC sellers require the security companies to make upfront payments. Both
parties then share revenue over the lifetime of the deal, as some people extend their subscriptions beyond
the initial free trial period and begin paying annual fees for the software.
McAfee incurs larger upfront costs than most for its deals while waiting months before it can begin booking
subscriptions as revenue. Investors must guess at how many of the trials will turn into actual sales as they
weigh the business value of McAfee’s payments.
“I think they are taking a very interesting view as far as trying to match their PC arrangement expenses with
the deferred revenues they expect,” said Nick Gibbons, an analyst with Gradient Analytics, which sells
forensic accounting research and has given McAfee a failing rating. “Investors would be at less of a
disadvantage if management would disclose more about the deals.”
Mr. Gibbons argues that the partner payments add to a host of large costs at McAfee, like stock-option
expenses and acquisition charges, that make McAfee’s balance sheet complex and offset the revenue gains.
Thus far, it is difficult to tell exactly how successful the payments have been.
Gartner shows McAfee gaining just 0.5 percentage points of market share in the consumer security software
market in the last year, with Symantec losing about 4 percentage points.
10/2/2009 3:32 PM
3 of 3
Mr. DeWalt says McAfee will begin showing more significant market share gains and higher deferred
revenue totals as the trial and payment process plays out. “We haven’t seen the full impact of them yet,” he
said.
McAfee says that the upfront payments are small when compared with the total potential value of the PC
deals and that conversion rates have been strong to date. In addition, the company says it has tried to
explain the deals to Gradient and characterizes the firm as shaping its research in a sensationalistic way
that is meant to attract short-sellers, who sell borrowed shares of a company’s stock, hoping to buy it back
later at a lower price.
As with many technology companies, McAfee’s shares fell in the last year, but at $41 last week, its share
price is about the same as prerecession levels.
Executives from McAfee and Symantec say the partner deals are minor items. McAfee makes more money
selling corporate security products than consumer products. At $6.2 billion a year in revenue, Symantec is
one of the largest software companies in the world.
In addition, both companies are in a part of the market that has done well in the global technology spending
slump. According to Gartner, the security software market grew 19 percent last year. McAfee has proved
particularly resilient to the downturn, with revenue rising 22 percent last year to $1.6 billion, largely on the
back of a more diverse product mix.
One long-term risk for both companies is the popularity of free basic security software packages offered by
some vendors, including Symantec’s PC Tools brand. In addition, Microsoft, which dominates the overall
PC software market, has just released a test version of free security software.
McAfee and Symantec argue that true deliverance from malicious software requires more commitment —
and more money. Both companies try to persuade customers to buy whole suites of security software,
including firewalls and online backup services.
“Last year, we saw a 500 percent increase in malware,” said Mr. DeWalt.
That’s a lot of demons to ward off.
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10/2/2009 3:32 PM
Botnets responsible for majority of spam, says Symantec - Security : News
1 of 2
http://security.cbronline.com/news/botnets_responsible_for_majority_of_...
Email
Botnets responsible for majority of spam, says Symantec
Published:30-September-2009
By Staff Reporter
New botnet 'Maazben' experiences rapid growth
Botnets are responsible for sending 87.9% of all spam, according to
latest monthly results from the Symantec’s MessageLabs Intelligence
Report.
The results showed that a newer botnet, Maazben has experienced
rapid growth since its infancy in late May mainly sending out casinorelated spam while Rustock, one of the oldest and largest botnets,
has doubled in size since June.
According to the report, Maazben’s growth has increased from 0.5%
of all spam in August to 1.4% in September, while Rustock is the
largest in terms of number of bots at 1.3 to 1.9 million bots but has
kept its output per bot relatively low. Rustock was responsible for 10%
of all spam.
Two other botnets, Grum and Bobax have taken over as the most
active botnets for spam distribution. Grum, half the size of Rustock
was responsible for 23.2% of spam, while Bobax was responsible for
15.7% of spam. Previously, Cutwail was responsible for 45.8% of
spam.
Paul Wood, MessageLabs Intelligence senior analyst at Symantec,
said: “Over the past year, we have seen a number of ISP’s taken
offline for hosting botnet activity resulting in a case of sink or swim and
an ensuing shift in botnet power.
“This has undermined the power of the more dominant botnets like
Cutwail and cleared the way for new botnets like Maazben to emerge.
However, this won’t always be the case as botnet technology has also
evolved since the end of 2008 and the most recent ISP closures now
have less of an impact on resulting activity as downtime now only lasts
a few hours rather than weeks or months as before.”
The research reported that, in September, the global ratio of spam in
email traffic from new and previously unknown bad sources was
86.4%, reflecting a 2.1% decrease since August. Spam levels
averaged 88.1% in the third quarter of 2009, compared to 81% in the
same period last year.
The global ratio of email-borne viruses in email traffic from new and
previously unknown bad sources was one in 399.2 emails (0.25%) in
September, a decrease of 0.09% since August. Phishing activity was
one in 437.1 email (0.23%), an increase of 0.06% since August.
Geographically, Denmark was the most spammed country in
September with spam levels at 95.6% of all email. Spam increased to
91.8% and 91.2% in Canada, while it rose to 91.7% in the UK. The
largest increase in spam was for Sweden where spam levels rose by
7.2% to 89.6%, according to report.
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10/1/2009 11:23 PM
Symantec: Microsoft is putting customers at risk - SC Magazine Australia/NZ
1 of 2
http://www.securecomputing.net.au/Tools/Print.aspx?CIID=157152
Symantec: Microsoft is putting customers at risk
Munir Kotadia | Sep 30, 2009 2:08 PM
AVG and Avast "better" than Microsoft Security Essentials.
Symantec was "nervous" of the effect Microsoft Security Essentials would have on the threat landscape, claiming the product does
not provide adequate protection and would lull consumers into a false sense of security.
Mike Plante, senior director at Symantec, attacked Microsoft for "putting consumers at risk because [Microsoft Security Essentials]
doesn't block a lot of the malware attacks that these criminals are throwing at consumers".
He said Symantec was "nervous" the product would be used by consumers who are not savvy enough to realise its failings.
He also believed Microsoft's product was inferior to alternative free antivirus applications from AVG and Avast.
"Based on what we have seen from AV Comparatives and AV Tests, Microsoft's anti malware engine, at the time called OneCare,
does not measure up to the other freeware players, let alone the players like Norton," Plante said.
Microsoft denied its product, which was launched yesterday, was inadequate.
Its chief security advisor for Australia Stuart Strathdee said he wasn't interested in "trading blows with our competition" and instead
explained that Microsoft Security Essentials was based on its Forefront enterprise product, which he believes is sound.
"We want to expand the level of protection and expand the overall volume of consumers who are running security software. This
application is basically running the same engine as our Microsoft Forefront product. We stand by that product," Strathdee told
iTnews.
According to Strathdee, the product does not require any more functionality - such as heuristics - as long as users keep their
operating system and applications up to date.
"The overall strategy here is very clearly, Windows 7 with IE 8 and Microsoft Security Essentials.
"It is not only just about whether the product does heuristics or if it has other functionality built into the AV product. It really is a
strategy about making sure you have the latest operating system, the latest browser and some anti malware and anti virus protection
built in.
"Windows Vista and Windows 7 also have Windows Defender built in. When you combine that with the security features built into
IE8 you can see the overall strategy of defence in depth coming into play," added Strathdee.
Market share
Symantec's Plante dismissed any threat Microsoft Security Essentials may have on Symantec's market share.
"This market is crowded already and Microsoft is really just joining that fray. The early reviews of the product aren't that good and as
a free solution [Microsoft] will be somewhat restricted in the marketing they will put behind it. I don't think this is going to change the
dynamics," added Plante.
In a report published by Gartner in June, research analysts Arabella Hallawell and Neil MacDonald said Microsoft had an
opportunity to alter the consumer security market but suggested the company's investment in the product would be considered a
10/1/2009 11:36 PM
Symantec: Microsoft is putting customers at risk - SC Magazine Australia/NZ
2 of 2
http://www.securecomputing.net.au/Tools/Print.aspx?CIID=157152
failure if it did not capture at least 20 percent of the market within two years.
Copyright © 2009 Haymarket Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without
prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of Haymarket Media's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
10/1/2009 11:36 PM
Data-Loss Prevention Deal Flow Shows Unsurprising Decline -- Seeking...
1 of 1
http://seekingalpha.com/article/164009-data-loss-prevention-deal-flow-...
Seeking Alpha
Data-Loss Prevention Deal Flow Shows Unsurprising
Decline
by: The 451 Group: Inorganic Growth
September 30, 2009 | about: CA / CHKP / MFE / RTN / SYMC / WBSN
By Brenon Daly
When Trustwave recently reached for Vericept, the Chicago-based security services company joined a long list of acquirers of
data-loss-prevention (DLP) technology. Over the past three years, we’ve seen roughly a baker’s dozen DLP deals, with the
total spending on the transactions hitting $850m, according to our 451 M&A KnowledgeBase. Not surprisingly, both the size
and valuations of recent DLP deals have declined sharply, sinking to 1-2 times trailing sales, which is down from a high of
about 10x trailing sales.
The list of buyers of DLP, which basically works to snuff out insider threats and control the flow of data, includes all of the
obvious IT security giants. Symantec (SYMC) gobbled up Vontu for $350m in November 2007, while McAfee (MFE) has taken
smaller bites. It paid $20m for Onigma in October 2006 and then followed that up almost two years later with the $46m
purchase of Reconnex. Additionally, Websense (WBSN), CA Inc (CA), RSA and even Raytheon (RTN) have made sizeable
DLP acquisitions in recent years.
If we had to guess which large security provider will go shopping next in the DLP space, Check Point (CHKP) would probably
be our choice. The vendor, which is best known for its firewall offering, could use additional security on the network edge.
Check Point also shifted earlier this year to an appliance model, where distinct software ‘blades’ cover specific security
threats. Among other benefits, that makes it much easier to plug acquired technology into Check Point’s existing platform. DLP
startups that might be of interest include Verdasys, GuardianEdge and Safend, among others.
Select DLP deals
Date announced
Acquirer
Target
Target revenue Deal value
September 10, 2009 Trustwave
Vericept
$10m*
$20m*
January 5, 2009
CA Inc
Orchestria
$22m*
$30m*
November 5, 2007
Symantec
Vontu
$30m
$350m
October 25, 2007
Trend Micro Provilla
Not disclosed
$15m*
September 20, 2007 Raytheon
August 9, 2007
Oakley Networks $33m*
RSA [EMC] Tablus
$6m*
$193m
$50m*
Source: The 451 M&A KnowledgeBase *451 Group estimate
10/1/2009 11:11 PM
Defending Its Consumer Turf, Symantec Attacks Microsoft Security Essent...
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http://nerdtwilight.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/defending-its-consumer-tur...
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Defending Its Consumer Turf, Symantec Attacks Microsoft
Security Essentials
October 1, 2009 · 1 Comment
Symantec knows its consumer market is threatened by Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). It doubtless recognizes
that, during a period of protracted economic austerity, free anti-malware protection — provided it is good enough to do
the job — will frequently beat for-pay anti-malware.
The challenge for Symantec, then, is to convince the world that Microsoft’s restyled anti-malware suite is so inferior as
to represent a near-mortal risk for anybody who adopts it. Alternatively, Symantec must prove definitively that its own
anti-malware protection is so superior to Microsoft’s that it warrants the hard-earned money consumers must pay for it.
Given what’s at stake for Symantec, we should not be surprised that the company has unleashed the labs of war.
Symantec today clamorously calls attention to an anti-malware report it commissioned from Dennis Technology Lab,
“an independent testing lab based in the UK” with which I am unfamiliar and for which I could not locate a website.
Still, questions about the provenance of the research aside, let’s consider the results of the Symantec-sponsored
bake-off.
As explained by Network World, Dennis Technology Labs tested how well each of the two vendors’ anti-malware
products (Norton Antivirus 2009 and the prerelease version of Microsoft Security Essentials) could defend a desktop
computer running Windows XP Professional SP2, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, subjected to 50 instances of
threats originating either as Web-site malware, e-mail, or downloaded files.
In a weighted score based on a points system, Symantec scored an 80, with 45 successful defends, and 5 compromises.
Microsoft Security Essentials scored a 44 with 33 successful defends, 4 neutralized threats, and 13 compromises.
Symantec rejoiced at the results. Jens Meggers, vice president of engineering for Norton products, alleged that MSE
was just “stripped-down OneCare,” a lighter version of Microsoft’s discontinued for-pay Live OneCare anti-malware.
Meggers charged that the MSE scanning engine, which he argues is practically the same as the one that powered
OneCare, is “very average—nothing outstanding.”
He also says the Microsoft technology is fat and old, presumably like a former athlete having trouble navigating a
midlife crisis. According to Meggers, Microsoft is seeking effectiveness by desperately creating a signature for every
malware sample — hence producing a large code base — instead of deploying efficacious and slimmer
reputation-based and behavior-blocking defenses.
10/1/2009 11:32 PM
2 of 4
For its part, Microsoft has launched a counterattack. A Microsoft spokesman told IT Brief that MSE is not a
stripped-down version of the Microsoft OneCare product.
Said the Microsoft representative:
“MSE is built to address market changes and consumer needs and includes real-time antivirus, antispyware
and core anti-malware functionality while utilising fewer computing resources.”
This Microsoft spokesperson also noted that MSE has performed strongly in independent laboratory testing and has
been certified for anti-malware protection by West Coat Labs. He or she also said MSE is not based exclusively on
signature technology and that it is automatically updated at regular intervals to ensure that its protection is up to date.
Still, Meggers wasn’t the only Symantec employee taking the hacksaw to MSE. On a Norton blog, Mike Plante, a senior
director for worldwide marketing strategy and branding of the company’s consumer products, exulted as follows:
The bottom line: MSE falls short of protecting against today’s aggressive malware and zero-day threats.
Norton nearly doubled the protection provided by MSE in malware detection, scoring an 80 compared to
MSE’s 44 using DTL’s Accuracy scoring system. (This scoring system awards two points for blocking
exploits altogether, one point for letting an exploit onto a system but then successfully neutralizing it, and
deducts two points for every exploit that compromises a system.)
With today’s crime-fueled threat landscape, consumers need more protection, not less. That’s why we
added our new reputation technology, code named Quorum, to our 2010 products. Quorum provides a
revolutionary third layer of protection against real-world threats. While Microsoft is stripping down and
delivering less protection, Norton is delivering more comprehensive protection from the bad guys.
At the end of the day, MSE is a rerun no one should watch.
That’s a vituperative attack, no question. Some blog commenters felt Plante went too far, and one even referred him to
a different Microsoft competitor’s blog commentary that evinced a more subdued response to MSE. That blog post,
from Alex Eckelberry of Sunbelt Software, is a well-reasoned, perceptive, and thoughtful analysis, which I wholly
recommend that you read.
In short, Eckelberry thinks MSE isn’t bad at all, and he commends Microsoft for doing its part to help secure
consumers’ PCs. He sees MSE as more of a threat to other free anti-malware than to for-pay offerings from the likes of
Symantec, though he warns that the “incumbents should not underestimate the wrath that many users have about their
products,” and he says that “emotional reaction may play a part in Microsoft getting traction.”
