Download the Symantec Threat Monitor Screen Saver - We Want Your Feedback!
Created: 09 Sep 2009 | Updated: 01 Sep 2010 | 106 comments
Looking for a way to bring Symantec’s security expertise and global intelligence network to life? Download the Symantec Threat Monitor, powered by DeepSight. This free screen saver keeps you updated on the threat landscape using a feed* from Symantec’s Deep Sight monitoring service. It regularly updates itself when you are connected to the web and keeps you up-to-date on the latest threats online. You can also view the Symantec.com page here:
http://go.symantec.com/screensaver
*Note: Data feed is delayed by 8-12 hours.
Please Provide Us With Your Feedback!
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Thank you Mr Eric.
It's working and very good :)
I'll use it at home too i like it.
Have a nice day.
Fatih
Everything works better when everything works together.
Its very good...
I have installed in my pc.. Whoever coming near my pc, asking for setup file... Its really good.
Thanks Eric.
Regards,
Srinivas H.P.
HCL Infosystems Ltd
Eric -
Glad you like the screensaver - you can send your colleagues to http://go.symantec.com/screensaver to download.
Linda
Ohh...thats a real cool stuff.
Vikram Kumar
Symantec Consultant
The most helpful part of entire Symantec connect is the Search button..do use it.
Where is it? I looked in downloads and didn't see it.
The links are listed in the original post at the top of this thread. See attachments for both Windows and Mac
Cheers,
thomas
Ooyala Community
thanks just installed it. :)
It is interesting to note that on a dual monitor system the two displays often show different information.
Good idea, but please do not forget that there are lots of enterprise companies locking down screen saver via Microsoft GPO. I would prefer to make it as Gadgets addin so that people have options to move it to my desktop.
Thanks for your feedback on the screensaver. The gadgets idea is a great one - thanks for the comments.
Gadget or wall paper would be a great idea. I have set this up on some of my lab machines that sit around my desk since my own machine rarely goes to screen saver. I like it though.
I like it, thanks.
Remote Product Specialist, Business Critical Services, Symantec
i like it but does the data updates from internet or data remains as itis while installation.
Bijay - Thanks for your note. The data feed is delayed by 8-12 hours, so is not live. If your PC is connected to the Internet, it pulls the latest feed into the screensaver. Let me know if you have any questions.
Can you tell us more about when it actually updates? My PC has been on all day, connected to the Internet, and it still shows the last update as the morning of 9/30 (so, it didn't update once during that day, nor today).
It would be nice to add a schedule setting for the screensaver updates.
the screen will indicate the last time it updated the threat info.
Best,
Eric
check out the community at www.infoblox.com/community
I would like to have this as a wallpaper since we enforce a screensaver through GPO.
Rick - Thanks for your suggestion on the wallpaper. We're collecting ideas for additional tools beyond the screensaver since there are some known restrictions on screensavers. Let me know if you have any other questions/comments.
Pretty nice. Agree with the others as far as Screensaver GPO's go. I had to edit the registry manually to change the screensaver, and the long name forces me to recall the old DOS 8.3 file naming convention to get it running.
I'd actually like to see this as a stand-alone app that can be run on demand. We have a wall of computers monitoring various metrics, and this would fit nicely in that setup, or even in a window on a PC.
"Hurricane" Andrew
Felton, Delaware
Check this out:
Using screensavers inside the Windows Media Player
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/audio-video/SheepWMP.aspx
Cheers,
Thomas
Ooyala Community
Does not work for me in Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6). It installs fine, but when I try to select it as a screensaver I get the message:
You cannot use the ScreenTime Screen Saver Engine 3.6.2 screen saver on this computer.
Contact the developer of this screen saver for a newer version.
Jesse Kozikowski
Aspirus, Inc.
Jesse -
Thanks for your note. The version for Snow Leopard will follow shortly and is noted as a known issue on the landing page and FAQ at http://go.symantec.com/screensaver
We'll post a note here when the Snow Leopard version is ready to go.
Thanks,
Linda
Yeah, Snow Leopard broke just about every screensaver and menu helper application out there.
Eric C. Lukens IT Security Policy and Risk Assessment Analyst University of Northern Iowa
Alot of my coworkers are commenting on this when they saw it on one of my systems. Thought it looked really cool and like something you would see in a spy movie showing hot spots. One even said he wishes some of the apps he manages would do something similar.
