Your Favorite Online Neighborhood Has Your Back
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.
Today, Facebook and Norton by Symantec announce a great partnership. Facebook has a security site, the Facebook AV Marketplace, where new-to-Norton Facebook users can download a 6-month trial of our flagship Norton AntiVirus for either a Mac or a PC. So if you aren’t using any security on your computer, or you’ve wanted to try Norton for free, now is a great time to do so. You can also read a helpful whitepaper, jointly written by Facebook and Symantec called Scams & Spam to Avoid on Facebook. You’ll find out more on the Facebook Security Blog.
We spend so much time in these virtual neighborhoods and cybercriminals have followed us there, testing our passwords, trying to gain access to our accounts. Often, the crooks, having access to our account, will spread a hoax message to our friends, trying to trick them into sending money or sharing information. Malware, in the form of clickjacking links, has also been a problem for users and for the site to defeat. As part of this partnership, Norton will also work with Facebook to detect and alert users to potentially malicious URLs on the site, helping to provide a safer experience for everyone.
Norton and Facebook share a common goal of protecting consumers online, and today’s partnership agreement demonstrates the efforts being made to ensure your social networking remains protected, regardless of the device used to access your online world. For more information on how to keep yourself safe from online threats, check out our Norton Facebook page.
Cybergeddon
Guest post by Kevin Haley, Director of Symantec Security Response
I live in a city whose motto is “Culver City, The Heart of Screenland.” “Gone with the Wind,” “Citizen Kane” and “Raging Bull” were filmed here. It’s estimated that 1 in 8 residents of Culver City work in the entertainment business. Culver City is also home to one of the largest computer security research centers in the world. That’s where I work. What I know of about the movie industry I learned from the big screen and in the papers. There really hasn’t been any cross-pollination, any intermingling between the two industries. Till now.
In March, Anthony E. Zuiker, the man behind the “CSI” franchise, announced that he was creating a motion picture called, “Cybergeddon.” He called “Cybergeddon” an “evolution in the crime genre”. And he announced that he would be partnering with Norton to leverage our “technical credibility and security insights.”
Speaking to a group of Symantec employees recently about the threat landscape, I was asked about the movie and our role in it. The guy didn’t mince words. He said; “Are we gonna stop them from screwing things up?” I knew what he meant.
My wife refuses to watch a movie with me if it involves computer hacking. She can’t stand the groans I give off watching one ridiculous thing after another happen on the screen. It’s one thing to create a heightened sense of reality, but I’ve seen things done that don’t even classify as science fiction. The average person has little enough sense of what is really possible today with computer hacking, but reality is sometimes beyond belief. You don’t need to make things up, and you certainly don’t have to be ridiculous about it. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, I have one word for you: “Swordfish.”
So, I sheepishly answer the question: “I’m the guy that’s gonna stop them from screwing it up.” That wasn’t completely true. There is a whole team of Norton folks helping on this, but I am playing a part. I knew I had a big responsibility here.
I was given the chance to meet with the filmmakers and give them an inside look at what real cybercriminals are up to today. They toured the Symantec Security Operations Center, or “SOC,” and our research center in Culver City. It was a lot to absorb, but I was amazed at how quickly they picked things up. And they had clearly done their homework before they even walked in the door to talk to us. I had a chance to review drafts of the script to ensure accuracy. In each subsequent draft I watched the characters grow on the page, become more and more like the people I work with; they just happen to be in a reality that’s a little more heightened and exciting than my day-to-day job.
The movie is not a tutorial on hacking. It’s not a documentary. It’s entertainment. It moves fast and it’s a lot of fun. There are good guys and bad guys, chases and shootouts; all the action you expect in a Hollywood movie. But it’s going to have lessons to teach for those who won’t sit through a lecture on security best practices. And it’s not going to make me groan. Indeed, I’ll be cheering. I can’t wait to see it on Yahoo!.
In fact, I’ll be watching it with my wife.
Power of the Checkmark: Trust the Norton Secured Seal
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 combining the power of the VeriSign checkmark with the industry’s most respected Norton brand, we are creating the most valued and highly visible security seal on the In
ternet. Businesses will experience the same high security standards and protection that was delivered from the previous VeriSign seal. The rigorous and proven authentication processes ensures their customers and information stays safe and secure.