Why can’t Symantec take a similarly dispassionate view of MSE?
Microsoft really doesn’t want to destroy or kill the anti-malware market. That’s not its objective with the release of
MSE. Instead, at long last and very belatedly, Microsoft is taking direct responsibility for securing the operating
systems and applications it sells to its customers. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Some might argue convincingly that Microsoft had no choice, that security concerns about Windows were driving
consumers into the arms of Apple and could conceivably lead to further losses to Google, with its forthcoming
web-optimized Chrome operating system.
That said, Microsoft’s MSE does seem to be good enough to eviscerate other free anti-malware offerings, and it might
even be good enough to take share away from the for-pay consumer offerings of Symantec and others. In fact, as I
noted before, Symantec will lose market share to Microsoft in the consumer anti-malware market. The question is, how
much share will Symantec lose?
Symantec’s overheated reaction to MSE indicates that it will fight furiously for every consumer subscriber. In the end,
though, consumers will decide whether they want a good-enough free suite or an alternative with a few more bells and
whistles that will require them to dig into their pockets.
In an unforgiving economic environment that is unlikely to improve dramatically in the foreseeable future, consumers
10/1/2009 11:32 PM
3 of 4
will be looking to save money wherever they can. Symantec might rage against the dying of the light, but it probably is
destined to bitterly and grudgingly surrender a significant chunk of its consumer market share.
Categories: Internet Security · Microsoft · PCs · Symantec
1 response so far ↓
Brad // October 1, 2009 at 8:09 pm | Reply
In a previous version of this post, I incorrectly identified Sunbelt Software’s Alex Eckelberry as Michael
Eckelberry. I apologize for the error, which has been corrected.
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10/1/2009 11:32 PM
Sunbelt Blog: Thoughts on MSE
1 of 2
T U E S D A Y ,
S E P T E M B E R
http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/thoughts-on-mse.html
2 9 ,
2 0 0 9
Thoughts on MSE
I’ve hemmed and hawed about saying anything about Microsoft Security Essentials. However, I’m getting
requests as to my position on the issue.
Generally, my feelings on MSE are as follows:
It is not a Microsoft conspiracy to take over the world, etc. They had to do this in order to beat off Apple,
and improve their security posture as a company. They have removed millions of infections using the
MSRT tool and they really do need to do something about machines that are not protected — for the good
of the rest of us. It is ultimately good for the consumer.
It will probably not have a major impact on the big incumbent players, but it will likely have a dramatic
effect on the free AV players, like AVG and Avira, because many of their installs come from "experts"
installing it on PCs (people like your neighbor, or a family member, who installs it on your behalf). These
people will likely move to the Microsoft solution. This will take some time but the risk is there. Nag
screens, toolbar installs, misleading messages to upgrade, all efforts to monetize a free product piss off
users to no end.
The incumbents should not underestimate the wrath that many users have about their products. It's not
all fair -- there have been many improvements (especially Symantec, which has done a truly remarkable
job with their latest releases). But the anger is there, and you see it all the time on listservs, forums, etc.
This emotional reaction may play a part in Microsoft getting traction.
The Microsoft product isn't bad at all, unlike past efforts on their part (like the free antivirus tool in DOS
5, which was a joke). Decent detections, reasonable footprint. However, it does not have email AV
functionality and not all the bells and whistles that the suites have. Nevertheless, 2-way firewall
functionality is built-in to Windows 7, so that is a lesser issue.
The idea that consumers will want a broader, more complete product isn't totally incorrect. We've seen
this with the freebie players -- there are about 2% of their user base upgrade to the more complete
versions. The people with no money will use the free Microsoft product. The people who want to insure a
more comprehensive security posture will buy the full suites from Norton, McAfee. Name brand still
means a lot in this market (it’s worth noting that our surveys indicate that about 40% of the market has
suites, vs. 60% that use a dedicated AV).
The OEMs like Dell are going to continue to push suites, because they get a lot of money from Symantec
and McAfee for pre-installs. Retailers will go the same way — don’t expect Geek Squad to start installing
the free product (at least in-store). There’s a lot of money at stake.
This download is not going to come through Windows Update, which is a big deal. Users will need to
proactively download it from the Microsoft website or from places like Download.com. It will also not be
OEMed, at least in the major markets (possibly in the third world, but that's just speculation).
A lot of people will download it just to remove an infection that their existing antivirus product didn’t
catch. This puts the very profitable scan-and-scare model at risk.
The one space that will not be significantly affected is the enterprise/SME side. The MSE product is not
manageable, and hence is not really usable in environments over 25 users. (Microsoft does restrict usage
to home networks only, although realistically most micro-SMEs won’t read the fine print).
Sunbelt is not significantly affected by this release. Years ago, Microsoft purchased our development
partner at the time, Giant Company, in order to release a free antispyware product. At that point, I decided
not to ever be at the mercy of a Microsoft release, and now 90% of our sales come from the enterprise
(this does not mean we're exiting the consumer market, it's just that we are not going to let this business
10/2/2009 5:06 PM
Sunbelt Blog: Thoughts on MSE
2 of 2
http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/thoughts-on-mse.html
get "too big to fail" -- we have a consumer product, which is well priced and well supported, and we'll
continue to innovate in this area). As regards the enterprise, we have seen Microsoft bundling ForeFront
for free in some cases, but it’s not a major issue. Let’s hope it stays that way.
Alex Eckelberry
POST ED BY SUNBEL T SOF T WARE BL O G AT 1 :1 0 PM | PERMAL INK
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10/2/2009 5:06 PM
eWeek
1 of 2
http://www.eweek.com/index2.php?option=content&task=view&id=546...
Network Security & Hardware
Symantec Pushes Reputation Technology in Norton
Beta
By: Brian Prince
2009-07-06
Article Rating:
1
/2
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10/2/2009 3:32 PM
eWeek
2 of 2
http://www.eweek.com/index2.php?option=content&task=view&id=546...
There are user comments on this Network Security & Hardware story.
Symantec unveils reputation-based technology code-named Quorum in the latest
versions of Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus. Now available as a
free beta, the products represent Symantec's hybrid approach to security, mixing
traditional signatures with application whitelisting.
Symantec July 6 pulled the covers off of free beta versions of Norton Internet
Security 2010 and Norton AntiVirus 2010 with new reputation-based technologies
code-named Quorum.'
Rate This Article:
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Quorum will be introduced into the market in fall 2009. Symantec's 2010 products use application reputation in
response to the problem of dealing with online criminals who use unique new threats to evade signatures. In the
Symantec software, application reputation is created by gathering data about the characteristics of applications used
by members of the Norton Community Watch program.
Symantec's approach is part of its effort to integrate whitelisting into its security strategy. Other vendors such as
McAfee and Kaspersky Lab have also taken steps to integrate whitelisting into their products as they seek ways to
deal with the growing number of malicious programs circulating on the Web.
Resource Library:
According to Symantec, its researchers see millions of attacks every month, with many being never-before-seen
threats. While Symantec created nearly 1.8 million new virus definitions in 2008, the use of signatures is not keeping
pace with the number of threats being created by online criminals.
Most malware has never been seen before, has an unknown publisher or has some other characteristic that can be
used to give it a poor reputation score, Symantec officials said in a statement.
"Looking at the sheer volume of infected systems in the world, one thing is resoundingly clear: Basic security
protection is not good enough," Rowan Trollope, senior vice president of the Consumer Business Unit, said in a
statement. "Norton pioneered the signature-based model of security and today we're introducing a new standard that
reconsiders all facets of protection. Quorum lets us stop the bad guys even if we've never seen their 'Wanted'
poster."
The software also includes a new dashboard and a new anti-spam engine from Symantec Brightmail. In addition,
Norton 2010 users can sign up for a free subscription to OnlineFamily Norton, a Web-based service meant to keep
parents aware of their children's online activities.
Symantec said it plans to make all flagship Norton products, including Norton 360, Norton Internet Security and Norton
AntiVirus, compatible with Microsoft Windows 7. Norton users with a valid product subscription will receive the
compatibility updates automatically at no additional cost, the company said.
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10/2/2009 3:32 PM
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10/1/2009 11:37 PM
Symantec show how pathetic they really are
1 of 4
http://www.dasmirnov.net/blog/symantec-show-how-pathetic-they-really-are
Paul Smith's Blog
The cosmos interpreted by some conscious matter of the cosmos.
Pau
So since Microsoft got into the anti-virus game a few years back, Symantec have been whining, their whining went
into overdrive a few months back when the beta of Microsoft Security Essentials was released.
And now since MSE has been released, they're back with more FUD/nonsense/complaining and general pathetic
behaviour.
From TechWorld:
My ma
into th
and t
sceptic
found
memb
"Security Essentials won't change anything," said Jens Meggers, Symantec's vice president of engineering.
"Microsoft has a really bad track record in security," he added, ticking off several ventures into consumer
security that the giant has tried, including Windows Defender, an anti-spyware tool bundled with Windows
Vista and Windows 7; the released-monthly Malicious Software Removal Tool; and OneCare.
A bad track record? Haha ha since 2006 Microsoft has been solid as a rock on security, the top 10 web exploits
happening on Windows Vista aren't even in Microsoft code, they're in Adobe code, Apple code, Real Player code
etc. From SIRv6:
Techno
Windo
involve
comm
game r
For
p
opport
If you
to send
Disclaim
opinio
not be
organis
M
1
1
2
<
To repeat that again, the top 10 web exploits are happening in 3rd party code, not Microsoft code, despite the fact
everyone is running that Microsoft code, not everyone is running Apple's QuickTime junkware yet it still gets more
exploits.
Ar
Ca
La
Windows Defender is a solid piece of anti-spyware, and all I recommended people to use on that front, although
10/1/2009 11:35 PM
2 of 4
Valid
XHTML :: ICSS
:: RSS :: Atom
:: might as well have free anti-virus too.
nowadays
recommend
MSE,
b2evolution
Content
copyright
© PaulRemoval
Smith Tool, which gets pushed down Windows Update every
Malicious
Software
1996-2009.
month or so, also does its job well and removes the most common infections. It's not
Search
supposed to be a real-time scanner, or an application you install.
OneCare, like ForeFront and Security Essentials has one of the best real-time engines in
the industry, with very few false positives.
All Words
Some Word
Entire phrase
Just today AV-tests.org released data showing a detection rate of 98.44% out of
545,034 malware samples.
In May tests by AV-Comparatives, rank OneCare second in detection of new malware,
but also importantly it scores the lowest false positives by far, meaning it won't detect
genuine files as being malicious. Which is what led AV Comparatives to award it the
highest ranking. Here's the data for new malware detection rates. Where's Symantec,
oh right down the bottom with a dismal 35%.
Categories
All
Gaming
General
Avira AntiVir Premium
69%
Windows Live OneCare
60%
Media
Eset Nod32
56%
Politics
BitDefender
50%
AVG Anti-Virus
45%
Avast Professional
42%
Sophos Anti-Virus
37%
Symantec Norton
35%
McAfee VirusScan Plus
25%
F-Secure Anti-Virus
14%
"Like OneCare, Security Essentials is a poor product," said Meggers. "It has
very average detection rates. And now they've decided to go for the free
market, but that's a very crowded market. There's not much room to grow
there."
Science
Astrophotography
Debunking
Technology
Feed block
Syndicate this blog
RSS
2.0:
Posts,
Comments
Growth? I don't care about that, and neither do other end-users we just don't want our
systems hosed, and we don't want bloatware all over it.
Symantec's Meggers also wondered what took Microsoft so long to come up
with Security Essentials. "It takes them an entire year to remove features from
OneCare, to make something even worse than OneCare?" Meggers asked. "I
could have done that with three developers in three months."
Yeah the key difference here is MSE actually works, unlike Norton products.
Look how long it took them to build it. Security needs constant innovation.
When was the last time that Microsoft innovated?
Innovation (every PR person's favourite word) hey How about last week with the
Courier? Oh? Not like that? You mean something wonderful like the Norton browser
toolbar, the same browser toolbar that doesn't work properly:
Twitter
Just blogged: http://bit.ly
/21p2NW
Surprise:
UK
internet not fit for the
future about 13 hours ago
10/1/2009 11:35 PM
3 of 4
/4cg5Q6 60 years of the
People's
Republic
of
China about 13 hours ago
/3FSNvc Symantec show
how pathetic they really
are about 14 hours ago
Looks
like
the
HTC
Leo/HD2 is going to be
on o2 in 2 or 3 weeks
about 15 hours ago
/vOQ9R Time to retune
Sorry Symantec that's not the sort of innovation people want, that's what people don't
want, we call it bloatware, may be you've heard of it.
Yes, they are pathetic.
your Freeview box, or is
it? 1 day ago
Location
Categories: Technology
1st October 2009 13:39:46, 584 words, 50 views
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Ash, Surrey, UK 17 minutes ag
being so light and effective , even more that most of the other vendor companies
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google.com/latitude
Mauricio
1st October 2009 @ 21:40
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10/1/2009 11:35 PM
Independent tester: Security Essentials 'very good'
1 of 2
Phishing Alert: The Latest
Tactics & Potential
Business Impact
Maximizing Site Visitor
Trust Using Extended
Validation SSL
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/print/9138730/Independent_test...
Security & Trust: The
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Internet
The Shortcut Guide to
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Getting in Compliance
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Microsoft's free suite nails 98% of samples, says AV-Test.org; Symantec touts
own test
Gregg Keizer
September 30, 2009 (Computerworld) Microsoft's free Security Essentials antivirus software identified 98%
of over half a million malware samples, an accuracy rating an independent testing company called "very
good" today.
Germany-based AV-Test.org tested Security Essentials, the free software Microsoft shipped Tuesday, on
Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), Vista SP2 and the final code of Windows 7, against two different
collections of malware, said Andreas Marx, one of the firm's two managers.
The first test put Security Essentials in the ring against more than 3,700 viruses, Trojans and worms culled
from the most recent WildList, a collection of threats actively attacking computers. "All samples were
successfully detected and blocked during
our on-demand and on-access tests," Marx
said in an e-mail today.
The second test put Security Essentials up
against a much larger set of malware. Of
the 545,3444 malware samples in that
collection, Microsoft's software nailed
536,535, resulting in what Marx
characterized as a "very good detection
score" of 98.4%.
In a follow-up test of adware and spyware
detection -- Security Essentials also
includes anti-spyware scanning -Microsoft's software spotted 12,935 out of
14,222 samples, for a 90.9% accuracy rate.
This is the second time that AV-Test.org
has run Security Essentials through the mill;
when Microsoft launched a limited preview
in June, the group tested the beta. Then,
the free software also breezed through the WildList, spotting every sample in the 3,200-plus set.
Security Essential's final version also successfully identified and deleted all 25 rootkits AV-Test.org threw
against it, Marx said.
But there were some issues that Microsoft's program had trouble handling. Most security software now
includes an ability to sniff out malware by the way it behaves, often by using heuristics-based scanners that
don't rely on specific "fingerprint" signatures to match against a potential threat. Security Essentials lacks any
such technology.
"We found no effective 'dynamic detection' features in place," Marx noted. "None of the samples were
detected based on their suspicious behavior. However, other antivirus-only offerings don't include dynamic
detection features, either. In most cases they are only available in the Internet security suite editions of the
products."
