MacNorton 4 enters Boot Camp protection racket

Davey Winder
Friday, 19 December 2008 15:39

IT Industry - Development

Even though Mac OS is regarded as being a whole heap more secure than MS Windows, that does not mean that the security software vendors are ignoring it as a potential cash cow, especially when people are running both operating systems on the one box.

"Even Mac owners are susceptible to online threats, and when it comes to phishing, it doesn't matter what platform you're using," said Rowan Trollope, senior vice president, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec. "The data we are seeing from Symantec's Security Response is showing that Macs can be a target for viruses and malware."

Hot off the heels of the Symantec false positive fiasco which recently hit us here at iTWire, along with CNN and Reddit amongst others, the security vendor is looking to get the Norton Internet Security reputation firmly back on the tracks.

And it is looking to do it with the Mac, as Symantec announces the availability of Norton Internet Security 4 for Mac which it describes as a "next-generation security suite" of course, which "integrates an all-new firewall and antivirus protection" of course, with "tools to help protect against identity theft."

Like NIS 2009 for Windows, the MacNorton product installs equally quickly in a minute or thereabouts. It also features a new user interface with faster updates.

As well as automatically blocking computers attempting to exploit vulnerabilities from connecting to the Mac using different protocols, the MacNorton 4 firewall now adds application control to manage Internet connected apps and protect the Mac from spyware.

Also new is a location awareness control that allows the user to specify different connection settings for every network to which the computer is connected. Oh, and the software is integrated with Symantec's DeepSight Threat Management System, updating the firewall rules at least once a day to protect against the latest attacking IP addresses.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the launch, though, is the announcement of the 'Norton Internet Security for Mac Dual Protection' solution which promises to secure Mac users who are  running Boot Camp or similar Windows virtualisation software.

As the name suggests, Mac Dual Protection provides protection from both Mac and Windows-based vulnerabilities and malicious code by incorporating both Norton Internet Security for Mac 4 and Norton Internet Security 2009 for Windows.

Expect to pay 50 percent more for the dual protection version than if you purchased MacNorton 4 on its own.