Norton AntiVirus 4.0 - Jun/Jul '98

Norton AntiVirus 4.0

It's a scary world out there and you need protection. Norton AntiVirus has been around longer than most of the products in this category and the latest version delivers enhanced security and easy updates.

Installation of Norton AntiVirus (NAV) is quick and smooth. NAV creates rescue disks to recover from disasters. If you are already infected, a bootable emergency diskette is included to clean up any existing viruses. By default, NAV loads as a TSR, checking for boot sector viruses. The Auto-Protect icon resides in the System Tray.

Antivirus software depends upon virus signature files that check your files against known viruses. Because new viruses are found every day, it is important to keep these signature files up-to-date or your antivirus software may not recognize newer viruses. NAV retrieves updates via LiveUpdate, an application that downloads updates from either the Internet or Symantec's BBS. This version can also schedule updates on a monthly or user-specified basis. In addition, you can request e-mail notification of virus alerts. Messages will be sent to your mailbox with a LiveUpdate file attached.

Even with current virus signatures, you can still get nipped by unknown or polymorphic viruses. NAV now includes "Bloodhound" technology to protect against unknown viruses. This technique watches key files for modifications, such as the NORMAL.DOT template file used by Word.

I tested NAV using some infected diskettes, and it quickly located two nasty boot sector viruses. The Auto-Protect feature notified me that an infected diskette had been inserted and offered to remove the infection.

Symantec Corp.
(800) 441-7234
www.symantec.com
Windows 95, NT Workstation (a separate version is available for NT Server 4.0), Windows 3.1 and DOS

$49.95

Reviewed by J. Michael Jimmerson, attorney, author and technology consultant with Altman Weil Inc., Chicago, Ill.

Jun/Jul '98 Issue

PROS
Thorough scanning and easy updates.

CONS
Scanning Net files slows downloads.

VERDICT
Attorneys must be vigilant about checking files and disks for viruses that can corrupt weeks of work product. Norton Anti-Virus 4.0 is an effective means to this end.