Security Essentials was also unable to completely scrub a PC when it did detect malware. "In many cases,
traces of infection were left behind," said Marx, ticking off several examples including empty "Run" entries in
10/1/2009 11:24 PM
2 of 2
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/print/9138730/Independent_test...
the Windows registry and modified "hosts" files. The program also failed to switch on the Windows firewall
after a piece of malware had deliberately disabled it.
Not surprisingly, Symantec, which yesterday blasted Security Essentials as a "poor" product with "average
detection rates," had a completely different testing take on the new rival.
Symantec's vice president of engineering, Jens Meggers, also disparaged the kind of testing that AV-Test.org
and others conduct. "Things like the WildList don't show you the brand new stuff, the ones you need to detect
on the first day they're out," Meggers told Computerworld on Tuesday.
According to tests commissioned by Symantec last month (PDF document), a not-quite-final version of
Security Essentials did poorly when stacked against Norton AntiVirus 2009, the then-current version of
Symantec's consumer antivirus program. In a test of 50 different Web-based threats hosted on malicious
sites, Security Essentials detected or neutralized 37, while Norton identified 45.
Using a weighted scoring system, the U.K.-based lab that ran the tests for Symantec gave Security
Essentials 44 points, and Norton 80 points.
In the blog post Tuesday that called Security Essentials a "rerun" of the now-defunct Windows Live OneCare,
Symantec claimed victory. "The bottom line: Microsoft Security Essentials falls short of protecting against
today's aggressive malware and zero-day threats," Symantec said.
However, Norton AntiVirus 2010 -- the current version of Symantec's program -- lists for $39.95, which is
$39.95 more than the price tag on Security Essentials.
Security Essentials can be downloaded for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 from Microsoft's Web site.
Users must confirm that they're running a legitimate copy of Microsoft's operating system before the security
suite will install.
10/1/2009 11:24 PM
McAfee CEO sees economy improving | Reuters.com
1 of 1
http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=UKTRE58N6P820090924
Print | Close this window
McAfee CEO sees economy improving
Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:58pm EDT
By Jim Finkle
BOSTON (Reuters) - McAfee Inc's CEO said that his company is benefiting
from a recovery in technology spending by businesses from North America
to Europe and increased sales to U.S. and government agencies.
Dave DeWalt, chief executive of the world's No. 2 security software maker,
also said in an interview on Thursday that McAfee's consumer software
business remains strong, bucking a broader trend that is hurting the retail
sector.
"There is still a lot of malaise over the consumer spending appetite. That's
still challenged. I think it will be for the next few quarters," DeWalt said.
McAfee's sales have been growing, pushing revenue up 18 percent in the
company's most-recent quarter, even as the recession has stalled growth at
arch rival Symantec Corp. Revenue at Symantec dropped 13 percent last
quarter as McAfee claimed market share from the top security software
maker.
DeWalt said that technology spending by most U.S. businesses has
returned to traditional patterns and continues to head in the right direction.
While corporate IT spending by businesses in western Europe is becoming
more stable, it has yet to pick up in eastern Europe, he said. He added that
he sees signs that it will recover in that region over the next few quarters.
DeWalt also said that sales to government agencies in the United States
and other countries are one of the bright spots in his business.
Analysts predict that that spending will grow more quickly than the
consumer or business security markets as U.S. President Barack Obama
looks to spend billions of dollars to protect the country's cyber infrastructure
and encourages corporations to do the same.
Governments around the globe are following suit amid an increase in cyber
crime, espionage and terrorism spread over the Internet.
"Government has become the largest sector for security spending," DeWalt
said.
He made the upbeat comments just a week before McAfee closes its
current quarter. DeWalt declined to discuss specifics on the company's
performance.
Jefferies & Co analyst Katherine Egbert said that she is optimistic the
company is poised to report a strong quarter because he painted a positive
picture of McAfee's business in its most important markets.
"It looks like strength across the board," she said.
McAfee shares closed down 1.1 percent to $41.42, in line with the 1.1
percent drop in the Nasdaq Composite Index.
(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
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Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and
disclosure of relevant interests.
10/1/2009 11:14 PM
McAfee, Adobe Team Up on Data Security | Technology News | Print Fina...
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Technology
http://www.thestreet.com/print/story/10604161.html
Ponemon Institute
study
Return to Article
McAfee, Adobe Team Up on Data Security
James Rogers
09/28/09 - 01:52 PM EDT
(Updates stock quotes)
SAN JOSE, Calif. (TheStreet) -- Software specialist McAfee(MFE Quote) has teamed up with Adobe(ADBE Quote) in an attempt
to tap the growing market for secure documents.
The two firms will build a software product for classifying and securing documents, which is clearly timed to coincide with
corporate America's big data lockdown. With cyber-criminals intensifying their efforts to target big business, companies like
McAfee, Symantec(SYMC Quote) and Microsoft(MSFT Quote) are locked in a security arms race.
With firms looking to tighten security around their intellectual property and meet stringent compliance requirements, McAfee is
using Adobe to increase the pressure on its archrival and share leader Symantec.
This could be a shrewd move. Last year a Ponemon Institute study estimated that latent demand for protecting unstructured
data such as documents and emails was worth $3.15 billion in the U.S.
Under the terms of the deal, McAfee will also make its Security Scan tool freely available to Adobe customers installing Flash
Player software and Adobe reader.
McAfee has certainly been living up to its billing as one of TheStreet's top tech picks for 2009, recently busting out good secondquarter numbers.
Adobe also has been busy recently, throwing down $1.8 billion to acquire Omniture(OMTR Quote) and expand beyond Web
software to site management and traffic analytics.
Shares of McAfee rose 69 cents, or 1.6% to $43.34 Monday, mirroring the broader advance in tech stocks that saw the Nasdaq
rise 2.3%. Adobe's stock gained $1.12, or 3.5%, to reach $33.15 over the same period.
-- Reported by James Rogers in New York
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10/1/2009 11:11 PM
Microsoft’s free antivirus program changes game - The Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/10/01/microso...
TECH LAB
Microsoft’s free antivirus program changes game
By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff | October 1, 2009
You paid for your antivirus software? Why?
Good free options have been available for years, mainly from no-name companies. Nervous consumers figure they’re
better off buying major brands, like Norton security software from Symantec Corp. Well, here’s a major brand for you:
Microsoft Corp.
Security Essentials is now available at microsoft.com. It is the successor to the company’s Windows Live OneCare, a
$49.95 computer protection suite that included identity theft protection, a firewall program, and a file backup utility along
with the malware detector. OneCare never gained traction, perhaps because its early versions received savage reviews
from independent testing labs. Microsoft learned its lessons, and this summer, OneCare was ranked second among 16
rivals by one major testing lab.
Of course, no antimalware product is perfect, especially not against the latest attack programs. George Ledin, a
computer science professor at Sonoma State University in California, pointed out that dozens of new malware programs
appear daily, and it takes a long time to tag these new threats so the software can defeat them. “By the time they put it
in the catalog, it is months old,’’ Ledin said. As a result, thousands of computers with the latest antivirus software are
compromised anyway.
Still, some protection is better than none. Microsoft reckons that about 60 percent of home computer users are
defenseless against malware. Some do not know they need protection; others don’t know how to get it; still others are
put off by the expense, which can run $60 or $70 a year. Unprotected computers put the rest of us at risk, because
many are saturated with zombie programs, which let bad guys seize control of them and bombard the rest of us with
spam e-mails and malware attacks. Some tainted computers even pump out ads for fake antivirus programs. Install
one, and you have turned your own computer into a zombie.
To get enough people to use antimalware software, there must be a product that is free and simple, and comes from a
reputable source. And here it is.
Microsoft Security Essentials takes the company’s basic antivirus system and combines it with Windows Defender, a
spyware filtering tool released in 2006. Defender blocks spyware - programs that cover your screen with pop-up ads or
swipe your personal information - but it is useless against viruses, worms, and Trojan horse programs that can
commandeer your machine.
Security Essentials drops some OneCare features that are built into Windows already, so it is well under 10 megabytes
in size and downloads in seconds if you have a broadband connection.
Security Essentials has a simple on-screen interface well suited to the casual user. A green icon on the Windows
toolbar tells you the software is scanning incoming files in real time. The moment it detects tainted software, up pops a
warning and a recommendation about the best course of action. Or just press a button marked “clean computer,’’ and
Security Essentials gets rid of the file. It works fast, too. I transferred a standard antivirus test file over the Internet to a
Microsoft-detected computer, and instantly got the warning message.
I tried Security Essentials on an old, slow machine crammed with music and photos. Running a complete scan of every
file took about eight hours, hardly an impressive performance. But all the while, I could send e-mails, browse the Web,
and write part of this column, on the same machine that was nearly unusable while running an antivirus scanner from
McAfee Inc. That’s because Microsoft tuned Security Essentials to free up processing power when the user is running
other programs. Symantec and other makers of pay-to-play antimalware products say that for free, Security Essentials
is worth every cent. Rival security suites are excellent products, crammed with extras like software to test the security
of your home’s wireless network. But Symantec’s Norton Internet Security 2010 costs $70, which includes just one year
of vital updates. After that, you must pay another $60 to update the program.
Microsoft is now changing the game, the same way it changed the Internet browser business - by giving the software
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Microsoft’s free antivirus program changes game - The Boston Globe http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/10/01/microso...
away. It will mean lower profits for the virus fighters, but safer computing for the rest of us.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at [email protected].
2 of 2
10/1/2009 11:21 PM
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/100109-symantec-microsoft-s...
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Sponsored by:
This story appeared on Network World at
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/100109-symantec-microsoft-security.html
Anti-malware test in hand, Symantec swats
Microsoft Security Essentials
Claims Microsoft consumer security software just stripped down version of older antimalware tool
By Ellen Messmer , Network World , 10/01/2009
Armed with an anti-malware test report that pits Symantec's Sponsored by:
Norton AntiVirus 2009 against Microsoft's just-released
Security Essentials software, a top Symantec engineer
ripped into the new consumer anti-malware as an
unimpressive recycling of Microsoft's discontinued Live
OneCare technology.
"It's just stripped down OneCare," said Jens Meggers, vice
president of engineering for Norton products, brandishing
the report "Norton AntiVirus 2009 Versus Microsoft
Security Essentials: A Comparative Anti-Malware Test,"
done by Dennis Technology Lab. (Read Microsoft's
response to Meggers' comments)
Microsoft officially discontinued Live OneCare last June
and Security Essentials, out this week, is offered as its
replacement in free anti-malware software for Windows desktops.
The Norton Antivirus 2009 vs. Microsoft Security Essentials test done by Dennis Technology Lab shows Norton
stronger in malware defense by about a 2-to-1 margin; the test was sponsored by Symantec.
11 Security Companies to Watch
The lab tested how well each of the two vendors' anti-malware products could defend a desktop computer
running Windows XP Professional SP2, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, when subjected to 50 instances
of threats originating either as Web-site malware, e-mail or downloaded files.
In a weighted score based on points assigned for successful defense (preventing malware from gaining a foothold
in the system), neutralizing a threat (threat was able to infect but product neutralized it later) and the "target
compromised," Symantec scored an 80, with 45 successful defends and 5 compromises. Microsoft Security
Essentials scored a 44 with 33 successful defends, 4 neutralized threats and 13 compromises.
Meggers claims Microsoft OneCare is the same file-based scanning engine used in the discontinued Live
10/1/2009 11:22 PM
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/100109-symantec-microsoft-s...
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OneCare service. The Microsoft scanning engine is "very average—nothing outstanding," he says.
Microsoft Security Essentials is also fat, he says, at over 110 megabytes because unlike most anti-malware
vendors today, Microsoft is looking for effectiveness by cramming signatures for every malware sample around
into its code base instead of deploying the newer reputation-based and behavior-blocking technologies gaining
favor.
"Microsoft is two to four years behind," he says. "They're pumping in these signatures."
The problem is there are over 35,000 new malware samples discovered each day, he points out. So most
anti-malware vendors are shifting toward scaling back on signatures in favor of alternative detection methods.
The reason is speed in scanning, keeping software from ballooning, plus the signatures come and go so quickly,
there needs to be a new type of defense.
All contents copyright 1995-2009 Network World, Inc. http://www.networkworld.com
10/1/2009 11:22 PM
New computer viruses target banks, social networks | Reuters.com
1 of 2
http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=UKLU33762720090930
New computer viruses target banks, social
networks
Wed Sep 30, 2009 4:27pm EDT
* Facebook, Twitter increasingly interesting for hackers
* Eight e-mails out of nine were spam in Q3
* Bank fraud software now cover tracks, use money mules
By Tarmo Virki, European technology correspondent
HELSINKI, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Cyber criminals are increasingly focusing
their attacks on the hundreds of millions of users of social networks and on
loopholes in bank security systems, security software vendors said on
Wednesday.
At the same time, spam e-mail messages rose sharply in the third quarter,
Symantec Corp (SYMC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said.
And as Facebook reached 300 million accounts in September, social
networks and social media continued to attract criminals, smaller research
firm F-Secure (FSC1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said in its
quarterly virus report.
"As Twitter has grown in popularity, it has been increasingly targeted by
worms, spam and account hijacking," F-Secure said.
Cyber criminals choose targets that are widely used, allowing them to go
after the largest number of potential victims.
"Cyber criminals continue to follow the money," said Yuval Ben-Itzhak,
technology chief at a small security software vendor Finjan, who on
Wednesday revealed a new method criminals use to steal money from bank
accounts and hide their tracks.
Finjan said it expects a growing trend of using new software that forges
on-screen bank statements, concealing the true transaction amount to dupe
account holders and their banks, and then sends the stolen money to money
mules accounts.
"With the combination of using sophisticated Trojans for the theft and money
mules to transfer stolen money to their accounts, they minimize their
chances of being detected," Ben-Itzhak said.
SPAM, SPAM AND SPAM
The amount of spam in all e-mail traffic rose to 88.1 percent in the third
quarter from 81 percent a year ago, said Symantec's MessageLabs in its
quarterly report.
MessageLabs said botnets are now responsible for sending 87.9 percent of
all spam.
Hackers take advantage of the PC vulnerability by booby- trapping websites
with a malicious code that loads onto computers. Infected PCs are
commandeered into a botnet, a network of hijacked computers. They are
used for identity theft, spamming and other cyber crimes.
"Over the past year, we have seen a number of ISP's (Internet service
providers) taken offline for hosting botnet activity resulting in a case of sink
or swim and an ensuing shift in botnet power," MessageLabs analyst Paul
Wood said in a statement.
"However, this won't always be the case as botnet technology has also
10/1/2009 11:14 PM
New computer viruses target banks, social networks | Reuters.com
http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=UKLU33762720090930
evolved since the end of 2008 and the most recent ISP closures now have
less of an impact on resulting activity as downtime now only lasts a few
hours rather than weeks or months as before," Wood said. (Reporting by
Tarmo Virki; editing by Andre Grenon)
2 of 2
10/1/2009 11:14 PM
NotebookReview.com - Symantec Norton Antivirus 2010 Review
http://www.notebookreview.com/printArticle.asp?newsID=5278
Symantec Norton Antivirus 2010 Review
by Chaz
-
9/24/2009
By: Charles P. Jefferies
It's still 2009, but Norton couldn't wait for the New Year to release Norton Antivirus 2010. Is this
really a security application ahead of its time, or is Norton 2010 just an average A/V suite released a
few months too soon? Read our full review for the final verdict.
