by Steve Bennett
Norton Internet Security 2001
Rating 90
Malicious codes and viruses are equal opportunity show stoppers, threatening PCs and Macs alike. If your business runs on a Mac platform, there’s a new ally in the ongoing fight against hackers and other Internet miscreants — Norton Internet Security for Macintosh. This product provides three components designed to maintain a variety of protective measures, the most important two being NortonPersonal Firewall for Macintosh 1.0 and Norton AntiVirus for Macintosh 7.0. To sweeten the suite, Symantec includes iClean 3.5 by Aladdin, which conveniently zaps Internet cookies, history files, and other Internet detritus that compromises privacy.
Norton Firewall protects broadband-connected Macs from unauthorized access, and provides alerts and event logging that details attempted intrusions. A few clicks of the mouse, enables users to deny/accept all access or just those from specific IP addresses.
The component represents the latest in Norton’s anti-virus product line for the Mac. Version 7.0 scans e-mail attachments for suspicious code, and quarantines copied or downloaded files in a “SafeZone” where they can be checked. Norton AntiVirus also sports “Bloodhound” technology that’s designed to identify unknown viruses. And for those who like to experiment with the cutting edge, AntiVirus 7.0 works with Mac OS X Public Beta disks (if launched from a Mac OS 9 partition).
For Macs with individual broadband connections, Norton Internet Security offers a solid value with proven tools.
Symantec Corporation
800-568-9501symantec.com
$99 for Mac version; $50 upgrade from Norton AntiVirus for Macintosh and other qualifying products
PROS: Solid set of utilities; good value
CONS: Minor enhancements to individual components