The Symantec Threat Monitor Screen Saver is for those who would like to keep a daily track on the World Security events.
Amazing Screensaver...just to let people know that
1) This Screensaver uses Symantec Threat Monitor, powered by DeepSight
2) It uses internet to download updates from http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/index.jsp
3) Also since this updates every 8-12 hours would require a special permissions from your administrators as some companies are against keeping screensavers and the option is locked from GPO as they consider files with .srv extension as a Security Risks.
Mithun Sanghavi
Symantec Technical Support Engineer, SEP
MIM | MCSA | MCTS | STS | ITIL v3
Twitter: @mithun_sanghavi
Don't forget to mark your thread as 'SOLVED' with the answer that best helps you.<&a
I like it.
Could step it up a notch by enabling us to zoom in to an area of my choice and get more detailed information about the area. For a screen saver or gadget I am thinking of a setting where you can input location information(ex: by country, by region, by city).
dfiore@cimarex.com
I somehow already had it before. So is this the customer version?
Thanks
Best regards,
Bekir Burak Durmaz
Bekir -
This is an external version for customers - there was an internal only version for Symantec employees released earlier this year. This one has some updates, so I suggest you uninstall the older version.
Best regards,
Linda
Super screen saver .Nice idea
Please don't forget to mark your thread solved with whatever answer helped you : ) Thanks & Regards Aravind
pretty slick looking screen saver, thx
good screen saver but doesn't run without internet or with proxy internet connection
Good idea, but I must agree with the others - needs to be a Vista hoochy-koo rather than screensaver. More companies and agencies than you realize lock down the screensaver, set intervals, what it is and more importantly, is NOT and so on.
A tray item would be cool for XP.
Been on vacation a few days so just saw this..........
My sites - http://theamcpages.com & http://antique-engines.com
Toy:
Shadow:
Shadow -
Thanks for your comments - we are collecting feedback for future improvements and other tools for customers. Let me know if you have any other feedback.
Thanks,
Linda
Hi there -
Here are the system requirements for the screensaver. A special note to Mac users - an update for Snow Leopard will be available soon.
Thanks,
Linda
System Requirements
Hardware Requirements:
Windows:
Macintosh:
Supported Operating Systems:
(Note: An update of the screensaver for OSX 10.6 “Snow Leopard” will be available soon.)
I have been using it on my image development server since it sits at a screen saver alot and have had no issues so far.
Rick -
Thanks for the feedback. Good to know!
Linda
Rick -
Thanks for letting us know about how it works on a server. Appreciate the input!
Linda
I just found this gadget that may help some people out. Too small for it to help me out but see if it helps any of you
http://gallery.live.com/liveItemDetail.aspx?li=e321409b-231a-4da0-905c-0580c732223e
Thanks for the link, Rick. We'll check out the link!
yes, I have uninstalled the old one, this one works smoother :) thanks again.
Best regards,
Bekir Burak Durmaz
Looks good, with the revolving world. It looks like a menu for some world war strategy game or something.
I'm not sure what it would look like with Internet connection since we're using a proxy and it times out or disconnects when idle for a while and we need to log in again.
We're basically getting some world statistics.
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
Yes I liked the new one !!!
Uninstalled the old one !!!
Thanks... Mr.Hear4u
Regards...
Regards...
Ramji Iyyer
Looks good on PC! For some reason I can't get it to work on Snow Leopard...
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life... as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” --Booker T. Washington
just read Linda's comments :P :
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life... as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” --Booker T. Washington
Intelligent SCR.
I would recommend making the package(the bundled exe) by inluding flash version 10.0.32.18(or latest). The version(10.0.22.87) that's packed within is vulnerable (CVE-2009-1862)
De facto when AV does something, it starts jumping up and down, waving its arms, and shouting...
"Hey! I found a virus! Look at me! I'm soooo goooood!"
And also, probably a small bug to be fixed with the upcoming version.
1) It does not understand <ALT>
2) It does not understand <TAB>
3) <ALT><TAB> makes it lose keystroke focus.
POC:
Open cmd(and not Run dialogue box, for 3) point), launch "C:\WINDOWS\system32\Symantec Threat Monitor, Powered By DeepSight.scr"
Press <ALT>, No response.
Press <TAB>, No response.
Press <ALT><TAB>, Focus is lost. Whatever you type is sent to the other application. If it's cmd, you would see your characters being typed there. Mouse still works though.
