Norton Internet Security / Norton AntiVirus

[Britton30]

http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/results.php

I have just read through some of these test results and was very disappointed to find NIS as not recommened and a score of 20% out of 100. I was even more shcocked that no Symatec response had been received.

Is NIS one of the lowest performing security suites on the planet? I hope not I have been with Norton for several years but these tests may make me reconsider my "wisdom". I have never seen a test suite run where Norton wasn't at least among the top 5.

Can anyone explain the in-the-basement rating from Matousec?

[bleeper24 Super Spam Squasher Mobile Master (Norton Mobile Users Discussion Forum)]

Hi Britton30

                   You wrote--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is NIS one of the lowest performing security suites on the planet? I hope not I have been with Norton for several years but these tests may make me reconsider my "wisdom". I have never seen a test suite run where Norton wasn't at least among the top 5.

Can anyone explain the in-the-basement rating from Matousec?

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Fear not Britton ....I would take the rating list from this site with the proverbial " Pinch of salt " .All comparitive sites will vary in ranking ratings by a few places one way or another .....

As for Matousec ....doesn't the fact that all the top raters in there list have a handily placed * Get it Now * blurb alongside the list they review ?

Makes me thing ....."Marketing ploy "  Some of the products in that list wouldn't get an iota of disk space on my computers for sure !

I'll put my trust in the real review sites that provide clear and reliable performance ratings on the real issues that matter .

You wont see "Buy it here " or "Get it Now " on sites like AV Comparitives etc : I know where i would look for ratings ...and it wouldn't be Matousec .....What matters to me is how Norton performs on my individual computers ...and I have no fears of my security levels being managed by NIS2012 ...........Just my opinion I know ...but if I were you ...I wouldn't be concerned by the Matousec ranks ...No way 

[yank Trojan Terminator]

Food for thought - if you read thru this, you may find out just how reliable the test referenced by the OP is.  Of course everyone can draw their own opinions:

http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/matousec-personal-firewall-tests-analyzed.htm

[Bombastus]

Matousec does leak tests with harmless test files. It's not a test that shows actual protection against real malware. I'd rather have Symantec concentrate on real malware than playing leak test games to get results in a test that has little if any relevance in real life usage.

[bleeper24 Super Spam Squasher Mobile Master (Norton Mobile Users Discussion Forum) · Accepted solution]

The "Gizmo Techsupport"  link that " yank " provided .....certainly confirms the overall validity of this method of rating and ranking of Security software by the Matousec site  !

I immediately had reservations about Matousec's modus operandi , when I saw those " *Get it Now* "proclamations...That , and also the fact that when you scroll down to the "Vendor response " data ......the responses go back to 2008 / 2009  !

On clicking the PDF links for further "in depth " report data .....all I got was " Invalid or corrupt " messages which flagged that the docs could not be opened ....No surprises there then ? Not exactly a review source to be totally relied upon methinks ?

So rest easy Britton ...you're o/k with NIS !

[Britton30]

Thanks everyone. I have no idea what a leak test is and the data on the site was too much gobbeldy-gook for me to wade through.

Gary

Sticking with Norton.

[bleeper24 Super Spam Squasher Mobile Master (Norton Mobile Users Discussion Forum)]

Hi again Britton

                                This link will tell you all about "Leak Testing " ......http://www.grc.com/lt/leaktest.htm

The GRC site is a well respected source of info on most security related issues .

After you have " read up " on leak tests etc; Click the" Services "tab on the page .....and then select " ShieldsUp " ....

Click "Proceed " and then select " All Service Ports " from the ShieldsUp services box , for the offer a test to check your  Firewalls' capability and put your mind at rest even further

[Bombastus]

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Britton30 wrote:

Thanks everyone. I have no idea what a leak test is and the data on the site was too much gobbeldy-gook for me to wade through.

Gary

Sticking with Norton.

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A "leak test" is a test to see how well a firewall stops programs on your computer from "calling out" to the Internet, among other things, if it lets programs connect outwards. The theoretical purpose of these tests is to show if a firewall can stop a trojan that has infected your computer from "calling home" and downloading more malware. However, the test files themselves are pefectly safe, and Norton has no real security-based reason to stop them from connecting to a well-known secure server. Using default settings, Norton would even "fail" the most basic test there is, from the page bleeper24 links to above. However, why should Norton block it - it is a known safe file connecting to a very well known and respected server. If it had been real malware performing the action, however, chances are that Norton would have stepped in and blocked it right away, even if it had not recognized it with standard virus definitions, but by behavior analysis and/or comparing the traffic to known attack patterns.

So, the Matousec test does not show how well the programs stop real malware. It just shows how well they block well-known safe pieces of testing software, which there are no security-based reasons to block.

[bleeper24 Super Spam Squasher Mobile Master (Norton Mobile Users Discussion Forum)]

Hi Bombastus

                           Thanks for further claryfying the leak test issue for Britton

I sent the GRC link so he could read up on what "Leak testing " entailed etc:..... So if you read this Britton ...you don't have to carry out the Leak testing yourself ......Bombastus has explained it perfectly...The procedure I outlined referred to the Port testing routine via  " ShieldsUp " only !Hope I didn't confuse you ?

I guessed from your original fears that you felt when first seeing the "Matousec " reviews , it had given you a few doubts and you needed a little reassurance ......Norton will be looking after you just fine

[Britton30]

Thanks bleeper24 and Bombastus for the explanations of leak testing. I am on an old XP PC till I get my Win 7 box fixed and Windows Firewall in XP fails miserably. It has no outgoing protection at all.