Malware is any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a computer, server, client, or computer network. Malware does the damage after it is implanted or introduced in some way into a target's computer and can take the form of directly executable code, scripts, so-called "active content", and other forms of data. Some kinds of malware are largely referred to in the media as computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware, spyware, adware, and scareware, among other terms. Malware has a malicious intent, acting against the interest of the computer user—and so does not include software that causes unintentional harm due to some deficiency, which is typically described as a software bug.
Antivirus software, or anti-virus software, also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware.
Norton AntiVirus is an anti-virus or anti-malware software product, developed and distributed by Symantec Corporation since 1991 as part of its Norton family of computer security products. It uses signatures and heuristics to identify viruses. Other features included in it are e-mail spam filtering and phishing protection.
Norton Internet Security, developed by Symantec Corporation, is a computer program that provides malware prevention and removal during a subscription period and uses signatures and heuristics to identify viruses. Other features included in the product are a personal firewall, email spam filtering, and phishing protection. With the release of the 2015 line in summer 2014, Symantec officially retired Norton Internet Security after 14 years as the chief Norton product. It is superseded by Norton Security, a rechristened adaptation of the Norton 360 security suite.
WinFixer is a family of scareware rogue security programs developed by Winsoftware which claim to repair computer system problems on Microsoft Windows computers if a user purchases the full version of the software. The software is mainly installed without the user's consent. McAfee claims that "the primary function of the free version appears to be to alarm the user into paying for registration, at least partially based on false or erroneous detections." The program prompts the user to purchase a paid copy of the program.
Norton SystemWorks was a utility software suite by Symantec Corp. It integrates three of Symantec's most popular products, Norton Utilities, Norton CrashGuard and Norton AntiVirus into one program designed to simplify solving common PC issues. Backup software was added later to high-end editions. SystemWorks was innovative in that it combined several applications into an all-in-one software for managing computer health, thus saving significant costs and time often spent on using different unrelated programs. SystemWorks, which was introduced in 1998 has since inspired a host of competitors such as iolo System Mechanic, McAfee Nuts And Bolts, Badosoft First Aid and many others.
Rogue security software is a form of malicious software and Internet fraud that misleads users into believing there is a virus on their computer, and to pay money for a fake malware removal tool. It is a form of scareware that manipulates users through fear, and a form of ransomware. Rogue security software has been a serious security threat in desktop computing since 2008. Two of the earliest examples to gain infamy were AdDestroyer and VirtualBouncer back in 2004.
Norton 360, which was developed by Symantec, is an “all-in-one” security suite that combined online protection with performance tuning. The thing that distinguished this suite from Norton Internet Security is the inclusion of optimization and problem-solving tools.
PC Tools, formerly known as WinGuides.com, was a software company acquired by Symantec in 2008; the new owner eventually discontinued the PC Tools name. Company headquarters were in Australia, with offices in Luxembourg, the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Ukraine. The company had previously developed and distributed security and optimization software for the Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows platforms.
Norton AntiBot, developed by Symantec, monitors applications for damaging behavior. The application was designed to prevent computers from being hijacked and controlled by hackers. According to Symantec, over 6 million computers have been hijacked, and the majority of users are unaware of their computers being hacked.
ContraVirus is a rogue spyware application that poses as a legitimate anti-spyware program. The application uses a false scanner to force computer users to pay for the removal of non-existent spyware items. It may also be known as ExpertAntivirus.
SONAR is the abbreviation for Symantec Online Network for Advanced Response. Unlike virus signatures, SONAR examines the behavior of applications to decide whether they are malicious. SONAR is built upon technology Symantec acquired in its late 2005 purchase of WholeSecurity, a developer of behavioral anti-malware and anti-phishing software solutions in the United States.
MacSweeper is a rogue application that misleads users by exaggerating reports about spyware, adware or viruses on their computer. It is the first known "rogue" application for the Mac OS X operating system. The software was discovered by F-Secure, a Finland-based computer security software company on January 17, 2008.
VirusHeat is malware that disguises itself as a legitimate anti-virus program. VirusHeat tricks users into buying the full version of the program through repeated false alerts and popups, purporting to alert the user that there is a system error or they are infected, and must buy the full version to remove. It was launched on February 8, 2008.
Norton PC Checkup was a program downloaded either separately or as a bundle with updates to Adobe Flash, provided to enable users to perform a system checkup of their Microsoft Windows based personal computers. It was launched by Symantec in October 2008.
Gruel is a worm first surfaced in 2003 targeting Microsoft Windows platforms. It spreads via email and file sharing networks.
Norton, also known as Norton by Symantec, is a division of Symantec, and is based out of Mountain View, California. Since being acquired by the Symantec Corporation in 1990, Norton has offered a variety of products and services related to digital security. In 2014, it was announced that Norton's parent company Symantec would split its business into two units - one focused on security, and one focused on information management, with Norton being placed in the unit focused on security.