Product Overview
Norton AntiVirus 2010 (NAV10) is a new security software product for home and home office use. It is
advertised to protect from viruses, spyware, bots, and other threats. NAV10 emphasizes proactive
security for the end user without compromising system performance; it is claimed to use just over
10MB of memory. Several new technologies for 2010 are included in NAV10. Sonar 2 technology
analyzes files and determines whether they should be trusted or not, and Download Insight Protection
helps determine the safety of downloads. Insight technology provides users with relevant information
on files in their systems, and for more technical users, information about processes in Windows. These
technologies are based on a new concept called "reputation based" security that checks files against a
Norton database filled with data collected from Norton's user community.
Installation and Activation
NAV10 demonstrates its advertised ease of use when installed. NAV10 is a 75MB download; after
starting the installer it takes only one minute and one click to finish. No restart is required either.
After install, the user is prompted to enter their license key and activate their Norton account. This
completes installation and activation. NAV10 has the most hassle-free install of any antivirus software
product I have tested to date.
PROGRAM INTERFACE
NAV10's interface is similar to last year's version (which is a good thing) and improved -- the color
scheme is easier on the eyes and information is more organized. The layout is clean and the
terminology is friendly enough that novice users can understand. Clicking on the "I" next to each
component provides more information.
The two bars on the left represent Norton monitoring performance -- system processor usage is given
on the left, and NAV10's cut is on the right. This is basically Norton saying "I'm not taking up your
system resources !" Clicking on the performance link opens up the Performance side of NAV10:
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10/1/2009 11:22 PM
Most users will not look at or care about this, but for the more technically inclined, it can be
informative.
Overall security status is given in the upper left corner. The Computer section of the interface keeps
tabs on local items and allows users to scan and run updates. NAV10 updates itself automatically every
hour, though I updated once manually to see it in action:
The Computer section also allows users to see how they have contributed to Norton's worldwide
security database by clicking on Insight Protection Details. Norton uses this database to help identify
threats. This is very proactive because as soon as one user detects a virus , everyone knows about it
and is thus protected.
The Network section of the interface shows how the computer is protected from Internet threats.
Clicking on Vulnerability Protection shows a list of programs Norton has protected from threats, and the
Network Security Map shows what the name implies -- a map of a user's home network, a wireless
security analysis, and information on all connected devices.
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IN USE AND EFFECTIVENESS
NAV10 did not interfere with gaming, Internet surfing, or office tasks. It operated silently in the
background; I only knew it was running because of the yellow circle icon in the system tray.
To test the effectiveness of NAV10, I used several virus files from Eicar.org, an IT security website. The
four files provided for download, which have different extensions including .com, .zip, and .txt, contain
viruses. Please see the test description for extensive information on the tests. Antivirus software should
detect the files as threats.
NAV10 successfully identified all test virus files as threats, though it did not delete them from the
download location. I was surprised at this; even though the files were neutralized and could not do any
harm the software should have removed them.
PERFORMANCE IMPACT
We evaluate the performance impact of antivirus software in three ways:
1. Overall system performance measured before and after antivirus installation using PCMark
2. Memory footprint
3. Full system scan time
Our test system is an HP Pavilion dv5t:
Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz/3MB L2/1066MHz FSB)
4GB RAM
500GB 5400RPM hard drive
Windows Vista Home Premium x86
Overall System Performance Impact Measured with PCMark Vantage
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Prior to installing NAV10 the notebook had the following numbers:
After installing NAV10 I ran the benchmark again:
NAV10 has a less than five percent impact on performance, which is excellent.
Memory Footprint
The Task Manager reports NAV10 uses just under 10MB of system memory, which is superb by today's
standards; the software is indeed very efficient and matches Norton's claims.
Time it took to perform a full system scan
10/1/2009 11:22 PM
A full scan of our test system's hard drive containing 122GB of data took 44 minutes. NAV10 competitor
ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4 took just over 38 minutes by comparison. NAV10 has a feature called
QuickScan, which completes in just one minute since it only scans files it has not scanned before.
CONCLUSION
Norton Antivirus continues to be an excellent and well-rounded security solution for end users. We
think Norton is headed in the right direction by using data submitted by its user community to analyze
threats. We liked the software's proactive security stance, minimal performance impact, and friendly
interface. We highly recommend Norton Antivirus 2010 to home users looking for an effective but
affordable security solution.
PROS:
Friendly interface
Low performance impact
Very proactive
CONS:
No auto-delete of malware
Full scans not quick
Not free
5 of 5
10/1/2009 11:22 PM
Notes from Symantec's Annual Shareholder Meeting -- Seeking Alpha
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http://seekingalpha.com/article/163520-notes-from-symantec-s-annual-sha...
Seeking Alpha
Notes from Symantec's Annual Shareholder Meeting
4 comments
by: Matthew Rafat
September 26, 2009 | about: MFE / SYMC
I attended Symantec’s (SYMC) annual shareholder meeting on September 23, 2009. The company offered shareholders a
goodies bag that included a complimentary copy of Norton Online Backup; a zip-up notebook; a nice pen; and a small padlock
(symbolizing Symantec’s security focus). Approximately thirty attendees were treated to coffee, juice, and pastries.
I was looking forward to this meeting for two reasons: one, the Investor Suffrage Movement asked me to move Proposal No. 3
on behalf of another shareholder; and two, this would be new CEO Enrique Salem’s first year handling the annual meeting.
Chairman and former CEO John Thompson opened the meeting and introduced various Board and executive team members.
After Mr. Thompson was done, Executive VP and General Counsel Scott Taylor allowed me to move Proposal No. 3 and to
provide a short explanation of the proposal. I’ve been to many shareholder meetings, but this was my first time moving a
proposal. Initially, the sponsoring shareholder, Kenneth Steiner, wanted me to read the proposal verbatim. I suggested
shortening the speech and making it less formal, an approach which seemed more appropriate for a verbal presentation. Mr.
Steiner’s go-between, John Chevedden, approved the change, and I delivered the more concise presentation.
One quick aside: I attended Symantec’s meeting last year and was very impressed with then-CEO John Thompson. I was
looking forward to seeing him again this year, but had forgotten that corporations tend to despise outside shareholder
proposals. Responding to such proposals takes up attorney time and internal resources. The usual corporate attitude is that if
shareholders don’t like the way the executives run the company, they can sell their shares. So perhaps I should not have been
surprised that while I was reading the presentation, Chairman John Thompson, seated only several feet from me, was staring
at me with a “Make My Day” expression. (To his credit, Mr. Salem recognized me from last year and skipped the stare-down.)
Thankfully, after the meeting, Mr. Thompson was his usual charismatic self, entertaining various attendees with some stories.
Mr. Thompson appears to be in great shape and has lost some weight since last year.
After I moved the proposal and delivered the short summary, Mr. Taylor closed the polls and announced preliminary results.
Proposal No. 3 passed. After Symantec takes additional steps--such as amending its bylaws--the threshold for calling special
meetings will be 10% ownership, down from 25% ownership.
Mr. Taylor then introduced President and CEO Salem, who delivered a brief presentation about Symantec’s accomplishments.
I’ve listed what I consider to be the most interesting information below:
1. 120 million consumers use Symantec’s software.
2. Symantec’s customer base is 30% consumer, 70% enterprise.
3. Symantec wants to “commoditize infrastructure,” which means driving costs out of the environment (I asked Mr. Salem to
clarify this term after the meeting. He gave me an example of a consumer choosing between two hard drives--Symantec wants
to give the consumer the same capabilities in each product so the consumer can choose based on price. For more
information, see page 3 of the Annual Report, under “Enable our customers to simplify their heterogeneous environments and
reduce costs...”)
4. Symantec is growing its data loss prevention and “online backup” business. Symantec anticipates a lot of growth from its
“online backup” business.
5. Symantec’s growth comes from both “organic innovation and acquisitions.” For example, Symantec is testing “reputationbased” analytics (i.e., should this software run on my computer?) and has an impressive R&D budget. (Note: Symantec's
10/1/2009 11:12 PM
Notes from Symantec's Annual Shareholder Meeting -- Seeking Alpha
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http://seekingalpha.com/article/163520-notes-from-symantec-s-annual-sha...
reputation-based analytics feature is live in Norton's 2010 products.)
After the informal presentation, Mr. Salem opened the meeting to questions. A shareholder made several comments about
Proposal No. 3, which he opposed. He said that labor unions hated Mr. Robert Miller (who was singled out several times in the
proposal) because he was a tough CEO. He said American corporations are being “denigrated” by activists.
Mr. Salem, like most corporate executives, is no fan of outside shareholder proposals. He could have taken the bait and
criticized the proposal; instead, he showed admirable diplomatic skills. He indicated he would work with Symantec’s largest
shareholders, and he was committed to shareholder success. I immediately realized Symantec had chosen a CEO with
excellent PR skills, which is important for any service-oriented company.
Another shareholder, Tony Mazzapelle, questioned a large goodwill writedown. Mr. Salem acknowledged the unusually large
writedown of approximately $7.4 billion and explained that at one point, the dislocation of the stock market had caused
Symantec’s goodwill to be valued more than the corporation itself. The company recognized the issue and complied with SEC
rules to resolve the matter. He also clarified that the large goodwill was the result of several acquisitions, not just one.
Mr. Mazzapelle then raised an issue dear to my heart, which is non-GAAP vs. GAAP accounting. Personally, I hate non-GAAP
results. Even though it’s legal and common to use them, non-GAAP numbers allow accountants too much leeway. Here, for
example, using non-GAAP numbers allowed Symantec to report operating income of approximately $1.88 billion for Fiscal
Year 2009. During the same time period, however, using GAAP, Symantec reported an operating loss of approximately $6.5
billion. Slight difference, no?
Mr. Mazzapelle rightfully complained that publishing both sets of numbers was confusing, and he asked whether the company
would continue to publish both sets of numbers. Mr. Salem responded that Symantec would be using both GAAP and
non-GAAP methodologies in the future. He said if shareholders wanted a clear vision of the company’s finances, they need
only to review Symantec’s cash flow, which is approximately $1.5 billion annually. His response left even a skeptic like me
satisfied.
Another shareholder questioned Symantec’s marketing costs. Mr. Salem indicated the company was aware of the issue and
was focused on growth (which naturally entails significant marketing costs).
Was Symantec gaining or losing market share against McAfee (MFE)? Mr. Salem said Symantec was gaining in the large
enterprise segment, but not in the small business segment. He also said, the “quality of our products has never been better.”
I asked my usual question: what is Symantec’s competitive advantage in the marketplace? Mr. Salem said that Symantec’s
software could run on almost any platform (Linux, etc.) and protected consumers “against the widest range of threats.”
Overall, I was very pleased with Mr. Salem’s demeanor, knowledge, and delivery. Prior to the meeting, I was concerned that
after having a CEO as charismatic as Mr. Thompson, Symantec’s next CEO would have difficulty measuring up. My concerns
were clearly misplaced.
As I mentioned earlier, this is my second year attending a Symantec annual meeting. Once again, Symantec ran its annual
meeting professionally. It deserves kudos for delivering a pleasing shareholder experience. Its ability to run a great meeting is
especially notable because its local competitor, McAfee, doesn’t seem to emphasize its annual meetings. For example, in
recent years, McAfee (MFE) hasn’t bothered with an informal slide presentation. To make matters worse, when I last attended
McAfee’s annual meeting, shareholder relations staff treated me like an intruder (I appeared to be the only non-employee
shareholder there, which might have bothered them). Although McAfee's stock has done better than Symantec's recently,
once Symantec digests its massive (and perhaps ill-timed) acquisitions, it may outperform McAfee. In the meantime,
long-term, patient shareholders may want to consider buying Symantec stock.
Disclosure: I own an insignificant number of SYMC shares. If I do add shares, I expect to hold them for several years.
Also, I provided a copy of this article to Symantec prior to publication. Consequently, I incorporated some minor changes
in my sole discretion. Almost all the changes related to correcting numerical values, such as changing $7.7 billion to $7.4
billion (I originally wrote $7.7 billion because that's the number I heard the shareholder say).
10/1/2009 11:12 PM
Symantec Corp. Reports Operating Results (10-Q) -- GuruFocus.com
http://www.gurufocus.com/news_print.php?id=62993
Symantec Corp. Reports Operating Results (10-Q)
August-5-2009
Symantec Corp. (SYMC) filed Quarterly Report for the period ended 2009-07-03.
Symantec a world leader in Internet security technology provides a broad range of content security solutions to individuals and companies. The
company is a leading provider of anti-virus protection Internet content and e-mail filtering and mobile code detection technologies to enterprise
customers. Symantec Corp. has a market cap of $12.73 billion; its shares were traded at around $15.57 with a P/E ratio of 11 and P/S ratio of 2.
Symantec Corp. had an annual average earning growth of 20.6% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Symantec Corp. the business
predictability rank of 3-star.
Highlight of Business Operations:
Our operating segments are significant strategic business units that offer different products and services, distinguished by customer needs.
Since the March 2008 quarter, we have operated in five operating segments: Consumer, Security and Compliance, Storage and Server
Management, Services, and Other. During the June 2009 quarter, we changed our reporting segments to better align to our operating structure,
resulting in the Enterprise Vault products that were formerly included in the Security and Compliance segment being moved to the Storage and
Server Management segment. Also, Software as a Service (“SaaS”) offerings moved to either the Security and Compliance segment or the
Storage and Server Management segment from the Services segment, based on the nature of the service delivered. Fiscal year 2009 Enterprise
Vault revenue of $197 million and fiscal year 2009 SaaS revenue of $51 million was moved. The predominant amount of SaaS revenue went to
the Security and Compliance segment. We revised the segment information for the prior year to conform to the new presentation. For further
descriptions of our operating segments, see Note 9 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in this quarterly report. Our
reportable segments are the same as our operating segments.
Our net income was $73 million for the three months ended July 3, 2009 as compared to our net income of $172 million for the three months
ended July 4, 2008. The lower net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 as compared to the same period last year was primarily due to the
decrease in revenues, the inclusion of the 14th week in the July 4, 2008 period and fluctuations in the U.S. dollar compared to foreign
currencies, partially offset by our ongoing cost and expense discipline.
Net revenues decreased for the three months ended July 3, 2009, as compared to the same period last year, due to a $136 million decrease in
Licenses revenues coupled with an $82 million decrease in Content, subscriptions, and maintenance revenues. The net decrease was primarily
driven by the items discussed above under “Financial Results and Trends,” including currency fluctuations and the 14th week of activity during
the July 4, 2008 quarter.
Read the The complete Report
SYMC is in the portfolios of Bruce Sherman of Private Capital Management, Mason Hawkins of Southeastern Asset Management, PRIMECAP
Management.
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Symantec Corporation (SYMC.O)
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Symantec Corporation Launches Norton 2010 Products,
Introducing New Detection Technologies In The Fight Against
Cyber Crime
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Wednesday, 9 Sep 2009 08:02am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced that it is bringing to market a completely unique
approach to online security with Norton 2010. Norton Internet Security 2010 and
Norton AntiVirus 2010 leverage a new model of security, codenamed Quorum, to
attain unmatched detection of new malware and advance far beyond traditional
signature and behavior-based detection.
