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Password Management Tool Easier, Safer Computing


News Release

SYMANTEC UNVEILS NORTON SYSTEMWORKS 2004 WITH NEW PASSWORD MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR EASIER, SAFER COMPUTING

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), the world leader in Internet security, today announced Norton SystemWorks 2004, the newest version of Symantec’s market-leading productivity and problem-solving suite. Scheduled for availability in late September, Norton SystemWorks 2004 will include a new secure password management component – Norton Password Manager. This new feature will ease the burden of securely managing a large set of complex Internet and Windows application passwords, while protecting these passwords from falling into the wrong hands.
Symantec’s Norton SystemWorks 2004 will also include the newest version of Norton AntiVirus, the world’s most trusted antivirus solution. Integrated seamlessly with all of Norton SystemWorks’ performance maximizing solutions, Norton AntiVirus will continue to provide reliable, automated protection from viruses. The new version will also include added protection from certain emerging non-virus threats, including spyware, adware and keystroke logging programs, which can threaten the security of a system, spy on users’ private data, or track users’ online behaviour.
“Password protection has recently become a common PC security measure, fundamental to most aspects of computing. With this kind of password prevalence there is a challenge of finding the appropriate balance between security and productivity,” said Richard Batchelar, Country Manager, Symantec New Zealand. “Complex, difficult to guess passwords help protect data from prying eyes, but they are also difficult to remember and can thus negatively impact user productivity. Norton SystemWorks however, takes care of remembering passwords, storing them securely on the user’s hard drive.”
In addition to Norton Password Manager and Norton AntiVirus, Norton SystemWorks 2004 will also include Norton Utilities and Norton CleanSweep, comprehensive tools that provide all the essentials for easy system optimisation, problem-solving and hardware maintenance. Norton SystemWorks 2004 will also feature the quick data recovery capabilities of Norton GoBack Personal Edition; Norton Web Tools, which delivers simple mechanisms for removing of Internet clutter and for sustaining dial-up connections to the Internet; and One Button Checkup for flexible, powerful system scans that can be scheduled at regular intervals. Additionally, as a measure to protect users from pirated or counterfeit software, Norton SystemWorks 2004 will also now include a product activation component.

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Securely Manages Complex Passwords
Norton SystemWorks 2004 will include Symantec’s new Norton Password Manager, a feature designed to make it easy for users to manage passwords for desktop applications, Web sites, e-commerce sites, and more. Norton Password Manager obviates the security risks of routinely using the same password, failing to reset passwords, using easy-to-guess passwords, and improperly storing passwords.
Employing strong encryption methods, Norton Password Manager will help prevent passwords from being compromised, while remembering and automatically filling in Internet and Windows application passwords. Users need only sign into Norton Password Manager with a master password and the product will automatically enter the username and password information on user approved sites.
Norton Password Manager also will streamline the cumbersome and often error-prone process of online form-filling by automatically completing Internet transaction and purchasing forms on Web sites. The feature will also provide a secure manual method for filling in Web page forms. Additionally, an intuitive wizard eases setup of multiple user accounts and helps users edit addresses, telephone, and credit card information for secure form-filling.
Protects Against Viruses and New Hacking Tools
Norton SystemWorks 2004 will help keep users safe from the latest virus threats with the newest release of Norton AntiVirus, the world’s most trusted antivirus solution. The new version of Norton AntiVirus, integrated seamlessly into the software suite, will introduce new expanded threat detection capabilities. With innovative technology, the product will identify emerging non-virus threats, including spyware, adware, and keystroke loggers. These threats are frequently used to compromise system security, pry into confidential data, or track online behaviour. In addition, to proactively protect users of file-exchange services such as peer-to-peer networks and instant messaging services, Norton AntiVirus will unveil new scanning capabilities to detect viruses in compressed file archives at their entry point into the PC.
Norton AntiVirus will continue to provide automatic scans of both incoming and outgoing email; removal of viruses, worms, and Trojan horse infections; and detection and deletion of viruses in email and instant messages. Worm- and script-blocking technologies automatically defend against certain known and unknown threats – such as the Nimda worm and script-based threats such as I Love You – without the need for virus definitions. As a result, Norton AntiVirus effectively protects Norton SystemWorks 2004 users against an expansive range of malicious code.
Safeguards Productivity by Maintaining Optimal System Performance
Norton SystemWorks 2004 will include a full range of easy-to-use tools designed to keep PCs running at optimal performance levels. Norton Utilities will find and fix problems, optimise file storage for faster hard drive performance, continuously monitor PC performance, and more. An enhanced, customisable One Button Checkup will enable users to easily undo repairs and to record changes in a history log. Norton GoBack Personal Edition will enable users to recover instantly from a major system crash without requiring boot or operating systems disks or time-consuming disk imaging or tape recovery procedures. Web Cleanup will get rid of Internet clutter that takes up space and impacts performance, while Connection Keep Alive will prevent online dial-up connections from timing out.
Symantec also plans to release Norton SystemWorks 2004 Professional, which will include all of the components of the standard version along with additional powerful system upgrading and backup capabilities to keep small business systems up and running with minimum effort. Norton SystemWorks 2004 Professional will include Norton Ghost, which protects critical data from computer disasters and makes backups, file recovery, and system upgrades quick and easy. Process Viewer will allow users to see not only which processes are running but also see exactly where each related file is stored. Performance Test will provide additional useful system information by enabling users to evaluate and compare the performance of their systems with other systems.
Pricing and Availability
Norton SystemWorks 2004 and Norton SystemWorks 2004 Professional will be available late September at an estimated retail price of NZ$169.95 and US199.95, respectively.

About Symantec
Symantec, the world leader in Internet security technology, provides a broad range of content and network security software and appliance solutions to individuals, enterprises and service providers. The company is a leading provider of client, gateway and server security solutions for virus protection, firewall and virtual private network, vulnerability management, intrusion detection, Internet content and email filtering, remote management technologies and security services to enterprises and service providers around the world. Symantec’s Norton brand of consumer security products is a leader in worldwide retail sales and industry awards. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has worldwide operations in 36 countries. For more information, please visit www.symantec.com.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please view the Symantec Press Center at http://www.symantec.com/PressCenter/ on Symantec's Web site.

Symantec and the Symantec logo are trademarks or registered trademarks, in the United States and certain other countries, of Symantec Corporation. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are respectfully acknowledged.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT: This press release contains forward-looking statements, including forecasts of future revenue and earnings, expected activities and other financial and business results that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from results expressed or implied by this press release. Such risk factors include, among others: the sustainability of recent growth rates, particularly in consumer products; the anticipation of the growth of certain market segments, particularly enterprise security; the positioning of Symantec's products in those segments; the competitive environment in the software industry; general market conditions, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, changes to operating systems and product strategy by vendors of operating systems; and whether Symantec can successfully develop new products and the degree to which these gain market acceptance. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors is contained in the Risk Factors sections of Symantec’s previously filed Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2002. Symantec assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release except as otherwise required by law.

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