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Symantec Launches Anti-Spyware Beta
daria42 writes "Symantec has launched the beta test version of its anti-spyware application, which will be sold from June as part of Norton Internet Security 2005. The company's Norman Kohlberger said the main aim of the new combined product was to make PC security as easy as possible for the end user. 'The computer is not a toy anymore. It has turned into a toaster and microwave -- it has become an integral part of the home environment,' he said. 'We have to reduce the complexity. People do not want privacy software, firewall, antivirus, spyware, adware and blended threats. The average individual is saying I don't want this anymore. Just fix it. What we are doing is reducing the complexity.'"
Here is what I want to know: Why is Symantec forking their projects into Spyware on one side, virus protection on the other, firewall on the other, subscription on the other? Why don't they have these services in one package?
I'll tell you why. They want to make more money off of this. Each and every service that Symantec provides is a de facto necessity to windows users, whether they get the services from Symantec or from some other company.
My challege to a startup out there: Create a complete Windows package that protects users, AND charge very little money for it.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
With all of the Spyware utilities out there, I am surprised that Symmantec would waste their time with this one. They ought to worry about what they are going to do with three backup products now that they own Veritas.
I'm not a troll, but I play one on Slashdot.
What we are doing is reducing the complexity.
And what the rest of the industry is doing, is fixing the problem instead. I just love marketing BS... Consumer says fix it, company says we've reduced the complexity, customer still sitting waiting for fix.
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Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
Just fix it. ... with baindaids.
Sorry to say, but most people seem to be missing the point. Most people have been brainwashed to think they need anti-virus programs, they need spyware removal apps... they really don't. They just need a secure enviornment - web browser, OS, etc. Even windows can be secured to the point where you don't need antivirus, it's just not set up that way by default and is of course "inconvinient"
Just how effective is anti-spyware software made by anti-virus companies, anyway? It seems to me that 'malware' (spyware, adware, etc.) is much more sophisticated than their viral counterparts, especially when they enlist user interaction as part of their process. After all, all a user need do is click on a link, open an attachment, look an an email or a webpage, etc., and they have implicitly given their permission for this malware to do its thing. The only way for software to protect you against such things is to either warn you that what you are doing may be dangerous (most users just click past that anyway) or flat-out stop the user from doing certain things, which reduces utility. It seems to me that any attempt to tackle the malware problem from a viral viewpoint is doomed to fail. Our company recently installed the McAfee anti-spyware add-on to our corporate anti-virus solution. My recommendation: don't waste your money...it's worthless.
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~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
Well Norton Antivirus does pick up a lot of spyware objects already. Of course that is not its primary purpose so it doesn't catch everything like other programs. Pest Patrol, Microsoft Antivirus, and Ad-Aware all do a decent job of catching the spyware but each one of them seems to find spyware objects that the other doesn't. It would be nice if there was a collaboration to have one program that catches everything.
It just isn't. Computers are complex things, and it is both logical and more importantly, reasonable to expect people to do a minor amount of work to maintain them, the same way you do a automobile. Surely, any motorist knows how to check his tire pressure, oil, and can replace a flat when necessary. A car is an investment, and people who do not treat one as such do so to their detriment. A computer is no different.
Similarly, anyone using a computer should be able to understand and implement basic security practices and do minor OS and hardware maintenance and repairs. The fundamental problem is that people are just too damn lazy to learn how to do these simple things, and Symantec is capitalizing on that.
What would you rather have your Windows box devote most of its resources doing?
1. spyware/malware/adaware
2. Excessive amount of utilities from various vendors to prevent spyware/malware/adaware.
Oh that's how it works! The anti-spyware TSRs take up so much memory there's no room left for teh evil sofwtare to get a foot in!
Google Web Accelerator
I agree, the marketing and "household name" aspect is carrying them. The tools are ineffective and bloated, in addition you actually need to use a separate tool to completely uninstall the product. This should not be allowed to continue, but people still buy the products because that's the first name they know.
I make sure every friend I help out, and every user I work with, hears the simple command
"Don't use Symantec products!"