Acacia Research - Acacia Technologies' Diagnostic Systems
Corporation Enters Into Settlement Agreement With Symantec
Corporation
Monday, 31 Aug 2009 06:00am EDT
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Acacia Research - Acacia Technologies announced that its Diagnostic Systems
Corporation subsidiary has settled a lawsuit with Symantec Corporation relating to a
portfolio of patents that apply to rule based monitoring. This dispute was pending in
the Central District of California.
Golden Temple of Oregon, LLC, Health Alliance Plan and
Molina Healthcare, Inc Uses Symantec Corporation's Software
to Stop Buying Storage
Tuesday, 25 Aug 2009 08:01am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced that Golden Temple of Oregon, LLC, Health
Alliance Plan and Molina Healthcare, Inc. are using Symantec storage and
information management software to better utilize existing storage resources and
eliminate the need to purchase new hardware.
Symantec Corporation Launches Extended Terms Financing
Program To Help Partners Thrive
Tuesday, 18 Aug 2009 08:01am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced that it has Extended Terms Financing Program,
offering qualified Symantec Registered and Silver Partners free 60 day extended
payment terms for select Symantec products provided by GE Capital, Commercial
Distribution Finance. The program provides eligible Symantec partners with
increased cash flow and payment flexibility by allowing them to defer payment on
selected Symantec products. Symantec and GE Capital have teamed to provide a
value driven financing program to Symantec registered and silver partners who
source Symantec products through North American distributors Tech Data, Ingram
Micro, Synnex and Douglas Stewart. The program is available now through January
30, 2010.
Symantec Corporation And LifeLock, Inc. Join Forces To Help
Protect Consumers Online and Offline
Friday, 7 Aug 2009 08:00am EDT
LifeLock, Inc. and Symantec Corp. announced a strategic partnership to offer
American consumers online and offline security and identity protection through
promotionally priced product bundles, educational outreach and a united effort to
lobby for stronger penalties for identity thieves.
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Symantec Corporation Issues Q2 2010 Guidance Below
Analysts' Estimates
Wednesday, 29 Jul 2009 04:05pm EDT
Symantec Corporation announced that for second quarter of 2010, it expects GAAP
revenue to be between $1.395-$1.445 billion, GAAP diluted earnings per share to
be between $0.14 and $0.16 and GAAP deferred revenue to be in the range of
$2.747-$2.847 billion. Non-GAAP revenue for the second quarter of 2010 is
estimated between $1.40-$1.45 billion, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share
between $0.32 and $0.34 and non-GAAP deferred revenue to be in the range of
$2.75-$2.85 billion. Guidance assumes an exchange rate of $1.40 per Euro for the
September 2009 quarter versus the actual weighted average rate of $1.49 per Euro
for the September 2008 quarter, approximately a 6% negative currency impact. The
end of the period rate for the September 2008 quarter was $1.38, approximately a
1% currency benefit versus the $1.40 per Euro assumption for the September 2009
quarter. According to Reuters Estimates, analysts were expecting the Company to
report revenues of $1.57 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $0.40 for the same period.
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BackWeb Technologies Ltd. Adds Symantec Corporation As
Defendant In Patent Infringement Lawsuit
BackWeb Technologies Ltd. announced that it has amended the patent infringement
lawsuit it filed on March 20, 2009 in the United States District Court in San
Francisco, California, to include Symantec Corporation as an additional defendant in
the action BackWeb initially filed against Microsoft and subsequently against
Sybase Inc. and its subsidiary iAnywhere. BackWeb is seeking damages, an
injunction and a declaration by the Court that Symantec's software products infringe
BackWeb's patents. BackWeb alleges the Symantec Altiris product infringes three
U.S. patents owned by BackWeb covering methods for transmitting information
between a remote network and a local computer. The lawsuit against Microsoft
alleged infringement of the same three patents, as well as a fourth BackWeb
patent. The Symantec Altiris product is used by companies for centrally managing
IT infrastructures.
Unum Group Leverages Symantec Corporation's Symantec
Software And Services
Tuesday, 21 Jul 2009 08:01am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced that Tennessee-based employee benefits
provider Unum uses Symantec software and services to secure its IT infrastructure
and effectively address compliance-related requirements around email retention and
discovery. Symantec has helped Unum prevent a network disruption as a result of a
malicious intrusion in more than five years, significantly reduce IT costs, and comply
with laws and regulations governing the security of confidential business information
including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Symantec Corporation Unveils New Model of Consumer
Protection Codenamed Quorum
Monday, 6 Jul 2009 08:00am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced that it unveiled Norton Internet Security 2010 and
Norton AntiVirus 2010 betas, which feature new reputation-based security
technologies that tackle undiscovered malware and today's toughest threats
head-on.
Symantec Corporation Launches MessageLabs Instant
Messaging Security Service
Tuesday, 16 Jun 2009 08:00am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced the launch of MessageLabs Instant Messaging
Security Service (IMSS), a comprehensive instant messaging (IM) security, control
and management service enabling businesses to adopt a safer, auditable use of
public IM networks.
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Symantec Corporation Issues Q1 2010 Guidance In Line With
Analysts' Estimates
Wednesday, 6 May 2009 04:06pm EDT
Symantec Corporation announced that for the first quarter of 2010, GAAP revenue
is estimated between $1.44-$1.5 billion, GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS)
between $0.09-$0.11 and GAAP deferred revenue to be in the range of
$2.84-$2.94 billion. Non-GAAP revenue for the quarter is estimated between
$1.45-$1.51 billion, non-GAAP diluted EPS between $0.34-$0.36 and non-GAAP
deferred revenue to be in the range of $2.85-$2.95 billion. According to Reuters
Estimates, analysts were expecting the Company to report revenue of $1.51 billion
and EPS of $0.35 for the first quarter of 2010.
Symantec Corporation Expands Portfolio With New Protection
Suites and Web Security
Tuesday, 21 Apr 2009 08:02am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced the acquisition of Mi5 Networks, a privately held
Web security company which offers the industry's Web gateway security by
providing streaming technology that examines traffic coming into and leaving the
enterprise. Symantec's email gateway and endpoint security solutions combined
with Mi5's Web gateway technology will provide protection at the common entry
points to secure organizations against evolving Web-based malware.
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Symantec Corporation Launches Norton Online Backup Web
Service
Thursday, 19 Mar 2009 08:03am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced the availability of Norton Online Backup, a
secured, easy-to-use online backup service that automatically keeps files and digital
assets safe and easily accessible.
Symantec Corporation Transforms Workspace Management
With Endpoint Virtualization
Tuesday, 17 Feb 2009 08:02am EST
Symantec Corporation announced Symantec Endpoint Virtualization Suite, designed
to improve end-user productivity and lower the cost of managing endpoint devices.
By offering portable, on-demand user workspace management, Symantec Endpoint
Virtualization Suite provides a comprehensive solution for creating and managing
workspace elements and environments in traditional, virtual and mixed client
computing models.
IAC InterActiveCorp's Ask.com And Symantec Corporation
Announce Strategic Partnership To Make Web Searching Safer
Tuesday, 3 Feb 2009 08:02am EST
Ask.com, an operating business of IAC InterActiveCorp and Symantec Corporation
announced a multi-year, strategic partnership to deliver the best answers and even
safer search results on the Web. Together, Ask.com and Symantec developed Safe
Search, a new offering that makes searching the Web safer by providing users with
ratings before they visit a site that could damage or infect their PC. Safe Search
delivers site ratings embedded directly into the search experience, so that users
can conduct searches directly from their Norton toolbar and see site ratings
presented on a customized search results page.
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10/2/2009 3:28 PM
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Analysts' Estimates
Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 04:05pm EST
Symantec Corporation announced that for fourth quarter of 2009, it expects GAAP
revenue between $1.475-$1.525 billion, GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS)
between $0.12 and $0.14 and GAAP deferred revenue to be in the range of $2.972
billion and $3.072 billion. The Company expects non-GAAP revenue between
$1.49-$1.54 billion, non-GAAP EPS between $0.33-$0.35 and non-GAAP deferred
revenue to be in the range of $3.0-$3.1 billion. According to Reuters Estimates,
analysts were expecting the Company to report revenues of $1.51 billion and EPS
of $0.33 for the same period.
Symantec Corporation Announces Symantec Endpoint
Encryption 7.0,
Thursday, 15 Jan 2009 08:03am EST
Symantec Corporation announced Symantec Endpoint Encryption 7.0, providing
advanced encryption for desktops, laptops and removable storage devices.
Symantec Endpoint Encryption offers a scalable security solution that prevents
unauthorized access to endpoints by delivering strong encryption and access control
technologies.
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Symantec Corporation's Norton Internet Security Helps Protect
ASUS Computers Worldwide
Thursday, 8 Jan 2009 08:05am EST
Symantec Corporation announced that Norton Internet Security 2009, will help
protect ASUS laptops and desktops sold around the world. Under terms of a
multi-year agreement, the Norton Internet Security will ship on ASUS Eee PC
netbooks and Eee Box nettops. Customers will receive a full-featured 60-day
introductory subscription of Norton Internet Security at no extra charge.
Symantec Corporation Awarded $12 Million Judgment In
Counterfeit Software Case
Wednesday, 17 Dec 2008 08:01am EST
Symantec Corporation announced that it was awarded $12 million in damages
against a distributor selling counterfeit Symantec software throughout North
America. The verdict was handed down by the United State District Court for the
Central District of California in Los Angeles in favor of the Company against
Carmelo Cerrelli of Interplus Online, a Canadian based organization selling software
in the United States and Canada. The case was filed in civil court and included
claims from the Company alleging that Interplus engaged in copyright and
trademark infringement involving Symantec products such as Norton SystemWorks,
Norton AntiVirus, Norton Ghost, and Symantec pcAnywhere.
Symantec Corporation Unveils Storage Solution To Help
Customers Stop Buying Storage
Monday, 15 Dec 2008 08:01am EST
Symantec Corporation announced that enhancements to Veritas CommandCentral,
a storage optimization suite that helps organizations stop buying storage and reduce
operational costs. Veritas CommandCentral Storage now includes new agentless
capabilities which speed time-to-value -- helping customers reduce storage capital
costs by increasing storage utilization and control demand by mapping storage
consumption to business applications.
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10/2/2009 3:29 PM
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Symantec Corporation Announces Senior Management
Changes
Monday, 17 Nov 2008 04:05pm EST
Symantec Corporation announced that John W. Thompson, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO), will retire as CEO at the end of the fiscal year. The Board
of Directors has appointed Enrique T. Salem, Symantec's Chief Operating Officer,
as President and Chief Executive Officer effective April 4, 2009. Following the
transition, Thompson, will remain Chairman of the Board and Salem, will join the
Board of Directors.
Symantec Corporation Completes Acquisition Of MessageLabs
Monday, 17 Nov 2008 07:01am EST
Symantec Corporation announced that it has completed its acquisition of
MessageLabs, on November 14, 2008.
Symantec Corporation Issues Q3 2009 Guidance Below
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Symantec Corporation announced that for third quarter of 2009, it expects GAAP
revenue between $1.446-$1.496 billion, GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS)
between $0.11-$0.14 and GAAP deferred revenue to be in the range of
$2.696-$2.821 billion. Non-GAAP revenue for the quarter is estimated between
$1.450-$1.500 billion, non-GAAP diluted EPS estimated between $0.30-$0.33 and
non-GAAP deferred revenue to be in the range of $2.700-$2.825 billion. According
to Reuters Estimates, analysts were expecting the Company to report revenues of
$1.605 billion and EPS of $0.36 for the same period.
Symantec Corporation Announces Multi-Level Softwareas-a-Service Partner Program
Thursday, 16 Oct 2008 08:00am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced the formalization of a comprehensive partner
program developed to help partners of all sizes generate recurring revenue streams
from sales of Symantec's subscription-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
offerings. The Symantec Protection Network Partner Program extends Symantec's
Partner Program with a specialization developed for partners focused on selling
Software-as-a-Service.
Symantec Corporation Launches New PC Help Service
Tuesday, 14 Oct 2008 08:01am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced its new remote PC help service, Norton Premium
Services, designed to deliver convenient, no hassle PC assistance. The service
provides comprehensive PC help offerings including a Norton PC Checkup Service
(available 24x7) to identify performance problems, provide a custom PC report card
and identify hidden spyware and a PC Tune-up Service.
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Symantec Corporation And Dell To Deliver Simple All In One
Data Protection Solution
Wednesday, 8 Oct 2008 12:31pm EDT
Symantec Corporation announced that it is expanding on its partnership with Dell to
deliver the factory-integrated solution that provides quick and efficient, disk-based
backup and recovery. Dell PowerVault DL2000 backup-to-disk appliance is a
complete hardware and software data protection solution that includes pre-installed
Symantec Backup Exec 12.5 and custom disk management features developed
exclusively for Dell, allowing for easier management of backup to disk environments
from a single console.
Symantec Corporation to Extend Online Services With
Acquisition of MessageLabs
Wednesday, 8 Oct 2008 07:13am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to
acquire MessageLabs, a leading provider of online messaging and Web security
services. Under the terms of the agreement, Symantec will acquire MessageLabs
for a purchase price of approximately $695 million in cash, subject to foreign
currency adjustments, payable in approximately GBP 310 million Pounds Sterling
and $154 million US Dollars. MessageLabs generated approximately $145 million in
revenue during fiscal year 2008, ending July 31, 2008 and grew by more than 20
percent over the prior fiscal year. The agreement is subject to customary closing
conditions including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close by the end of the
2008 calendar year.
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Symantec Corporation and Lenovo to Offer Norton Internet
Security to IdeaPad Customers
Monday, 15 Sep 2008 08:04am EDT
Symantec Corporation announced an agreement to distribute Norton Internet
Security on all Lenovo IdeaPad laptops worldwide, in multiple languages. The
Norton Internet Security software will be offered as a full-featured, 90-day
subscription, at no extra charge. In addition, Symantec is providing the security
solution used in the IdeaPad's OneKey recovery feature, which enables customers
to easily recover data in the event of a crash.
Symantec Corporation To Acquire PC Tools
Monday, 18 Aug 2008 04:05pm EDT
Symantec Corporation announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to
acquire PC Tools, a provider of software products designed to protect the privacy
and security of Windows computer users. The financial terms of the acquisition are
not being disclosed. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the calendar
year and is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Analysts' Estimates
Symantec Corporation announced that for the second quarter of 2008, it expects
GAAP revenue to be between $1.520 billion and $1.560 billion. GAAP diluted
earnings per share (EPS) to be between $0.15 and $0.17. Non-GAAP revenue to
be between $1.525 billion and $1.565 billion. Non-GAAP EPS to be between $0.34
and $0.36. GAAP deferred revenue is expected to be in the range of $2.865 billion
and $2.965 billion. Non-GAAP deferred revenue is expected to be in the range of
$2.875 billion and $2.975 billion. According to Reuters Estimates, analysts on
average are expecting the Company to report EPS of $0.34 on revenues of $1.527
billion for the same period.
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10/2/2009 3:31 PM
Symantec's Sales Dip on Short-Term Contracts | Technology News | Print ...
