Review

Created: February, 2000

Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2000

By Mike Oliveira, Cyberwalker Media Syndicate

When Y2K paranoia was at its worst, Symantec released Norton 2000 to test home computers for the Y2K bug. Now there's a boom in online shopping and in media coverage of e-mail viruses and other potential dangers on the Internet. Symantec anticipated this trend with the release of Norton Internet Security 2000. 

The application is a suite of five utilities: Norton AntiVirus 2000, which includes virus detection for the new, rapidly-spreading e-mail viruses, a filter to restrict children's access, a firewall to block hackers, a filter to protect confidential data and a filter to speed up download times by eliminating banners and other Web-site nuisances. It also includes a LiveUpdate feature that checks Symantec's Web site to provide free, automatic updates for one year from the day the program is installed. The interface is straightforward, configuration is simple and the program does most of what it promises.

Especially useful are the updates in virus protection. E-mail viruses are now attacking even the largest corporations and new viruses appearing almost daily. Norton AntiVirus 2000 combats the e-mail virus threat by embedding virus protection within your e-mail application. As new viruses become prominent, updates can be retrieved through LiveUpdate. 

LiveUpdate also updates Norton Internet Security 2000's parental control feature, which you can set to block material deemed inappropriate for children. This is a new foray for Symantec. With parental control enabled, you will be able to block any Web site that is found within Symantec's continually updated database of inappropriate sites. Offending sites are grouped under categories such as crime, drugs, intolerance, sex, violence and weapons. Individual categories can be selected or deselected and individual Web sites can be manually blocked. 

The filter worked well but, even with crime and violence selected in the list of sites to block, a Web search retrieved several sites on Paul Bernardo and O.J. Simpson. No graphic photos connected with either case were featured, however. 

The firewall will be useful to people with cable modem or DSL high-speed Internet connections that connect them to the Internet 24 hours a day. If you are one of these people, your Internet connection gives your computer a permanent IP (Internet Protocol) address on a network. The constant connection and unchanging IP address makes your computer easier for a hacker to find. Without a firewall, a hacker could access your computer and possibly damage your hard drive. That's a risk any small business owner can do without. 

A firewall, however, puts a wall of software security between your computer and the hacker, making access enough of a challenge to discourage most invasions. It is, however, of little use to those using dial-up modems, who are, for now, still the majority of Internet users. Dial-up accounts are assigned a different IP address every time they dial in, making those computers a moving target. 

The feature that protects your personal information notifies you when a Web site tries to send a cookie (a small file a Web site places on your computer with information about your actions at that Web site) or when you are about to submit your e-mail address or credit card number through an insecure Web page. While a visit to a secure Web site with your online banking provider will go without a hitch, attempts to retrieve data from your computer through an unsecured site will present dialog boxes asking you to confirm each action. 

Not all features live up to full billing. For example, while Norton Internet Security 2000 did speed up download time by eliminating most advertising banners, pop-up Web browser windows still loaded, cluttering up the screen. And the parental control feature, while effective, isn't perfect.

A number of the suite's functions can also be completed manually without the use of this program. Veteran browser users know how to block cookies through their Web browser's settings and supervision can prevent children from accessing inappropriate material on the Internet. 

However, Norton Internet Security 2000 supplies a convenient, intuitive interface to accomplish these tasks with the ability to configure and update the program to keep pace with the ever-changing Internet. Complete protection may be impossible, but Norton Internet Security 2000 will make the Internet a much safer place to visit. 

Reviewer's rating : 3.75 / 5 

Comments: Norton Internet Security 200 is a useful, affordably priced utility with virus protection and banner filters that are useful to all, and firewall and parental control security aids that may be useful to some. 

Price: $59 US, $79 Canadian