We do run Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition 9 in our company and it hadn't detected a SINGLE spyware!
You'd better use Microsoft Antispyware/Spybot/Adaware because Symantec's offering for corporate market is still lacking decent antispyware protection, although it is a great antivirus, much better that a Nortor Antivirus.
Viruses now download spyware onto your computer. The majority of spyware doesn't come bundled with some crappy application anymore - they'll put it on your computer by any means necessary.
There are plenty of browser exploits out there too. Try getting a no-CD crack off a dodgy website with IE. I've seen someone snared that way (WITHOUT downloading the crack) in couple of minutes.
And in general it's a good idea to scan something that you're not sure about anyway.
While I agree that Windows firewall is sufficient, anti-spyware and anti-virus are not a bad idea.
No, the problem is that the computer geek world in corporate America continues to support an OS that is a vast pile of diseased, steaming monkey shit. The poor home users want something that matches what is at work or is most popular, so they get stuck with this shitpile.
And then asshole I.T. folks pick on the home users when the home user, who just want to read a damned web page or send some email, is confronted with this huge array of invasive code. Home users with lives that, sorry geek-fucks, don't revolve around computers. I know hard working people in complicated careers who just don't have the time to maintain a Windows box to the level of care that the braindead broken thing needs. Many of them have gone to Macs where this bullshit is not required.
I can operate and maintain a car without having to install a patch every goddamned day. The whole car analogy just shows how bugfuck stupid most geeks are outside of computer knowledge.
FUCK YOU, I.T. ASSHOLES! Fuck your miserable hides to hell. You made the world this way by buying Microsoft SHIT over and over again. I KNOW former IT people who admit to me (now that they are out of the industry) they picked Windows because it justified their jobs.
So shut the fuck up with your criticism and blaming of the victim bullshit.
Yeah, mod this down, but many of you out there know this is true.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Apparently, inciting fear and blowing things out of proportion is what gets people mod points.
The only real threats to Windows users are: Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and whatever server packages Microsoft makes.
The only time a Windows user needs a firewall is right after installation to quickly get the Windows Updates. A third party software firewall isn't going to help in that case, but a router or hardware firewall will.
The only time a Windows user needs virus protection is when they are downloading pr0n.vbs off of Kazaa or using Outlook Express. I've yet to see a 'real' virus in Windows; their prevalence has been blown out of proportion by antivirus companies to make a buck.
The only time a Windows user needs anti-spyware tools is when they install freeware/shareware left and right without research or thinking, or when they're using Internet Explorer.
There are tons of people who have used Windows without any protection whatsoever, but because of their expertise in managing their system, they haven't had a problem.
I ran Windows for 10 years, and never had one of these 'real' problems. I only ran trusted binaries, and binaries I didn't trust, well, I disassembled them and saw for myself.
Look, if you're stupid enough to use Internet Explorer, Outlook, or any other retarded Microsoft product that is not an operating system, yeah, use every protection resource you have. If you're stupid enough to run all sorts of files from untrusted sources, or if you're stupid enough to think a 5kb script file is that hot mp3 you want, then yes, you need protection. If you don't understand how to disable system services and startup applications, then yes, you need protection. If you're stupid enough, if you're stupid enough, if you're stupid enough. Get the point?
It's like TLC says: don't go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the lakes and rivers that you are used to.
And for the record, I now use Linux, but not for security reasons. It Just Works. There's none of the ass-backwards tweaking that Windows needs to work properly.
Buckle your ROFL belt, we're in for some LOLs.
I am sick and tired of companies pandering to people too lazy to learn anything. Computers are complex and they aren't getting simpler -- because people demand more and more from them. If someone doesn't want to invest the time to master the use of a computer, then they shouldn't operate one.
Fine. You go to 290 million people in the U.S. and educate them -- every man, woman, and child -- on how to deal-with, operate, and upgrade computers. God knows that learning about computers should be the key goal in everyone's life. The guy investigating prostate cancer online after bad news from his doctor? He should stop what he's doing and take lessons from you about computers.
Everyone should not have to know about everything just to avoid being victimized.