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Symantec's Sales Dip on Short-Term Contracts
James Rogers
07/29/09 - 05:14 PM EDT
CUPERTINO, Calif. (TheStreet) -- Security software specialist Symantec(SYMC Quote) missed analysts'first-quarter sales and
profit estimates, as customers focused their attention on short-term contracts.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based firm brought in sales of $1.43 billion in the quarter, down from $1.65 billion in the same period last
year, and below its own guidance of $1.45 billion.
Adjusted for currency and the extra week in the firm's fiscal first quarter, however, Symantec's revenue came in at $1.44 billion,
although this was still below Wall Street's forecast. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected Symantec to post
revenue of $1.49 billion.
Confronted with heightened competition and a tough economy, Symantec said that customer buying patterns have changed.
"On the enterprise side, the customers are spending on shorter-term contracts, and that did result in some reduced new license
revenue," Symantec CEO Enrique Salem told TheStreet.com in an interview. "[But] our earnings came in within our guided
range because we did a lot of expense management, and we expect that to continue."
Including a 3-cent benefit from the extra week, Symantec earned 34 cents a share on net income of $285 million, down from 40
cents a share and $342 million in the prior year's quarter, but in line with the low end of the company's guidance. Analysts,
however, had forecast earnings of 35 cents a share.
On a diluted basis, Symantec earned 9 cents a share on net income of $73 million, down from 20 cents a share and $170 million
in the prior year's quarter.
Symantec, which competes with McAfee(MFE Quote), Microsoft(MSFT Quote) and ArcSight(ARST Quote), is enjoying strong
demand for its consumer products, according to Salem.
"The consumer products did well in the quarter," he said, explaining that consumer revenue grew 6% year over year, adjusted
for currency.
On a GAAP basis, the software specialist expects revenue between $1.395 billion and $1.445 billion, and earnings between 14
cents a share and 16 cents a share. On a diluted basis, Symantec's sales guidance is between $1.4 billion and $1.45 billion and
the firm expects earnings between 32 cents a share and 34 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had forecast
revenue of $1.5 billion and earnings of 36 cents a share.
Symantec shares plunged $1.34, or 7.77%, to $15.90 in extended trading.
Reported by James Rogers in New York
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10/2/2009 3:34 PM
SYMC: 15.88 -0.59 (-3.58%) - Symantec Corporation
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Symantec Corporation (Public, NASDAQ:SYMC) Watch this stock
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Vol / Avg. 16.60M/11.10M
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Mkt cap 12.93B Shares 814.50M
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- Beta
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EPS
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Symantec Identifies "Dirtiest Web Sites of
Summer 2009"
Market Wire - Aug 17, 2009
Symantec Reports First Quarter Fiscal Year
2010 Results
PR-CANADA.net - Aug 2, 2009
Symantec Corporation Issues Q2 2010
Guidance Below Analysts' Estimates
Reuters Key Development - Jul 29, 2009
Symantec's Sales Dip on Short-Term
Contracts
TheStreet.com - Jul 28, 2009
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Description
Jul 29, 2009
Q1 2010 Earnings Release
More events from AOL Finance »
Key stats and ratios
Net profit margin
Operating margin
EBITD margin
Return on average assets
Return on average equity
Employees
Q3 (Jul '09)
2009
6.01%
10.61%
3.26%
7.09%
17,400
-108.55%
-105.26%
-91.65%
-46.46%
-90.19%
-
10/1/2009 11:19 PM
The Motley Fool: Print Article
1 of 1
http://www.fool.com/server/printarticle.aspx?file=/investing/value/2009/...
Previous Page
Are Symantec and McAfee Doomed?
http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2009/09/30/are-symantec-and-mcafee-doomed.aspx
Tim Beyers
September 30, 2009
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is getting serious about security. Finally.
Mr. Softy yesterday introduced Security Essentials, free software designed to protect Windows users
from viruses, spyware, and other malware. "It's easy to tell if your PC is secure -- when you're
green, you're good. It's that simple," Microsoft says at its download page for Security Essentials.
If you're thinking that sounds a lot like what Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC), McAfee (NYSE: MFE), and
Trend Micro already offer, you aren't alone. Blogger Dave Hunter mocked those who dismiss
Security Essentials as too lightweight to command a premium:
That may well be classified as whistling past the graveyard since very little trumps free
and if Windows Security Essentials is as good as the beta reviews indicated, the security
vendors may have a real problem. I'm still waiting for one or more of them to drop a
dime to the antitrust regulators in the US or EU.
Ouch.
But he's right: Microsoft's competitors tend to run to regulators when a threat surfaces. Look at the
browser market. Both Opera Software and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) have complained to the
European Union about Internet Explorer.
Symantec and McAfee probably have less to worry about, if only because both long ago diversified
beyond PC security. McAfee bought Secure Computing last year, adding heft to its portfolio of tools
for locking down networks. Symantec competes with EMC (NYSE: EMC) and Hewlett-Packard
(NYSE: HPQ) in storage and data backup, thanks to its acquisition of Veritas five years ago.
Still, we shouldn't discount the importance of PC security. Gartner estimates that security software
vendors collected roughly $12 billion in 2008 revenue. Symantec had the largest share with 22% of
the market. Microsoft managed 2.3%, thanks to its OneCare package that few considered a
reasonable substitute for what Symantec and McAfee offer.
That's no longer true, early reviews are positive, and Microsoft is offering a free solution this time.
Now, Mr. Softy is playing at the major league level -- and you can bet that he's playing to win.
For related Foolishness:
Internet security is a smoking-hot market, too.
Do you know the top-rated security stocks?
Even the president is concerned about cyber-security.
Legal Information. © 1995-2008 The Motley Fool. All rights reserved.
Previous Page
10/1/2009 11:10 PM
1 of 2
http://www.fool.com/server/printarticle.aspx?file=/investing/internationa...
Previous Page
This Stock's a No-Brainer
http://www.fool.com/investing/international/2009/09/25/this-stocks-a-no-brainer.aspx
Brian Richards and Tim Hanson
September 25, 2009
The Internet may prove to be the greatest human invention of all time. Investing in Internet
companies in 2000, however, may prove to have been one of history's greatest follies.
Yet 2000 was a heady year for Internet investment. Guides such as Greg Kyle's 100 Best Internet
Stocks to Own showed you "how to get in on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Kyle predicted that
there would be 430 million Internet users by 2003, and that by 2005, "consumers will spend $150
billion shopping online."
In fact, those estimates proved conservative. By 2003, nearly 600 million people were online. In
2005, shoppers spent more than $175 billion on the World Wide Web.
Time to cash in
But even though Internet usage blew away expectations, you would have been a big loser if you'd
invested in Kyle's 100 best Internet stocks. How much of a loser?
In the fall of 2007, we spent hours computing the returns figures. Spoiler alert: The results are
painful.
Had you invested $1,000 in each of Kyle's 100 Internet names back on April 20, 2000, and held them
through September 2007, your $100,000 investment would have turned into -- drum roll, please -$37,814. That's a total return of negative 62%, and again, that return is through the fall of '07 -before the current bear market.
You were more likely to pick a company that would go bankrupt (18) as you were to pick a company
that simply increased in price (13)!
To the moon!
And that's despite some successes. AXENT merged with Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC), and a $1,000
investment there would have been worth more than $4,600. Auctioneer kingeBay (Nasdaq: EBAY)
would have doubled your money over the same time.
You also would have done quite well buying Expedia (Nasdaq: EXPE), getting merged into
IAC/InterActiveCorp (Nasdaq: IACI), and then getting shares of both when Expedia was spun
back off.
But even those winners can't change the fact that 18% of Kyle's companies went bankrupt. And
many of the companies that survived, including Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), Priceline.com (Nasdaq:
PCLN), and RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK), declined by 60% or more.
What went wrong -- and why
Most of the companies profiled in the book were profitless -- and burning through capital at a rapid
rate. Indeed, many of the companies shouldn't have been worth a dime ... let alone billions of
dollars.
See, Internet companies at the turn of the century were expected to generate massive cash profits.
They didn't. A stock's value is nothing more than an estimate of its ability to generate cash profits
over time. Before long, "market share," "network effects," "eyeballs," and "B2B business models"
were exposed as Northern California euphemisms for "no cash."
The value of valuation
That's why valuation is such a critical component of investing. As the Internet mess illustrates, taking
a top-down investing approach -- starting with the best, fastest-growing industry -- will usually lead
10/1/2009 11:12 PM
2 of 2
http://www.fool.com/server/printarticle.aspx?file=/investing/internationa...
to failure. Show us that industry and we'll find you a stock operating therein that's going down in
flames.
That's why we advocate a bottom-up investing approach. Start at the company level and work up
from there.
It's also why there are no no-brainers in investing. Just to repeat: Although the Internet has been
even more successful than Kyle imagined, the stocks he profiled were mostly disasters.
China = the new Internet
When an earlier version of this article was published, we made the case that the lesson of the
Internet was as timely as ever -- and not because of the burst housing bubble. Why was it timely?
China.
After all, the Chinese government was concerned enough about a bubble to triple the tax on stock
trades last summer. According to The New York Times, that move was "aimed at braking what many
business executives and economists inside and outside China now see as a stock market bubble."
The Chinese stock index was up 130% in 2006, and another 97% in 2007. According to data from
Forbes, Chinese stocks, as measured by the Shanghai and Shenzhen 300 Index, were trading for 52
times earnings at the peak of the market in October 2007 -- at a time when the S&P 500 was going
for a P/E of 17. And according to Bloomberg, "Domestic [Chinese] investors opened about 49 million
trading accounts [in 2007], nine times the total for 2006."
The more things change ...
Not even a decade after the Internet bubble, investors assumed that picking the right place to invest
trumped picking the right companies to invest in. The lesson has been just as painful this time
around -- Chinese stocks fell more than 60% last year, far inferior to even the lackluster
performance of our domestic markets.
While "buying China" was a sucker's bet back then, things are a bit different now. Multiples in China
have come way down. And although these stocks may still look expensive compared with their
American peers, the volatility in the Chinese market means that patient investors can buy into the
country's great growth story at great prices -- which is a major reason why our team at Motley Fool
Global Gains just undertook a research trip to Asia.
If you'd like to see our team's top stock ideas from that trip, we offer a 30-day free trial without any
obligation to subscribe. Click here for details on this special offer.
This article was first published Sept. 28, 2007. It has been updated.
Neither Brian Richards nor Tim Hanson owns shares of any company mentioned. eBay and
Priceline.com are Stock Advisor selections. eBay is also an Inside Value pick. The Fool's disclosure
policy does a lot of spelunking.
Legal Information. © 1995-2008 The Motley Fool. All rights reserved.
Previous Page
10/1/2009 11:12 PM
Symantec, True to Form, Makes the Wrong Call Again ~ Revelations Fro...
1 of 5
http://www.lockergnome.com/theoracle/2009/09/30/symantec-true-to-fo...
Symantec, True to Form, Makes
the Wrong Call Again
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
by the oracle
Best information on symantec
Symantec Antivirus 2010: Official Site
Protect against viruses & spyware. Official US website.
Download now.
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Symantec Online
Buy Symantec software online - Immediate download.
Symantec.norton-security-store.com
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»
Symantec, destroyer of all things good (Norton Utilities, Central Point Software, XTree
Software, and a cast of thousands...) has once again reacted inappropriately to the
release of the Microsoft Security Essentials, with a little video, (ostensibly) showing us
that free software has a price.
Well, the video is not something that will engross anyone but the most uninformed,
which means that, perhaps, it will be a big hit in the upper regions of Canada
(Nunavut), Lappland, and the Australian outback, but a snooze everywhere else.
Instead of getting to work on a better paid version of their protection suite, and
developing a passable freeware version, to entice the masses, and show the benefits of
paying up front, the company chooses to use parody and derision, in a case where it
only makes the company look bad.
It was given some space on the Download Squad pages today - (originally found in
Digital Inspiration)
Back in July, a Symantec exec predictably talked down free antivirus apps.
This week, the cheeky devils behind Norton Antivirus have turned out a real tour
de force. Seriously. It’s a flippant look at the old adage “the best things in life
are free.”
The spot starts by mentioning love. Yeah, that’s free, right? Sure, except for
weddings says the straightman - those could cost as much as *gasp*
$10,000! I’m not sure what year Symantec thinks it is, but I’m pretty sure
many weddings run well in excess of three to five times that amount.
What about kids, those are great - and free! No, jackass, that’s another bad
call on your part. They’re expensive too, says Unfunny Guy. Really? Thanks
for pointing that out.
10/1/2009 11:34 PM
Symantec, True to Form, Makes the Wrong Call Again ~ Revelations Fro...
2 of 5
http://www.lockergnome.com/theoracle/2009/09/30/symantec-true-to-fo...
Actually, those are two great reasons to use free antivirus, Symantec. I mean,
since we’re all saving up money for that expensive wedding and the cost of
raising children, why should we blow $50 a year on your antivirus when we
don’t have to?
Security Essentials has gotten rave reviews and plenty of other free antivirus
apps - like Avira, Avast, AVG, Panda Cloud AV - have a solid track record
despite what Norton claims.
By the way, as for making the firewall sound like a difference maker - it’s not.
Windows has included a firewall since XP. And there are plenty of third party
options available if that’s not good enough for you. The only real difference in
your video? Tech support. And I don’t remember when the last time was that
I heard a customer give glowing reviews to Symantec’s consumer tech
support.
You know what else isn’t free? Acting lessons and a quality ad agency. But
Symantec probably already knows that.
By the way, if you’re looking for free antivirus for Windows: Microsoft Security
Essentials drops today, and there’s a big list of other options on our site as
well. Or you can go pay for Norton. Your call.
As far as I can tell, Peter Norton must either be, a] dead, b] a moniker given to a
fictitious person who personified an adept programmer of his day, or c]
basking somewhere out of reach of the internet, and totally uncaring because
of the obscene amount of money that was paid for Peter Norton Computing. I
vote for [a], because I believe that Peter Norton was a real person, and no matter how
much money he was paid, he wouldn’t want his name dragged through the mud, as it
has been, by the hacks at Symantec.
In the mean time, I’m sure the responsible security product makers are doing something to
engender your affections, and re-acquire your usage, once the newness, and possibly
the incomplete nature of MSE is discovered.
§
Technorati Tags: Symantec,antivirus follies,Microsoft Security Essentials,free antivirus
solutions,AVG,Avira,Comodo,Panda,Kaspersky Labs,trial versions,firewalls,Peter Norton
Computing
•
Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that
some men should be happier than others.
Oscar Wilde
10/1/2009 11:34 PM
UPDATE 1-Symantec's top accountant retires at age 57 | Reuters.com
1 of 1
http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=UKN0129588020091001
UPDATE 1-Symantec's top accountant
retires at age 57
Thu Oct 1, 2009 6:30pm EDT
* Symantec replaces top accountant
* George Harrington, 57, had been with company 3 years
* Spokeswoman says he's going into retirement
BOSTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Symantec Corp (SYMC.O: Quote, Profile,
Research, Stock Buzz) unexpectedly replaced its top accounting officer,
George Harrington, three years after the 57-year-old joined the security
software company.
"He is going into retirement," said company spokeswoman Genevieve
Haldeman. "He has personal reasons for the timing."
Harrington could not be reached for comment.
Symantec, the world's biggest maker of security software, named Phillip
Bullock, Vice President of Tax and Trade Compliance, as Harrington's
replacement. Bullock, 45, has been with Symantec for three years.
