@Norton_UK Security

I have a confession to make. I’m a 30-something photographer’s daughter. This may not mean much to you, but to me it means that I have to contend with a brown envelope full of embarrassing photographs of me as a child which my father took with the ends of film from his sporting photography jobs.

Guest Post by: Richard Clooke

I attended the 1983 US Festival – the second music and culture festival sponsored by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak – and it was truly one of the highlights of my college years. We saw an array of stellar performances and toured exhibits with cutting-edge technology. Back then, we bought our tickets at a ticket broker’s office, carried our wallets and loaded 35mm film in our cameras. Only days later, after the film was developed, could we show people our photos.

Guest post from Simon Ellson.

As I went gift shopping over the festive season, I found that most adverts I walked past on the London Underground had QR codes.

I joined the Mobile Retail Summit (#mretailsummit) in central London on Wednesday 24th April, to gather insights on mobile commerce (m-commerce) from attendees including UK retailers and leisure companies, mobile technology and marketing specialists.

Hello reader and welcome to a new blog on the Norton.com community, @Norton_UK Security

The blogs on this site offer the perspective of Symantec and Norton UK employees on Internet security, mobile security and online family safety, along with other issues which impact UK internet security industry.

Guest post by Andrew Ford

I was excited to upgrade my Android Smartphone recently and was thoroughly enjoying the latest functionality and apps. It was much less clunky that the earlier model, and I had spent time setting-up my social media and other apps. I had also added a password to make sure my details would be safe if my phone were to be lost or stolen.

Holiday surfing advice from us at Norton, the internet protection expert

When were you last bullied? Maybe you were lucky and have never been bullied. Chances are that for today’s kids bullying can be a constant threat and when a kid leaves the school gates bullying doesn’t just stop there. Bullying comes in many forms and is no longer just a verbal or physical act. Bullying has, with the rest of the world, made the switch to online, in the form of cyber-bullying, a word which has even found its way into the Oxford English Dictionary. The advancement of smartphone and tablet technology gives children more ways to connect, socialise, and create than ever before.

Guest Post by Marian Merritt: Norton Internet Safety Advocate

I know you’re probably thinking; ‘boring old passwords’. It’s true, password tips aren’t a fancy bit of technology to keep you safe online, however, weak passwords are one of the easiest routes for someone to access the things you would never want them to. Passwords are always a hot topic for that very reason. Passwords should be your first point of call when protecting your stuff and it’s important to make them as secure as you can.

Guest Post by: Richard Clooke - Manager, Marketing Programs, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec Corporation

We’ve all experienced poor PC performance at some point in our lives - from slow-ups and clutter to constant system freezes. A sluggish computer can be a major source of frustration for many and according to new research, we are reaching the end of our tethers - with a survey of 1,000 Brits revealing that 16% would prefer to visit the dentist’s chair than fix a slow PC!

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that disables the functionality of a computer in some way and demands a ransom in order to restore the computer to its original state. Recent variants use law enforcement imagery to add legitimacy to the warning messages. The malware uses geo-location services to determine the location of the computer it is running on and then, after locking the computer, displays a message appropriate to that country. The message usually claims that the user has broken the law by browsing some illegal material.

Guest Post by: Samir Patil, with thanks to Anand Muralidharan for contributing to this post. One of the most devastating Superstorms in decades, Hurricane Sandy, hit the US East coast in October, causing the loss of lives and damage to businesses, leaving countless people without electricity and in need of support. Now, unfortunately Sandy has now added spam to its list of misery. We are observing spam messages related to the hurricane flowing into Symantec Probe Networks.

Working on the move is becoming increasingly common, and organisations are responding to the need to provide a remote working solution for employees. Remote email and desktop access are solutions to this but all come with their own problems. However, with a small amount of careful thinking it’s easy to reduce the likelihood of unauthorised access and breaches of privacy and make sure everything is safe that needs to be.

Guest Post by: Anna Sampson

Guest post by: Richard Clooke

Young people are growing up as digital natives and in a very different world to the generations before them. Not only is there a world IRL (in real life), but now there are multiple ones online, including the worlds of gaming, video and mobile apps. Videos such as the one below where a 2 and ½ year old is given an iPad and speedily interacts with it without any difficulty, might be a bit concerning for grandparents who are not familiar with this type of tablet technology.

