Norton 360

[twub]

We're paying good money for Norton protection, but they failed to stop Smart Fortress from infecting one of our laptops... Makes no sense to pay them to do a job and yet still get infected. Then having to go figure out how to solve the problem elsewhere online because Norton isn't on the ball... I don't mind paying the annual subscription fee if Norton works to protect us, but it really makes me question why they charge so much and yet we're not getting the protection we pay for???!

[huwyngr Norton Fighter]

<< ... they failed to stop Smart Fortress from infecting one of our laptops...  >>

From what I've read from other infected users, it does not just creep onto this one PC out of the blue. It apprently pretends to be a security program and you usually have to click on something to get it to invade you .... so why did someone click on it when you have a security program already? They didn't know that "No Thanks" means "Yes please" ? Then perhaps they need some Malware 101 training -- it's dangerous out there.

Programs like this are not necessarily any different on examination from any other program -- it's just what they do after they start running that does the damage.

If Norton stopped every action that you initiated don't you think you might get rather more angry?

[twub]

There was no clicking on click on "no thanks", a fake symantec warning popped up & no it didn't get clicked on... Smart Fortress infected without clicking on anything. Attempted to Ctrl, Alt, Delete to back out which didn't work... So the laptop was unplugged & the battery removed then the laptop was restarted... Smart Fortress just took over & disabled Norton.

The point is Smart Fortress has been around long enough that Norton should have a handle on it... after all that's what our Norton Subscription is supposed to do.

[Quads]

The FakeAV Smart Fortess as you see it (by the UI) may have been around awhile but it there are many different installers / droppers around that get altered enough to evade AV software,   That is why people with different AV's installed do still get infected by it.

Just because it looks that same to the eye, does not mean the files and objects are exactly the same.

Quads

[Jeevith]

Norton is protecting you from tens of thousands of existing malwares and from the hundreds of new threats released every single day. It provides among the best security that is available for your computer. This particular infection could have been caused while subscribing or downloading from free websites or when you download/transfer files such as movies, songs, screensavers, games, etc. from other computers, such as in a P2P system, or from insecure websites. Normally when you download something, it will ask for your permission to open/install, and accept the license agreement. Norton will not override permissions granted by the user / administrator When you do so, being the administrator/final authority of the computer you are potentially authorizing an override of the security restrictions in place.

[Nate_C]

Norton Power Eraser is designed to deal specifically with this type of threat and can remove Smart Fortress 2012.

http://security.symantec.com/nbrt/npe.aspx?lcid=1033

Also, N360 or NIS with definitions from 3/14 or later, detect and prevent the threat.  Here is the write-up on our site.

http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2012-031303-2909-99&tabid=2