The Value of a Trust Seal
The Norton Secured Seal is an indispensable tool and is valued by business customers for its proven ability to provide consumers a secure online experience while instilling confidence and trust in their website. By displaying the Norton Secured Seal on a website, businesses can attract new visitors while maintaining high levels of traffic that are crucial to a website’s success. The seal can also help reassure these visitors that they can trust the link, trust the site, and trust the transaction with the seal present at all stages of the purchase process.
From The Mouths of Customers
We are already receiving positive feedback from our customers. To prepare customers for this seamless transition as well as gauge their response to the new seal, a group of Symantec customers were provided early access to the new Norton Secured Seal. Overall, these customers experienced increased traffic and conversions with the new Norton Secured Seal. Here is a sampling of their responses:
“Customers see the Norton seal and get an extra boost of confidence at a critical juncture in the purchase process. The benefits of that are immeasurable.”
David Tallon, E-Commerce Director, Freshwatersystems.com
“We tested the seals and found that our registration rate with the Norton Secured Seal was just as strong as with the VeriSign seal. Our customers are clearly familiar with the Norton brand and feel comfortable transacting on our site when they see the Norton seal.”
Darren Shafae, Founder, Papercheck
“We ran an A/B split test, and we were able to see with certainty that the Norton Secured Seal offered a better experience for users, kept them on our site longer, and did a better job of moving them to the next page. You can’t argue with that.”
Corey Frons, Chief Marketing Officer, BulbAmerica
The Numbers Speak for Themselves
As if the rave reviews by our customers weren’t enough, we conducted extensive studies with consumers to measure the effectiveness of the Norton Secured Seal. The results were heavily favorable for the Norton seal.
- 77% of consumers recognized the Norton Secured Seal, more than our competitors’ trust seals.
- 94% of consumers are likely to continue an online purchase when they view the Norton Secured Seal during the checkout process, more than other seals or no seal displayed.
- 90% of consumers will not continue a transaction if they see a browser warning page indicating the absence of a secure connection.
Greater Protection for You, Your Business and the Internet
Since the VeriSign acquisition in 2010, Symantec swiftly integrated the VeriSign brand and technologies expanding their portfolio of Website Security Solutions. This comprehensive portfolio offers integrated SSL authentication and security solutions including malware scans, Seal-in-Search, Vulnerability Assessments, and the Symantec Certificate Intelligence Center.
This broad solutions portfolio will be highly regarded and represented by the new Norton Secured Seal. Websites with the new seal assures people it’s safe to shop, play and interact without the fear of cyber threats and malware attacks.
Spread the power of the checkmark to your family, friends and colleagues. You’re helping us protect them and their information.
Learn more about the Norton Secured Seal and how it’s protecting companies from the enterprise to SMB and to the small mom and pop businesses.
Norton One – Protecting your stuff just got easier
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.
Norton One is the industry’s first security membership service which makes managing the security for all of the devices in your home easy and understandable. If you’re anything like me then you’ll have a mixture of PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets in your house. The likelihood that all of the devices are used to access your personal information, whether it is emails through your phone or online banking on your laptop, is very high. For me this means it is extremely important all my family’s devices are protected. This can be costly. But, the beauty of the Norton One membership is that it covers up to five devices in your home for one fixed price.
Norton also offers a premium membership which is managed through an online portal. Once you sign up and log-in you can assign the 5-user protection that comes with Norton One to any one of the five devices in your home.
If you buy a new, or replace an old, device, for example, buy a new smartphone or tablet or you exchange your old PC for a Mac or vice versa, then you can re-assign one of the licenses quite quickly via the Norton One online portal. It just takes a few mouse-clicks. It is easy to do and more importantly will provide the peace of mind that all your stuff is protected.
Norton’s service also includes a free to call 24/7 tech help and assistant. I’ve spoken to the advisors a few times and they all are extremely helpful.
For more information about Norton One, check out Marian Merritt’s video. And let me know what you think and whether it’s a service that you’ll be using.
Are you hungry for information about the “The Hunger Games”?
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.
For cybercriminals causing havoc over the internet is no longer just about fame. It is about fortune. They constantly look for opportunities to cash in on our online behaviour, meaning that we need to remain vigilant.
This week, Norton’s research found that a variety of searches related to The Hunger Games are turning up malicious results. Some of these contain “poisoned” links and although these are difficult to distinguish, these links can instantly infect your computer with viruses, keylogging programs (which allow criminals to monitor your typing) and other software that can wreak havoc on your smartphone, computer or tablet.
