Kudos0

Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 15-Nov-2008 | 3:02PM · 13 Replies ·

Hello,

I would like to ask some Norton AntiVirus 11 for macintosh questions.

1. Does NAV 11 for Macintosh scan incomming and outcomming emails? I use NIS 2009 (and NIS 2008, 2007, 2006, ... before) in my PCs and there it is an icon that shows when the emails are been scaned, i dont see that in NAV 11. Also with NIS 2009 some times it appears a popup that said that a virus have been found (and repaired or deleted) with the emails, i dont know if it is coincidence but i never saw that with NAV 11.

2. Does NAV 11  scan for the same viruses that NIS 2009 scan for? Or NAV 11 scan for a shorter number of viruses. Or to ask the same question a different way does the virus definitions of NAV 11 and NIS 2009 are the same (plus the Mac OS X viruses in NAV 11)?

3. In NIS 2009 there is an icon in the traybar that shows that the application (the auto protection part) is running. In NAV 11 there is QuickMenu but i think that is only a launching utility not an indication that NAV 11 (the auto protection part) is running? i am wrong with this?

4. Is there any plan in the near future that Norton would relase Norton Internet Security 2009 (or other name) for Macintosh? I really like the combination of AntiVirus, Firewall and other security utilities in the same application. Or there is any plan to relase a new version of NAV for Macintosh? 

I would appreciate it a lot all the information that you could give me about this questions. Excuse me my english, i know it is no good at all. Thanks a lot,

Marcelo :) 

Replies

Kudos0

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 17-Nov-2008 | 6:59AM · Permalink

Hello,

Anyone can help me with this? I would appreciate it a lot any help or information that anyone could give me.

Thank you a lot,

Marcelo :) 

Kudos1 Stats

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 19-Nov-2008 | 11:03AM · Permalink

Norton AntiVirus 11.0 for Mac provides real time protection. Auto-Protect makes sure all incoming emails are scanned and repaired to help ensure the Mac is completely protected from viruses inside email attachments and file downloads.

You cannot compare Norton AntiVirus for Windows based PC and for Mac. There are very few potential viruses detected for Mac OS X which can attach themselves to a file just like a conventional windows based virus. However, to be on safer side, it is recommended to have an Antivirus installed.

--Vinod

Kudos0

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 19-Nov-2008 | 3:41PM · Permalink

Thank you for the information.

Thanks,

Marcelo :) 

Kudos1 Stats

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 01-Dec-2008 | 6:37AM · Permalink

I noticed that when I received an email as a .zip file, NAV did not flag it. So, I conducted an experiment. I emailed myself from another computer a .zip file that had previously been identified on the other computer by clamXav as having a virus. I received the email on my computer. No flag by NAV. However, when I saved the attachment to my desktop, then NAV acted, and virus "was fully repaired." However, it left the virus in my email box, and I could continue to download it to my desktop to have NAV repair it. Also, I forwarded this infected file back to the other computer without any flag by NAV that I was sending an infected file.

When I had NAV on my PC, it always scanned incoming and outgoing emails.

Using the default settings of NAV 11.0.1 and everything updated, NAV appears to scan neither incoming nor outgoing emails at least on my computer, an early version MBP running Mac OS 10.5.5. 

Kudos0

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 01-Dec-2008 | 8:46AM · Permalink

In my PC i get at least one notice daily that Norton find an email with a virus, in Mac Norton never give me that notice with exactly the same emails. I think that Norton for Mac does not scan the emails or at least does not scan them for the same quantity of viruses.

Thank you for the information.

Marcelo. 

Kudos0

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 01-Dec-2008 | 9:08AM · Permalink

I am writing about NAV for the Mac, not the PC.

The program is quite different.

What I am writing about is NAV  11's, a Mac version of NAV, to scan for viruses when receiving or sending emails. 

Kudos0

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 02-Dec-2008 | 4:10PM · Permalink

Franklin,

According to this link http://www.symantec.com/norton/macintosh/antivirus NAV 11 for mac is supposed to scan email. "Scans and cleans downloaded files and email attachments—Delivers continuous, up-to-date protection via fast updates". Unfortunately i have nav 10 so i don't have experience with the product. on NAV 10 for mac i don't think i have that option.

Kudos1 Stats

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 02-Dec-2008 | 5:59PM · Permalink

Fezick,

You might be interested in the following exchange:

Hi Dr. McCoy!

Thanks for your messages; I just got back in from the Thanksgiving holiday
so I am sorry I am just getting to them now!

Anyway--given the way Apple mail works, we have no way to act as an email
proxy to scan mail attachments until they are saved to disk, so the behavior
you are seeing is correct.  When you save an attachment from an email to
your hard drive, this is when the scan happens.

We are looking into other mechanisms, but there is always a risk that if we
"hack" into Mail (or any other Apple application, for the matter), Apple
will change something (without telling us) and break that feature. This is
the best and most compatible way for us to deal with attachments in Mail,
Entourage and Eudora, which all deal with attachments in different ways.
That being said, my development team is investigating a possible "plug-in"
way of working with Mail, but it's just an idea at this point.

I hope this answer helps. Thanks for taking the time to write.

All the best,
mike


On 11/30/08 7:05 PM, "William Franklin McCoy, M.D." <wfm@cam-ny.net> wrote:

Dear Mike,

I just emailed myself a virus in a zipped file from another computer.

I have NAV 11.0.1 installed with the default settings turned on on my
MacBook Pro, first version running MS 10.5.5.

When I received the email in Apple Mail, no alert from NAV.

When I saved the attachment to my desktop, then NAV recognized that I
had a virus and the result was "virus fully repaired."

It seems that NAV does not recognize viruses in email attachments when
they are received in the email program, and only recognizes them if
the zipped file is saved somewhere.

Is this how NAV is supposed to work?

All the Best,


W. F. McCoy, M.D.
Kudos0

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 03-Dec-2008 | 5:08AM · Permalink

Thanks for this information. If i dont remember wrong all the emails from Mail are stored in User/Library/Mail, so in that folders it can be email with atchments that have virus stored there. And only NAV for Mac would scan them when i save the atchment alone. It this is correct?

Thanks a lot guys,

Marcelo :) 

Kudos0

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 03-Dec-2008 | 5:10AM · Permalink

Hello,

I suppose that NAV for Mac dont scan the incoming emails, or at least the program dont give any signal at all that it is perfoming any activity.

Thanks,

Marcelo. 

Kudos1 Stats

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 03-Dec-2008 | 11:12AM · Permalink

hi Marcelo!

Given the way the mail applications work, we scan the attachments as they are saved to disk.  Some email programs save the attachments immediately to disk, others wait until you actually save the attachment. Regardless, we scan them before they are saved.

thanks,

mike

Kudos0

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 03-Dec-2008 | 11:56AM · Permalink

Unfortunately, even if NAV detects a virus when one attempts to download it, the original email with the virus-infected attachment remains and has to be deleted.
Kudos0

Re: Norton AntiVirus 11 for Macintosh questions.

Posted: 04-Dec-2008 | 4:48PM · Permalink

Hi Marcelo!

I'll do my best to answer your questions:

1. No direct scanning of e-mails - we will get attachments as they are saved to your computer, though.

2. Yes, pretty much the same.

3. It will have a red "x" (you have to open the menu to see it) if Auto-Protect is disabled. There is no visual indicator to show that AP is actively scanning at a specific moment in time.

4. Yes.

Hope that helps - please let me know if you have any more questions!

Thanks.

Nick UchidaManager, SQA EngineeringMacintosh Products

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