The software maker is struggling to turn around a slide in revenue at a time
when smaller rival McAfee Inc (MFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock
Buzz) is winning market share and posting strong sales growth. (Reporting
by Jim Finkle; editing by Andre Grenon)
10/1/2009 11:13 PM
Symantec touts "reputation-based" security - TechSpot News
2 of 4
http://www.techspot.com/news/32211-symantec-touts-reputationbased-se...
SOFTWARE
Symantec touts "reputation-based" security
By Justin Mann, TechSpot.com
Published: October 24, 2008, 6:01 PM EST
Symantec is seeking to add another layer of protection to
their security profile, with the introduction of a software
“reputation” system. The new system would be able to rate
different programs based upon their reputation, using
techniques that can supposedly identify whether a program is malicious or safe.
The idea is to use a system of cataloging, which looks at the profile of programs on the
computers of Symantec's customers, categorizing the “reputation” of the machines and
then deciding whether a program on any particular computer is risky or not. That way, the
more people that use a program, the more likely it is to be designated as “safe.”
Symantec plans on classifying their user base, from very safe to dangerous, and using
that information to help them create profiles of different programs.
There are obvious flaws to point out in such a system. Many people use programs that
are relatively rare, and often people that have machines with constant virus or spyware
infections will use very popular programs. Overall, though, Symantec believes that
computers they identify as “unsafe” are more likely to have “unsafe” programs on them.
This is definitely an interesting idea. There are many ways it could go horribly wrong, so I
look forward to seeing how Symantec plans on implementing it and how successful they
are.
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Downloads
Post a comment
OUTLAWXXX
on October 25, 2008
1:04 AM
Downloads & Drivers
That is pretty weird to be classifying whole computers when the
experienced or smart people that know how to avoid the bad
stuff might be using alot of unique and maybe programs they
wrote and then the dumb ones all use standard programs...
classifying the programs only in my opionion would be the way
to go unless they can work out the kinks
Drivers
GMABooster 2.1a
Picasa 3.5
Picasa 3.5 for Mac OS X
Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0.1611.0 for Windows XP
32-bit
GMABooster 0.9c for Linux
Browse more commented news
More Downloads
10/2/2009 5:31 PM
Norton Community Watch Privacy Policy - Symantec Corp.
2 of 4
http://www.symantec.com/about/profile/policies/ncwprivacy.jsp
Norton Community Watch Privacy Policy
Click here to go to the Norton AntiSpam Privacy Policy
What is Norton Community Watch?
Norton Community Watch allows Norton security product users from around the world to help speed
identification and further reduce the time to deliver protection against new security risks trying to infect
your computer. The program collects selected security and application data and submits the data to
Symantec for analysis to identify new threats and their sources, and to help improve user security and
product functionality.
Why is Norton Community Watch good for me?
By joining the Norton Community Watch program you:
1. Participate in building better, stronger protection against the latest, unknown threats.
Symantec analyzes the data you send, as well as the data from other users in the
Norton Community. Our backend technology, codenamed Quorum, uses sophisticated
algorithms to compute a security reputation rating for each file downloaded, installed or
run on the machine. You get the benefits of this new innovative technology when
Norton:
a. Blocks downloads with Download Insight. Norton tells you whether your
download is safe, unsafe, or somewhere in between. And – if your
download isn’t safe, our products take immediate, decisive action.
b. Improves heuristics, by improving both the detection rates as well as
reducing the false positives
c. Runs faster scans using Norton Insight. Files that were submitted,
analyzed and determined as known-good are not scanned, hence you
save resources to run other tasks on your system.
Check out our Norton Protection Blog (link http://community.norton.com/t5/NortonProtection-Blog/The-New-Model-of-Consumer-Protection-Quorum/ba-p/126699#A344)
for more information on Quorum.
2. Join the fight against cybercrime! Symantec is committed to make the Web a safe
place to work, surf and play. By providing critical security and application data, you
contribute to the intelligence required to identify new threats and block them before
they reach our computers.
How does Norton Community Watch make the Web safer?
Symantec analyzes the data received through Norton Community Watch from millions of users and
can identify and block new security risks without requiring any signatures. From the data collected,
Norton uses many reputation attributes, such as the date the file was first seen and the number of
users that use this file to calculate a safety rating for every file found within the Norton Community.
When you download a file, Download Insight will check its reputation and block it if it not safe before it
runs on your computer. Using the power of millions of users to define the safety of a file, you get
better protection and the work of cybercriminals becomes more difficult.
Does Norton Community Watch collect any of personal information found on my
computer?
Norton takes all possible steps to avoid collecting any personal information on your computer.
Whenever possible we anonymize the data before submitting to Symantec. However, the collected
data may contain your username, which should not be personally identifiable if you have selected an
alias to protect your identity.
Finally, some data, collected when a security risk is detected on your computer, could contain
personally identifiable information that a security risk is obtaining, or attempting to obtain, without your
permission.
What data does Norton Community Watch collect from my computer?
Norton Community Watch will collect and send to Symantec security and application data including:
i. Non-executable and Portable executable files that are identified as malware;
ii. URLs of websites visited that your Norton product deems potentially fraudulent;
iii. The URL of the website that you most recently visited prior to installation on your
computer of a downloaded security risk;
iv. Information about the processes and applications running on your computer from time
to time, including at the time that a potential security risk is encountered; and/or
v. A sample of data sent by your computer in response to a potential security risk.
You can view all the data sent to Symantec through Norton Community Watch by visiting the “Security
History” on your Norton product and selecting “Norton Community Watch” from the dropdown menu.
How can I join Norton Community Watch?
There are two ways you can join Norton Community Watch:
1. when you install your Norton product, make sure the “Norton Community Watch”
checkbox is selected.
2. From your product, visit the “Settings” option and then choose the “Miscellaneous”
10/2/2009 5:41 PM
Norton Community Watch Privacy Policy - Symantec Corp.
3 of 4
http://www.symantec.com/about/profile/policies/ncwprivacy.jsp
tab. Make sure the “Norton Community Watch” option is turned “On”. Using this
setting, you can also disable Norton Community Watch.
How does Symantec use the data collected through Norton Community Watch?
Symantec uses the data:
1. to identify the source of potential security risks
2. to improve the ability of Symantec’s products to detect malicious behavior, fraudulent
websites, crimeware, and other forms of Internet security threats
3. provide better protection to Symantec customers in the future
4. Create statistics derived from this information to track and publish reports on security
risk trends.
Symantec may disclose the collected information if asked to do so by a law enforcement official as
required or permitted by law or in response to a subpoena or other legal process. In order to promote
awareness, detection and prevention of Internet security risks, Symantec may share certain
information with research organizations and other security software vendors.
Symantec does not aggregate the data stored by Norton Community Watch with any data, contact
lists, or subscription information that is collected by Symantec for promotional purposes.
How does Symantec store the data collected through Norton Community
Watch?
All Norton Community Watch data are stored in a secure manner and are not correlated with any
personally identifiable information.
The collected data may be transferred to the Symantec group in the United States or other countries
that may have less protective data protection laws than the region in which you are situated (including
the European Union), but Symantec has taken steps so that the collected information, if transferred,
receives an adequate level of protection.
Norton AntiSpam Privacy Policy
What is Norton AntiSpam?
Norton AntiSpam keeps your mailbox clean from spam e-mails. It filters out unwanted email to make
online communications safer and more enjoyable. It uses the same technology that many large
businesses rely on to effectively block unwanted, dangerous, and fraudulent emails.
When using Norton AntiSpam, you can choose to send certain misclassified email messages received
by you to Symantec to report the messages as spam or as incorrectly identified by as spam.
What data is collected by Symantec through Norton AntiSpam?
When you send email messages through Norton AntiSpam to Symantec to report the messages as
spam or as incorrectly identified as spam, Symantec receives and collects the data contained in your
email messages. These email messages may contain personally identifiable information. The email
messages will be sent to Symantec through Norton AntiSpam only with your permission, and will not
be sent automatically.
How will Symantec use the misclassified e-mails I send?
If you send such messages to Symantec through Norton AntiSpam, Symantec will use them only for
the purpose of improving the detection ability of Symantec’s antispam technology. Symantec will not
correlate these email messages, or any data contained in them, with any other personally identifiable
information. Symantec will analyze them in order to improve the detection ability of Symantec’s
antispam technology to provide better protection to Symantec customers in the future.
Symantec may disclose the collected data if asked to do so by a law enforcement official as required
or permitted by law or in response to a subpoena or other legal process. In order to promote
awareness, detection and prevention of Internet security risks proliferated through spam, Symantec
may share certain data with research organizations and other security software vendors. Symantec
may also use statistics derived from the information to track and publish reports on spam and security
risk trends.
How does Symantec store the e-mails submitted through Norton Antispam?
Any stored data will be stored in a secure manner, and will not be correlated with any personally
identifiable information. Symantec does not aggregate the data collected by Norton AntiSpam with any
data, contact lists, or subscription information that is collected by Symantec for promotional purposes.
The collected data may be transferred to the Symantec group in the United States or other countries
that may have less protective data protection laws than the region in which you are situated (including
the European Union), but Symantec has taken steps so that the collected data, if transferred, receives
an adequate level of protection.
10/2/2009 5:41 PM
http://community.norton.com/t5/blogs/blogprintpage/blog-id/npb1/article-...
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Norton Community : Norton Protection Blog : Norton Protection Blog : New Feature for Norton Internet Security 2010 - Do...
New Feature for Norton Internet Security 2010 - Download Insight
by
ViralM
07-02-2009 06:41 PM
Why Download Insight?
Downloading malicious software, typically when tricked into doing so, is becoming the primary way malware infects people’s computers. Nearly every threat today is unique in
some way and is designed to evade detection putting tremendous pressure on the traditional signature-based approach. By the time a signature is written for a particular
malware variant, it has already changed itself and as far as the signature is concerned it is an “unknown” file. Whether the signatures are on the disk or in the cloud, they are
usually not fast enough to keep pace with modern threats.
The approach we are taking with Download Insight is to build a cloud-based reputation system. This system has knowledge of millions of applications and individual files
across the globe and determines the reputation of each one using statistical methods. This approach is the perfect complement to signatures—it is tailor-made for making
decisions about unknown executables whereas signatures excel at telling you about something that is already known (like an existing virus or Trojan). We call our
reputation-based intelligence "Quorum".
At a high-level, Insight will contact the Quorum server and ask for the reputation of the package. Based on the reputation, the package will be allowed to sit on the disk and
execute, or will be deleted and removed from the computer.
Why is my cloud better than your cloud?
Cloud based scanning is the new buzz word in the security industry and a few security vendors are using the term although they often mean something very different.
The obvious advantage of cloud scanning is that the turnaround time for a definition to be available is extremely fast – as soon as a definition is available in the cloud, it is
available to the user. Note that this approach still requires you to actually have seen the threat before in order to make a signature, a questionable assumption to make given
the thousands of new threats produced every day.
What we have done with Quorum is to build a system that analyzes the reputation of the new software and files across the Internet and then calculates a reputation score for
each of them. This system receives feeds from tens of millions of customers that anonymously participate in the Norton Community Watch program. Quorum automatically
starts working on calculating the reputation score as it becomes aware of new files.
Now this is powerful – we have a system that can receive knowledge of new files worldwide and use a Symantec “secret sauce” algorithm to calculate the reputation score
automatically! This information is immediately available to Download Insight through the cloud, but quite a bit different than just moving the old signature model to the cloud.
How is the reputation score of a file determined?
A reputation score is calculated using a complex algorithm based on various parameters. Remember, the main feed in to the Reputation system is the information received
from the Norton Community Watch program.
Here’s a list of a few parameters that are used to calculate the reputation score:
- How many instances of a particular file are seen?
- How long has that file been around?
- From which URLs were they downloaded?
- What is the basic health of the system that is submitting the data?
- Which software vendor does the file belong to?
These parameters are fed into a complex algorithm that determines the score of an application or file. As we continuously receive new information – the score of a file can
change over time.
Download Insight in action
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10/2/2009 5:53 PM
Download Insight monitors when new files are downloaded, and once the download is complete it goes into action. From a user’s point of view, it should be straight-forward
as there are basically two “flows”:
1) Save the downloaded File
This is the flow where the user chooses to save the application to a folder on the computer.
1.
2.
3.
Download Insight observes that the file download from the Internet is complete.
It calculates the SHA256 hash of that file and immediately asks the Quorum online servers for a reputation score.
Based on the reputation score, Download Insight will:
a. Delete the application if the reputation score is at a “Bad” level and display a notification to the user.
b. Allow the file to persist if the reputation score is “Good” and display a corresponding notification.
c. Provide additional information when the score for the file is still being evaluated.
Here is what the notifications can look like depending on the reputation score:
Figure 1
The “View Details” link for each notification provides more information from our Quorum servers. Here are a few examples:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Prevalence – How widely used is this file is in the Norton Community? It can range from very few instances to millions of machines.
Age – How long has this file been around?
Reputation Rating – What does Norton think of this file? It provides an indication on how trustworthy the file is.
URL – This provides the website from which this file was downloaded.
Figure 2
While each individual item listed above is useful in itself, it becomes powerful when combined to build a picture of how trustworthy a particular file is.
Let’s try to draw an analogy – say you want to buy a new HD camera. Typically what you would do is try to find more information about it on the internet. After the research if
you find that it is a popular camera and the camera itself has been available in the market for a long time then that builds credibility for that camera and your chances of
buying it might be higher – or we can say that its “reputation” is good.
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At the same time, if you come across a brand new camera that was released last week and very few folks out there have tried it out – you may say that you’d like to wait and
see how this camera pans out – and your chances of buying it right away could be lower - or in other words its “reputation” would be considered lower.
Something similar can be applied to software applications as well.
2) Run the downloaded File
The second user flow where Download Insight participates is the time when you run the application downloaded from the Internet – it could be right after you download the
application or couple of days later when you choose to install the application.
If the reputation of the file was still being evaluated (yellow notification in Figure 1), Norton will alert the user with a dialogue that provides the information showed in Figure 2
and has recommendation on what the user can do with application. It looks like:
Figure 3
We can treat this category as “currently being monitored” – every time an application with a yellow reputation score is launched, we re-query the reputation server to see if it
has any new information on this particular file.
Both the notification (figure 1) & dialog (Figure 3) can be disabled or made more active via the feature settings depending on the user’s level of interest.
Summary
For the 2010 product line, we’re introducing a new reputation-based means of protecting our customers against unknown malware called Quorum. Quorum has been in the
works for several years now and is designed specifically to protect against today’s breed of unknown malware. Even better, Quorom provides useful intelligence on all files,
good or bad, that we make available to our customers through Download Insight and other features in 2010. Download Insight brings you this information when you need it
the most—right before you install a downloaded file. We think the result will not only be better protection, but a great experience overall for our customers.
Q&A
Q: Is Download Insight similar to Norton Insight from the 2009 product line?
A: Reputation scoring based on the Quorum backend intelligence is a leap forward in the functionality of Norton Insight. In the Norton 2009 product line, we leveraged our
Norton Community program to identify the “good guys” (files, executables). With our 2010 release, we have taken it to a next level where we identify who the “bad guys” are
and provide more protection and intelligence to our users.
