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Symantec's Genesis to Usher in a New Age of Trust?

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the grand-designs dept.

eldavojohn writes "Symantec has announced that they will be creating a massive security package called Genesis. Semantec has set their goal to 'Security 2.0' which is proposed to be 'a new age of trust on the Internet.' From the article: 'Symantec plans a one-stop software service tying together anti-virus, anti-spam, firewall and a host of other PC optimization technologies...' This is certainly something the common computer user could buy instead of having to fork over cash for every component. I don't think I'll be purchasing it though."

9 of 275 comments (clear)

  1. Genesis? by dorkygeek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Let's hope it was designed intelligently then...

    But seriously, I'd rather have the security problems fixed at the source, instead of having to add layers and layers of so called "security software".

    --
    Windows is like decaf - it tastes like the real thing, but it won't get you through the day.
    1. Re:Genesis? by sumdumass · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I'm wondering if all these layers will slow my computer down even more then thier existing software does. It is pretty bad when i upgrade from a athlon XP 2200 to an 3200 processor and after installing nortan AV 2005 it apears to run slower then the XP2200 did.

      I havn't been fond of thier products since thier 2003 versions. I asked thier tech support several times (after having to reinstal one of thier products and reactivating it because of an upgrade or it just stoped working) why all the systems I install thier AV or internet securities sweet on run so slow and they told me it was because "it is a complicated program","thats how you know it is working" and get this "microsoft slows it down because microsoft is coming out with an antivirus soon".

    2. Re:Genesis? by Al+Dimond · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There have been plenty of buffer overrun vulnerabilities allowing potential arbitrary code execution on all major operating systems. There have been plenty of priviledge escalation vulnerabilities on all major operating systems. All you need to get from there to a real exploit is either (a) a vulnerable server listening on some port or (b) some user to click on the wrong link or open the wrong attachment.

      90s Outlook had lots of problems. 90s IE had lots of problems. There's a big problem with user accounts on Windows and how difficult it is to run as non-admin. And Windows doesn't have effective tools like sudo to grant occasional privledges beyond the usual. These tools can be built onto Windows. Third-party developers can be pressured to release software that works with the security model. Exploits can be patched, and quality control can be improved. And there are a lot of people working for Microsoft on these very things.

      Microsoft may never fully win the battle against hackers. But then again, I don't know if anyone ever can. Even OpenBSD has had security holes in its default install a few times, and it's fighting a much less malicious group of hackers than Windows is. I love using GNU/Linux; it's cool that Unix has had sudo since 1980 and a tradition of sane security practices. That doesn't mean we should get arrogant about security.

  2. Internet Security by PaladinAlpha · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Really, this doesn't seem all that revolutionary -- Symantec, like McAfee, like any other company serious in the business, ALREADY offers an integrated suite of tools (Internet Security) and no matter the advancement of interplay and integration I have a hard time believing that Genesis will come across to the average user as being so much more. Wait and see, I guess.

  3. I prefer Exodus. by dcapel · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have already left slavery for the promised land. Lots of those strange penguins around though...

    --
    DYWYPI?
  4. Let's learn from history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Genesii (That's multiple Genesis to you and I) have a history of utter failure.

    Genesis (Sega): Defeated by SNES
    Genesis (STWoK): Stolen by Khan, and he damn dear destroyed the enterprise with it
    Genesis (Band): Ushered in the era of HORRID 80's music

    Please Symantec, can we call this something that has a history of goodness attached to it, like Campbells?

  5. bloatware by Jjeff1 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If it's similar at all to any of the Symantec home all in one AV type packages it will be an enormous mess. The last time I worked on this, a 256MB machine used 270 MB of memory with nothing but Windows XP home and the Norton package running. Worse, when I disabled things they didn't need, like the firewall or spam scanner, it didn't actually unload them from memory.

    I stopped using Symantec for AV a while ago. But home users will still buy this for the same reason they buy a dishwasher with 19 different settings when all they ever use is the pots and pans setting.

  6. Re:Now if they can get their cpu use down... by WhiteWolf666 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I can't think of one major software package that has reduced bloat over the years.

    OS X, for one.

    KDE, during major versions, for two. 3.2 was faster than 3.1, 3.5 is way faster than 3.4, or 3.2

    There's a school of software development that involves making your software leaner and meaner as it "ages".

    New versions are more bloated. New revisions are LESS bloated.

    --
    WhiteWolf666 an exBush supporter. All you new-school,compassionate,save the children Republicans can rot in hell
  7. Re:Now if they can get their cpu use down... by Bananatree3 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Symantec and Norton antivirus and security packages (on machines I have experience with) use an absurd amount of memory and processor resources. Any hope that this will change someday?

    Why yes, you can solve this problem today! Simply get a dual-core system, and voila! One core for the all-in-one anti-virus, firewall, automated secure dohicky, bloated security suite; and the other core for the rest of your stuff! It will feel as if you aren't running it at all!