NORTON ANTIVIRUS

Norton AntiVirus, developed and distributed by Symantec Corporation, provides malware prevention and removal during a subscription period. It uses signatures and heuristics to identify viruses. Other features include e-mail spam filtering and phishing protection. Symantec distributes the product as a download, a box copy, and as OEM software. Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security, a related product, held a 61% US retail market share for security suites as of the first half of 2007. Competitors, in terms of market share in this study, include antivirus products from CA, Trend Micro, and Kaspersky Lab. Norton AntiVirus runs on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Windows 7 support is in development for versions 2006 through 2008. Version 2009 has Windows 7 supported update already. Versions 2010, 2011, and 2012 all natively support Windows 7, without needing an update. Version 12 is the only version fully compatible with Mac OS X Lion.
After 25 years of innovation, still the most trusted antivirus in the world If you haven’t heard of AVAST, we’re only the most trusted name in antivirus, actively protecting more than 200 million PCs, Macs and Androids. So many people trust us because we’ve been protecting devices and data for 25 years, in over 40 languages (more than any other antivirus solution), on every populated continent in the world.

Avast! Free Antivirus is an efficient and comprehensive antivirus program. It is one of the most popular antivirus programs available, thanks to the reliable and trustworthy brand that Avast have created. The key features that continue to make Avast! Free Antivirus so popular are the easy UI, optimized scanning options and continuously updated database of virus definitions.

Update disables legitimate software:

Update disables legitimate software On January 28, 2010 Symantec Anti-virus update marked Spotify as a Trojan Horse disabling the software across millions of PCs. Product support Retail customers report slow and indifferent service on bugs. Examples include a faulty error message stating current subscriptions had expired.[37] Users received an error stating "Your virus protection cannot be updated." This error occurred after an update to the software and refused to allow daily updates. Though the bug was reported in 2004, it was not corrected for the 2005 or 2006 versions. Another incident occurred in May 2007, when Norton AntiVirus flagged components of the Pegasus e-mail client as malicious, rendering the program corrupted. Symantec customer service addressed the problem by running through a checklist of troubleshooting steps which were not always successful.

Comprehensive Protection

Avast are constantly updating their database of virus definitions, meaning your computer will be protected against the latest spyware, viruses and potentially hazardous websites. Avast’s large and active community quickly alerts the development team of new security threats which are swiftly countered and added to Avast’s significant database. The browser add-on further improves computer security with features like cookie and social tracking blocking.

Faulty update

On July 25, 2006, Symantec released a faulty update for Norton AntiVirus 2006 users. Users reported an onscreen message stating "Norton AntiVirus 2006 does not support the repair feature. Please uninstall and reinstall.". Symantec claimed the faulty update was downloaded to customers between 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM on July 25, 2006. Symantec developed a workaround tool and has listed troubleshooting steps, available here. The company released a statement, stating they expected to deliver a repair patch to affected users by Monday, July 31, 2006."

Summary

Key Technologies: Antivirus software Spyware remover Bot protection Browser protection Internet worm protection Intrusion prevention OS and application protection Rapid pulse updates Recovery tool* Rootkit detection Norton Insight SONAR behavioral protection