Guest post by Marian Merritt: Norton Internet Safety Advocate

The Norton Cybercrime Report is out for 2012! Cybercrime continues to have far-reaching effects and is increasingly a problem on mobile devices and in our social networks (where we seem to be less vigilant).

Marian Merritt, our Norton Internet Safety Advocate, has put together 12 useful tips for mobile phone safety for your kids. We all acknowledge the benefits of staying in touch with your children but have we taken all the measures to ensure they are protected against the most common risks? Take a look at the slideshow and find out how you can help your kids stay safe on their mobile.

Guest post by: Deborah Preston

Most of us leave the terror of trolls behind in early childhood, however for many young people ‘trolling’ has become a Grimm reality. The term ‘Troll’ has been resurrected in recent years from the back pages of Grimm’s fairy tales and reinvented as the new name for a particularly virulent and aggressive form of cyber bullying. Trolling is defined as the attempt to humiliate or harm someone online.

Guest Post by Marian Merritt, Norton Internet Safety Advocate

One of the great “joys” of home ownership is home maintenance. You know what I mean, because you already work hard to keep your Ranch, your Colonial, your mid-century Modern, in tip-top shape. That means regular housekeeping and bigger chores like cleaning the gutters, painting the exterior, and re-roofing. What would it be like if maintenance could be done automatically or even by a free service that’s included when you bought your home? Wouldn’t that be sweet?

Guest post by Deborah Preston

Guest post by Deborah Preston

A large number of people share home movies online or have used one of the share sites; whether it be to watch a tutorial, a music video or a funny cat movie, but what you might not think about is how much personal information you give away in doing so.

Guest post by Simon Ellson

A guest post by Kim Shaurd.

Guest Blog: Andrew Ford

by Simon Ellson

Like most of us I appreciate, or rather expect, good customer service when I’m buying or deciding whether to buy something. If I’m going to part with my hard-earned cash I want good service and if I also receive a service which is above and beyond, I’m more likely to go back to the same supplier.

Guest post by Marian Merritt, Norton Internet Safety Advocate

With more than 900 million registered users, Facebook has long been everyone’s favorite online location. We update our status, check in to our favorite shops and restaurants, play social games, post family photos and live our lives increasingly in the top global social networking space. With this popularity, Facebook has realized they can do more to help educate members about the best ways to remain protected while enjoying everything Facebook has to offer.

Guest post by Fran Rosch, Vice President of Identity and Authentication, Symantec

Today, the VeriSign seal got a new look and became the new Norton Secured Seal. One of the questions we get asked the most is why make this change to one of the most recognized trust marks on the Internet. Our response, it just makes sense for us and for our customers.

By Simon Ellson

If your family is anything like mine you have multiple devices around the home. It can mean that protecting the stuff on those devices can be costly and time-consuming. I know I am biased, working for Norton, but when Norton One was announced last week I was so impressed I had to write a blog about it. Norton One is simple and easy to use. These are two key points for my family and me.

Post by Simon Ellson

Everyone who follows me on Twitter will know that I am an avid reader. I also love movies and will be among the thousands of people who will be heading to the cinema this weekend to watch, The Hunger Games. The dystopian world of The Hunger Games has already captured the imagination of millions of fans around the world and cybercriminals are watching.

Blog post by Simon Ellson.

Post by Andrew Ford, Consumer Marketing Director

... and introducing Jatinder Shetra, Norton’s Senior Systems Engineer

Guest Post from Deborah Preston, Norton Online Safety Advisor

Guest post from Simon Ellson.

It has been a little while since I last blogged. My apologies – so, what happened? Well, I changed job and continents – literally and figuratively: new horizons. I am writing this blog from here in Los Angeles, California. I took up the exciting offer of moving over here to head up the Product Management effort in establishing Norton in the brave and different world of Mobile. I have not been disappointed, in either my choice of new job, nor my new country. The past months have been head down focused on building a team, on building technology and building products. It’s been quite a ride.