Symantec Offers So-So Spyware Protection
Beta of Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition stops some spyware, but produces mixed results otherwise.
Norton alerts users to the presence of the Hotbar adware application, but its advice about what to do next can be confusing.
Antivirus powerhouse Symantec takes aim at spyware with its free public beta of Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition. The final version, due by midyear, will sell for about $80, but my initial tests show that the beta, at least, may not be your best bet for spyware protection.
Like previous versions of Norton Internet Security, the 2005 offering is meant to be all-inclusive, containing such necessities as a firewall and antivirus protection.
To check out the utility's anti-spyware chops, I subjected my test PC to 12 common spyware and adware apps: Bargain Buddy, Hotbar, Huntbar, Internet Optimizer, ISTbar, Perez Toolbar, Total Velocity, and Xupiter, plus two variants each of the Downloader and StartPage Trojan horses.
Though Norton accurately identified and blocked the Downloader and StartPage Trojan horses, its results with the remaining spyware and adware were mixed. It ignored Total Velocity and Xupiter; and when it alerted me to Hotbar's presence, it recommended that I not only keep the program but also allow it full Internet access. And when Total Velocity and Xupiter tried to connect to a DNS server, Norton recommended I permit full access for both.
The beta software also lacks the ability to restore a Web browser's hijacked start and search page settings, and it omits protection against modifications to your Hosts file (essentially an Internet address book on your PC).
Still, the Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition beta showed promise, and Symantec fans will no doubt embrace its all-in-one approach to security. And you can't beat the beta's free price.