Symantec ships Norton Confidential

Symantec today released Norton Confidential for Mac, an online transaction security solution designed to protect users when banking or shopping online from "phishing" attacks. "Norton Confidential for Macintosh protects users against fraudulent websites that may be 'phishing' to steal users' identities when they're logging in, making a purchase, registering for a service, or otherwise sharing confidential data online. Looking for known threats and suspicious behavior, Norton Confidential for Macintosh inspects websites before users interact with them and automatically blocks private information from attack." The software features built-in vulnerability protection to prevent identity thieves from exploiting newly discovered application and operating system vulnerabilities, allowing users to lock down personally important files on their Mac to prevent deletion or tampering. Norton Confidential for Mac is available for $35, and includes a one-year subscription to Symantec's protection updates via LiveUpdate.

The software is only compatible with Firefox browser, but the company said that it expects to have complete Safari integration and compatibility soon. It, however, declined to give a specific time frame for its release.

The application works in tandem with existing Symantec and other internet security and antivirus solutions, providing a new layer of security against new types of threats. A Norton Confidential for Mac toolbar sits below the user's internet browser toolbar, giving them constant reassurance that their online transactions are secure. The software features a single, bold and simple indicator that communicates fraud threat levels. When on a secure site, users see a green indicator with the words "Site verified."

Key features include:

• Phishing protection to safeguard users from visiting and/or submitting confidential information to known and unknown fishing sites.
  
• File Guard to lock down important files, protecting data from accidental or intentional tampering.
  
• Information Guard to ensure confidential information -- such as government issued identification numbers or credit card numbers -- cannot leave without permission from the user.
  
• Vulnerability Protection or a "network intrusion protection system" to deliver same-day protection against operating system and application attacks.
  

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