So far there have seen malicious results related to fans trying to find online copies of the movie and information about the author, Suzanne Collins. Norton has found that the top search terms that are already returning poisoned results include:
- Hunger Games Suzanne Collins
- Hunger Games Free Movie Download
- Hunger Games Full Movie Torrent
Norton expects to see more, so, follow these three simple tips to protect yourself:
- Choose your allies carefully – Cybercriminals promise sensational content, such as leaked videos, to lure you into clicking on their poisoned links. It’s better to get your information from a website you trust, and use the free tool Norton Safe Web Lite to lead you to safe search results.
- Know how to defend yourself – Online security software from a reputable company will identify malicious links and protect against other unseen threats. Norton 360 allows you to surf online safely and will warn you away from lurking foes.
- Don’t be tempted by false hope – Remember the age-old saying; If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Evaluate the information you come across – all that glitters isn’t gold so don’t let your curiosity overcome common sense.
Enjoy the movie and have a great, safe weekend!
Three tips for keeping secure whilst accessing unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots.
Blog post by Simon Ellson.
Last month, Norton teamed up with Sperling’s BestPlaces, an independent research firm, to uncover Europe’s ‘riskiest’ online city. Sperling looked at consumer lifestyle habits and Symantec’s cyber crime data to understand the various factors that put a consumer at risk.
They then determined the per-capita ranking by examining several consumer behaviours, including the frequency of PC’s and smartphones accessing social network sites through potentially un-secured Wi-Fi hotspots. The research found that:
- Manchester was Europe’s riskiest online city. Not only did it have the highest incidences of Wi-Fi hotspots and malware attempts, it had a high percentage of consumers accessing social networks via unsecure internet connections
- London ranked at number five. Although London had low levels of cybercrime data its high level of internet usage increased its overall risk factor.
- Dublin had a low level of smartphone use, an average number of cybercrime data, low levels of computer usage by residents and an average number of Wi-Fi hotspots.
Although these cities are the ranked as Europe’s online riskiest, this doesn’t mean that they are the ones with the highest infection rate (read: successful cyber attacks), but rather, these cities have the greatest risk factors and consumers from these cities are taking steps to keep themselves safe online. So, if you are using an unsecured Wi-Fi hotspot remember to follow our three simple tips to protect yourself:
- Proceed with caution – Wi-Fi hotspots are a great resource, but make sure you’re using a secured network if shopping online or banking from your laptop, tablet or smartphone.
- Use complex and unique passwords for each site – Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers and make your passwords as random as possible. Also, try to change your passwords regularly and if managing all of the different passwords is tricky, try Norton’s ID Safe beta, a free free, cloud-enabled service that lets you securely store and synchronize logins, passwords, credit cards, and other Web form information across browsers and devices.
- Stay educated – Read about developments in cybercrime and how you can keep yourself and your family safe online. For updates and tips you can also visit Norton’s Facebook page and website for information on the softwares that can help you protect your stuff.
Mobile World Congress 2012 – Freedom for Mobile Lifestyles and the need for Security
Post by Andrew Ford, Consumer Marketing Director
The annual Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona is an excellent way to see what the key players in the mobile market are planning and prioritising.
The who’s who of the mobile world were present at this year’s MWC; Samsung had an enormous stand that was dedicated to showing how the android tablets and smarthphones could enhance consumer lifestyles. Artists were on hand to draw caricatures of attendees, showcasing how easy the Samsung devices can be turned into creative tools that can be used for work or fun.
HTC were also at MWC. The Taiwanese company continue to innovate and their recent tie-up with Dr Beat headphones meant that they focused on the musical aspect of mobile content. I did have a go at their top of the range HTC phone with the beat headphones and all I can say is wow, the sound was excellent! After trying these, I do wonder whether HTC will gain more market share and whether they will become a challenge for the Apple iPhone in the not so distant future.
Ebay and Paypal were also at the event. Both had sizeable stands, aiming to encourage m-commerce, particularly within women’s fashion. The entertainment was provided by a very talented football juggler, who could quite easily have given FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi a run for his money. The aim here was clear Ebay and Paypal wanted to illustrate the dexterity of such shopping on the move.
And of course Google’s Android was omnipresent, particularly with their App Zone. The energy around the featured App Developers was quite something, and illustrates the confidence of the Android ecosystem to continue to drive enhanced consumer experience.
