Norton AV Update Targets Malware at Mac App Level

Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) has rolled out a new Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard-compatible version of Norton AntiVirus that includes beefed-up safeguards at the Web application layer.

Norton AntiVirus 11 for Mac is also more user-friendly, said the company, as it now incorporates less obtrusive security alerts, and it automatically updates in the background without interrupting users.

"The new vulnerability protection capabilities give our Mac customers an advanced layer of protection where it counts, addressing the shift in today's attacks," said Rowan Trollope, senior vice president of Symantec's consumer business unit. "Norton AntiVirus 11 for Mac enables users to enjoy computing without worrying about malicious threats that could lead to identity theft or data loss."

What's New

New features in the product include an extra layer of protection that deletes and blocks malware and viruses from installing when a user is downloading pictures, music or software. There is also inclusive scanning for both PC and Mac vulnerabilities, viruses and macro viruses.

The new app offers a command line interface so features can be accessed via the terminal, allowing users to bypass the application completely and add antivirus scans and other capabilities to their own custom scripts, the company said.

The estimated retail price for Norton AntiVirus 11 for Mac is US$49.95. The product includes a one-year subscription to Symantec's protection updates.

Reflecting Current Trends

The new product appears to be in line with what's happening in the wild. "In general, a lot of vulnerabilities are not OS-specific but application-based," Amol Sarwate, manager of the vulnerability research lab at Qualys, told MacNewsWorld.

"There is a growing trend of hackers targeting cross-platform applications such as Adobe or Macromedia," he added. "Even MS Office runs on Mac now."

For this reason -- and also because there's a growing interest in targeting malware specifically at Macs -- users need to take care, Sarwate said. "MS Windows is still the most prevalent desktop out there, but with the success of the iPhone, for instance, there are more eyes looking at the Mac OS."

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) has rolled out a number of patches for vulnerabilities in QuickTime, iTunes and Safari, he pointed out.

Hackers are definitely stepping up attacks against the Apple platform, Paul Henry, vice president of tech evangelism at Secure Computing, told MacNewsWorld. Henry uses a Mac himself. (He has five, as a matter of fact, and recently gave his son, newly home from Iraq, a Mac.)

Relying on a firewall for protection is not enough, Henry said, even though the attacks against a Mac are still few, compared to Windows. "I run an AV on my Macs. It is necessary in this environment."