Q: What browsers do we support currently?
A: Currently Download Insight supports Internet Explorer 6.0 & above and Firefox 3.0 & above. We have plans to extend this functionality to more browsers in the future.
Q: How long does it take to retrieve the reputation score?
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Symantec SWOT Analysis‐ Strengths Security Industry Leader: At $6.2 billion a year in revenue, Symantec is one of the largest software companies in the world. According to the research firm Gartner, Symantec has nearly twice the market share of McAfee, the number two in the security industry. A host of smaller players like Trend Micro, CA and Kaspersky Lab round out the field. Hewlett‐Packard, the world’s largest computer seller, has an exclusive deal with Symantec on its consumer PCs. Symantec CEO, Enrique Salem, boasts that Symantec has won eight out of the nine PC deals up for bid so far in 2009. Symantec, for example, has chipped away at parts of Dell not covered by McAfee, like gaming PCs. Symantec has an impressive R&D budget, 120 million consumers using its software. Symantec’s customer base is 30% consumer, 70% enterprise. Well Defined Product Need The amount of spam in all e‐mail traffic rose to 88.1 percent in the third quarter from 81 percent a year ago, said Symantec's MessageLabs in its quarterly report. (Virki 2009) Last year a Ponemon Institute study estimated that latent demand for protecting unstructured data such as documents and emails was worth $3.15 billion in the U.S. (Rogers 2009) Capable Management Bloggers, having recently attended the Symantec Annual Shareholders Meeting, noted Enrique Salem’s, the new CEO, admirable diplomatic skills, deemed important for any service‐oriented company. (Rafat 2009) Better Negotiated Deals with Computer Manufactures The OEMs like Dell are going to continue to push suites, because they get a lot of money from Symantec and McAfee for pre‐installs. Retailers will go the same way — don’t expect Geek Squad to start installing the free product (at least in‐store). There’s a lot of money at stake. McAfee incurs larger upfront costs than most for its deals while waiting months before it can begin booking subscriptions as revenue. Investors must guess at how many of the trials will turn into actual sales as they weigh the business value of McAfee’s payments. “I think they are taking a very interesting view as far as trying to match their PC arrangement expenses with the deferred revenues they expect,” said Nick Gibbons, an analyst with Gradient Analytics, which sells forensic accounting research and has given McAfee a failing rating. “Investors would be at less of a disadvantage if management would disclose more about the deals.” Mr. Gibbons argues that the partner payments add to a host of large costs at McAfee, like stock‐option expenses and acquisition charges, which make McAfee’s balance sheet complex and offset the revenue gains. (Vance 2009) Symantec SWOT Analysis‐ Strengths The Software Reputation‐based and behavior‐blocking defenses Quorum: hybrid approach to security, mixing traditional signatures with application whitelisting Norton Community Watch: leveraging network effect/synergies Norton Ghost 14.0 – data backup and encryption application The Norton Antivirus 2009 vs. Microsoft Security Essentials test done by Dennis Technology Lab shows Norton stronger in malware defense by about a 2‐to‐1 margin (testing sponsored by Symantec). Symantec scored an 80, with 45 successful defends, and 5 compromises. Symantec’s software could run on almost any platform (Linux, etc.) and protected consumers “against the widest range of threats.” Works Cited Rafat, Matthew. "Notes from Symantec's Annual Shareholder Meeting." Seeking Alpha. 09 26, 2009. http://seekingalpha.com/article/163520‐notes‐from‐symantec‐s‐annual‐shareholder‐meeting (accessed 10 2, 2009). Rogers, James. "McAfee, Adobe Team Up on Data Security." TheStreet.com. 09 28, 2009. http://www.thestreet.com/story/10604161/1/mcafee‐adobe‐team‐up‐on‐data‐security.html (accessed 10 02, 2009). Vance, Ashlee. "Business Computing." New York Times. 07 05, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/technology/business‐computing/06virus.html (accessed 10 02, 2009). Virki, Tarmo. "New computer viruses target banks, social networks." Reuters. 09 30, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUKLU33762720090930 (accessed 10 02, 2009). Symantec SWOT Analysis‐ Weaknesses Lawsuits as Cost of Business BackWeb Technologies Ltd. Adds Symantec Corporation as Defendant in Patent Infringement Lawsuit: the software industry is wrought with lawsuits and Symantec must occasionally divert money and resources to battling lawsuits. Symantec Corporation Awarded $12 Million Judgment In Counterfeit Software Case Wednesday, 17 Dec 2008 08:01am EST Inaccessible, Latent Customer Community Users of Macintosh computers continue to have little to fear from viruses, trojans and worms so long as they take reasonable precautions." (Evans 2009) Cash Flow Concerns Security companies must constantly persuade customers and partners to renew subscriptions or switch from a competitor with similar products. The payments that both companies make to partners have their own byzantine accounting; and, critics complain that the companies are not being straightforward with shareholders. "This market is crowded already and Microsoft is really just joining that fray. (Vance, ‘Arms Race’ for Security 2009) Subscriber Reliant Symantec’s overheated reaction to MSE indicates that it will fight furiously for every consumer subscriber. In the end, though, consumers will decide whether they want a good‐enough free suite or an alternative with a few more bells and whistles that will require them to dig into their pockets. (Twilight in the Valley of the Nerds 2009) McAfee's sales have been growing, pushing revenue up 18 percent in the company's most recent quarter, even as the recession has stalled growth at arch rival Symantec Corp. Revenue at Symantec dropped 13 percent last quarter as McAfee claimed market share from the top security software maker. (Finkle 2009) "On the enterprise side, the customers are spending on shorter‐term contracts, and that did result in some reduced new license revenue," Symantec CEO Enrique Salem told TheStreet.com in an interview. "[But] our earnings came in within our guided range because we did a lot of expense management, and we expect that to continue." Recent Release CONS: NAV10: No auto‐delete of malware Full scans not quick Not free Symantec SWOT Analysis‐ Weaknesses Accounting Problems, maybe At the recent Shareholders meeting, CEO acknowledged the unusually large write‐down of approximately $7.4 billion and explained that at one point, the dislocation of the stock market had caused Symantec’s goodwill to be valued more than the corporation itself. The company recognized the issue and complied with SEC rules to resolve the matter. He also clarified that the large goodwill was the result of several acquisitions, not just one. Symantec presents financial information in both GAAP & non‐GAAP. Using non‐GAAP numbers allowed Symantec to report operating income of approximately $1.88 billion for Fiscal Year 2009. During the same time period, however, using GAAP, Symantec reported an operating loss of approximately $6.5 billion. Symantec, the world's biggest maker of security software, named Phillip Bullock, Vice President of Tax and Trade Compliance, as Harrington's replacement. Bullock, 45, has been with Symantec for three years. The software maker is struggling to turn around a slide in revenue at a time when smaller rival McAfee Inc (MFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, StockBuzz) is winning market share and posting strong sales growth. (Reuters 2009) Works Cited Eckelberry, Alex. "Thoughts on MSE ." Sunbelt Blog. 09 29, 2009. http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/thoughts‐on‐mse.html (accessed 10 02, 2009). Evans, Jonny. "UPDATED: Symantec researchers issues first Mac botnet malware warning." www.9to5mac.com. 10 01, 2009. http://www.9to5mac.com/mac_botnet_warning (accessed 10 02, 2009). Finkle, Jim. "McAfee CEO sees economy improving." Reuters. 09 24, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE58N6P820090924 (accessed 10 01, 2009). Rafat, Matthew. "Notes from Symantec's Annual Shareholder Meeting." Seeking Alpha. 09 26, 2009. http://seekingalpha.com/article/163520‐notes‐from‐symantec‐s‐annual‐shareholder‐meeting (accessed 10 2, 2009). Reuters. "Symantec's top accountant retires at age 57." Reuters. 10 01, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUKN0129588020091001 (accessed 10 02, 2009). Rogers, James. "McAfee, Adobe Team Up on Data Security." TheStreet.com. 09 28, 2009. http://www.thestreet.com/story/10604161/1/mcafee‐adobe‐team‐up‐on‐data‐security.html (accessed 10 02, 2009). Symantec Corporation. "Symantec Corporation (SYMC.O) Key Developments." Reuters. 08 18, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/keyDevelopments?symbol=SYMC.O (accessed 10 02, 2009). Symantec SWOT Analysis‐ Weaknesses Twilight in the Valley of the Nerds. "Defending Its Consumer Turf, Symantec Attacks Microsoft Security Essentials." Twilight in the Valley of the Nerds. 10 01, 2009. http://nerdtwilight.wordpress.com/2009/10/01/defending‐its‐consumer‐turf‐symantec‐attacks‐
microsoft‐security‐essentials/ (accessed 01 2009, 2009). Vance, Ashlee. "‘Arms Race’ for Security." NYTimes.com. 07 06, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/technology/business‐computing/06virus.html (accessed 10 01, 2009). —. "Business Computing." New York Times. 07 05, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/technology/business‐computing/06virus.html (accessed 10 02, 2009). Virki, Tarmo. "New computer viruses target banks, social networks." Reuters. 09 30, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUKLU33762720090930 (accessed 10 02, 2009). Symantec SWOT Analysis‐ Opportunities Innovation Acquisition November 2007 Data‐Loss Prevention ‐ Symantec (SYMC) gobbled up Vontu for $350m Apr 2009 08:02am EDT Symantec Corporation announced the acquisition of Mi5 Networks, a privately held Web Security Company which offers the industry's Web gateway security by providing streaming technology that examines traffic coming into and leaving the enterprise. Symantec Corporation Launches Norton Online Backup Web Tuesday, 3 Feb 2009 08:02am EST IAC InterActiveCorp's Ask.com and Symantec Corporation Announce Strategic Partnership to Make Web Searching Safer Thursday, 15 Jan 2009 08:03am EST Symantec Endpoint Encryption 7.0, Monday, 15 Dec 2008 08:01am EST Symantec Corporation Unveils Storage Solution to Help Customers Stop Buying Storage Symantec's subscription‐based Software‐as‐a‐Service (SaaS) The Symantec Protection Network Partner Program extends Symantec's Partner Program with a specialization developed for partners focused on selling Software‐as‐a‐Service. Tuesday, 14 Oct 2008 08:01am EDT Symantec Corporation Launches New PC Help Service Wednesday, 8 Oct 2008 12:31pm EDT Symantec Corporation And Dell To Deliver Simple All In One Data Protection Solution Monday, 15 Sep 2008 08:04am EDT Symantec Corporation and Lenovo to Offer Norton Internet Security to IdeaPad Customers Monday, 18 Aug 2008 04:05pm EDT Symantec Corporation To Acquire PC Tools Symantec SWOT Analysis‐ Opportunities Other Opportunity Notes Security researchers at Symantec have uncovered what they suspect may be the first Mac OS X botnet launching denial‐of service attacks. Researchers Mario Ballano Barcena and Alfredo Pesoli warn this to be “the first real attempt to create a Mac botnet”, and state that these zombie Macs are already going about bad business. Thousands of Macs may have been infected, they warn. New botnet 'Maazben' experiences rapid growth. Botnets are responsible for sending 87.9% of all spam Norton Community Watch ‐ The stakes are huge: millions of global followers willing to donate a steady sum every year for protection against online threats. Microsoft had an opportunity to alter the consumer security market but suggested the company's investment in the product would be considered a failure if it did not capture at least 20 percent of the market within two years. Name brand still means a lot in this market (it’s worth noting that our surveys indicate that about 40% of the market has suites, vs. 60% that use a dedicated AV). Analysts predict that that spending will grow more quickly than the consumer or business security markets as U.S. President Barack Obama looks to spend billions of dollars to protect the country's cyber infrastructure and encourages corporations to do the same. Governments around the globe are following suit amid an increase in cyber crime, espionage and terrorism spread over the Internet. "Government has become the largest sector for security spending," A Ponemon Institute study estimated that latent demand for protecting unstructured data such as documents and emails was worth $3.15 billion in the U.S. Unprotected computers put the rest of us at risk, because many are saturated with zombie programs, which let bad guys seize control of them and bombard the rest of us with spam e‐mails and malware attacks. Some tainted computers even pump out ads for fake antivirus programs. Install one, and you have turned your own computer into a zombie. New computer viruses target banks, social networks "Cyber criminals continue to follow the money," said Yuval Ben‐Itzhak, technology chief at a small security software vendor Finjan, who on Wednesday revealed a new method criminals use to steal money from bank accounts and hide their tracks. Symantec SWOT Analysis‐ Opportunities The amount of spam in all e‐mail traffic rose to 88.1 percent in the third quarter from 81 percent a year ago, said Symantec's MessageLabs in its quarterly report. Symantec is growing its data loss prevention and “online backup” business. Symantec anticipates a lot of growth from its “online backup” business. Information protection and back up requirements of Sarbanes‐Oxley Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Symantec Corporation announced the launch of MessageLabs Instant Messaging Security Service (IMSS), a comprehensive instant messaging (IM) security, control and management service enabling businesses to adopt a safer, auditable use of public IM networks. Symantec SWOT Analysis‐ Threats McAfee taking bold steps to elevate its stature with consumers: Symantec’s major competitor, McAfee, is reemerging as a strong opponent, with new leadership and its stock option backdating scandal in the past. McAfee has been particularly aggressive, using a string of deals with large PC makers in a bid to usurp Symantec’s leadership position. In the last year, it spent $55 million, more than any of its rivals, to get McAfee security software preloaded onto new computers. It now counts Dell, Acer, Toshiba, Sony and Lenovo as partners. The brokerage firm Jefferies & Company estimates that up to 40 percent of all computers bought by consumers this year will include McAfee’s software. In the third quarter of 2009, McAfee announced it will be teaming with Adobe Software Systems on Data Security projects. Free: The popularity of free basic security software packages offered by some vendors presents a long‐term risk to Symantec. Microsoft, which dominates the overall PC software market, released Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), free security software, September 30, 2009. Reviews of MSE are mixed; however, As Alex Eckelberry of Sunbelt Software suggests, “Free anti‐malware protection — provided it is good enough to do the job — will frequently beat for‐pay anti‐malware” on price alone. Eckelberry goes on to write that he believes Microsoft in not so much attempting to reshape the anti‐
malware marketplace as it is finally doing its part to help secure consumers’ PC. He believes that this new found altruism on Microsoft’s part is in direct response to customers fleeing to the relatively virus‐free world of Apple computers and the threat of Google’s Chrome operating system. Regardless of MSE’s reason for coming into the environment, it is yet another competitor in an already crowded marketplace. (Eckelberry 2009) Norton AntiVirus 2010 lists for $39.95, which is $39.95 more than the price tag on Security Essentials. Other popular free antivirus applications include AVG and Avast. Extended Financing Program: Are Symantec’s corporate customers not paying their bills? Announced Tuesday, 18 Aug 2009, Symantec Corporation Launches Extended Terms Financing Program to Help Partners Thrive (Symantec Corporation 2009) Works Cited Eckelberry, Alex. "Thoughts on MSE ." Sunbelt Blog. 09 29, 2009. http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/thoughts‐on‐mse.html (accessed 10 02, 2009). Symantec Corporation. "Symantec Corporation (SYMC.O) Key Developments." Reuters. 08 18, 2009. http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/keyDevelopments?symbol=SYMC.O (accessed 10 02, 2009).

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