All these experiences, whether to do with graphics, music or payment are emphasising lifestyle freedom for consumers. And it struck me that all these open consumer lifestyle advantages require security at every turn. The Security Forum, which included Norton’s Mobile VP Dave Cole, Senior Analyst Ian Fogg and Deutsche Telekom’s Head of Security, underlined this with a unanimous verdict that safe and secure content is needed at every level to permit such freedom and for users to get the most from mobile.
To tie in with this message, Norton has also launched www.mobilesecurity.com. The aim of the site is to help consumers understand the need for mobile security, as the lifestyle benefits will continue to get better and better.
Twitter Feeds: @Norton_UK, @NortonOnline and @Charlieboyg67
Norton Spring Launch
… and introducing Jatinder Shetra, Norton’s Senior Systems Engineer
It’s been an exciting few weeks for Norton! Last month Norton announced Norton One, Norton 360 version 6.0 and pre-announced Norton 360 Everywhere.
Jatinder Shetra , one of our product experts, met UK media recently to share details about the new features that are in the updated version of N360 and what N360 Everywhere offers families who own multiple devices. He also announced Norton One, a security-industry first, that allows consumers to buy and manage their security software through a cloud-based management console.
To find out more about the products, we’ve asked Jatinder to summarise his week;
What a great week!
I loved speaking to the UK press about our new products, the new features in N360 and discussing the latest version of the product with members of the media.
Not only has N360 adopted cool new features from NIS2012 but it has also received top performance scores from PassMark Software, making it a popular choice for easy-to-use protection and backup for important stuff.
Discussing Norton One was also really interesting! The product is completely new to the industry, so listening to what journalists thought about the membership offering and their initial views of how it delivers a personalised experience, with dedicated support advisors, showed me a fresh prespective of how users outside Norton viewed the products.
“Symantec Norton 360 v6 did even better when we copied while it was scanning, taking 1 min 02 sec. This is the fastest result for any product we’ve tested so far.”
Simon William, PC Advisor
Personally, I see Norton One and its personalised service to the type of benefits that you receive from a credit card membership to one without membership features. It’s a new concept and I’m looking forward to the feedback that we receive from users that are taking part in the pilot.
What do you think? Is Norton One something that you’ll be using?
Five tips on how to keep your child safe online.
Guest Post from Deborah Preston, Norton Online Safety Advisor
Earlier this month it was Safer Internet Day, an EU initiative which aims to increase online safety, particularly for children and young people.
This year, the aim of Safer Internet Day was to connect generations and to encourage families to be more open with one another about what they are doing online. With the rise of social networks, an increased availability of personal information in the cyberspace, and the ability to interact with strangers, this aim is growing in significance.
Usually, when parents have ‘the chat’ with their children, it is about the birds and the bees. But discussing the risks children may face online is becoming increasingly important; research by Norton has found that over half of the children that are between the ages of 8 – 17 have suffered upsetting experiences online, but only 25% of parents realise this.
To help address this, Childnet International, a non-profit organisation that works to increase Internet safety for children has shared five tips on how you can keep your child safe online:
- Ask your children to tell you about the sites that they visit and what they do online.
- Check that they know where to go for help, where to find safety advice, how to amend their privacy settings and how to block someone on the sites that they use.
- Ask your children what they do to stay safe online and what tips they have for you.
- Encourage them to show you how you can do something better online.
- Think about how you as a family use the internet and whether you can change what you are doing.
In order to help parents further, this month Norton launched a new, free smartphone app which allows parents to protect their children while they are surfing the Web or exchanging messages online. Click on the link above to find out more.
Taking Responsibility for our Online Safety
Guest post from Simon Ellson.
I read an interesting article on the BBC technology pages about fighting phishing attacks. In the article, a spokesperson from an online payment company points out that the most vulnerable part of the security chain is the human.
I agree with him.
Unless we decide to protect ourselves from online threats, no one else will do it for us. Whether we choose to: use a strong password, safely scan QR codes, shop safely online or use up-to-date security software, the decision to do so is ours.
It is our responsibility to do the right thing, for our families and ourselves. We need to surf safely.
7 February is Safer Internet Day (SID), and the theme this year is about connecting generations to educate each other. This year’s SID is encouraging families to work together to stay safe online, whatever age group they fall into. Whether it is technology savvy youngsters teaching older generations how to use new devices or parents advising their offspring how to stay safe online.
I would like to do my part in helping echo this important message and remind people that whatever age you are, however long you’ve been active online and whatever device you use to access the internet, you do so safely and with awareness around your actions.