De facto when AV does something, it starts jumping up and down, waving its arms, and shouting...
"Hey! I found a virus! Look at me! I'm soooo goooood!"
Sandeep -
Thanks for the feedback. I'll pass this along to our developers.
Linda
Sweet. Thanks......
De facto when AV does something, it starts jumping up and down, waving its arms, and shouting...
"Hey! I found a virus! Look at me! I'm soooo goooood!"
No Linux or BSD version? *shrug*
HI,
The screensaver looks really good and lot's of data and numbers. Do we have any file, which will describe in detail about the data shown on the screen saver.
Rajesh -
You can take a look at the FAQ at http://go.symantec.com/screensaver to learn more about the data feeds. Let me know if you have any question after reviewing it.
Linda
I'll try it at home. Rick, thanks for the link! :)
Thanks and Regards Lynelle
I like the screensaver heaps
The only little moan is i dont like it when it zooms into the countries
Hi Eric,
This is fine but we are using internet through proxy and when screensaver starts its ask username and password again and again when we enter the same.
What information its polling from Internet?
And can we setup a proxy settings internally in the screen saver setting?
Regards, M.R
OK, here's my feedback.
It's cool, but not really useful as the only time I see it is when I'm not here and not using my computer
HAHA - because it's a screensaver, it comes on only after I leave - OR if I'm gone for 10 minutes. But then, after a few more minutes the screen goes black anyway. (policies and all)
So I have to be away from or not using the computer for it to be seen, meaning I won't ever see it.
Now if it was a gadget or some background or other piece, cool. Maybe someting I could load in a browser in my second monitor so if I'm just using one monitor (not too often but it happens) it would be there.
As a screen saver, only the cleaning folks will see it.............
Otherwise, I like the concept, it works well, is stable and cool.
(I use two computers full-time, each with 2 monitors, then I have 3 test desktops that share a screen, and 2 test notebooks.)
My sites - http://theamcpages.com & http://antique-engines.com
Toy:
Shadow:
Wow. It is great. Ill use this at home..Ü Thanks!
I'am experiencing something. I have an HP laptop and the fan goes up to the maximum speed when this screen saver starts running. And as soon as I close it, fan slow down. Anybody realized anything similar?
Regards,
Best regards,
Bekir Burak Durmaz
Bekir -
We've posted an FAQ at http://go.symantec.com/screensaver that addresses performance issues. There are potential performance issues if your video drivers aren't updated.
Let me know if you continue to have any issues.
Thanks,
Linda
bekidur, are you sure you have the updated drivers for your video card?
Btw, I like the screensaver, it brings me back in college when I am playing Red Alert. Hehehehe
I was about to post but ShadowsPapa already said what is also on my mind.
I don't mind having a desktop widget as long as it is not a Yahoo widget. It's resource consuming and is blocked by some companies.
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
Good to know about the Yahoo widget restrictions.
Thanks for the feedback!
Linda
Agree - no yahoo "stuff". Make it your own. We don't allow YAHOO, AOL or GOOGLE software installed after some bad episodes with some of them - for example, GOOGLE desktop search on some of our computers here was hammering on ITE's servers and they got a bit upset over it.
My sites - http://theamcpages.com & http://antique-engines.com
Toy:
Shadow:
The screensaver hasn't had much problems so far on our WinXP Pro SP3 on a P4 2.40GHz, 512 MB RAM.
But as far as screen "saving" goes. Some parts of the screen aren't refreshed. Like the Symantec Logo. Perhaps add a simple scrolling diagonal white line to make it look like it's shimmering. Same goes with the other purple lines. :D
And when there is no Internet connection, it doesn't display any information. Saving the last data to display might be a good idea although this might be too much for a screen saver admins rarely see. Just to impress any passersby.
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
Change the value from 0 to 1 for "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Screentime\Symantec Threat Monitor, Powered By DeepSight\Ping.txt" and make the file as "Read Only" This way it would display the cached data if there is no internet connection.
De facto when AV does something, it starts jumping up and down, waving its arms, and shouting...
"Hey! I found a virus! Look at me! I'm soooo goooood!"
Had to do a bit of tweaking to get past the GP that has the screensaver locked down. Once I did that, it works very well. I have been using it for a week or two and a few comments.
The first item is that in the last few days the secondary monitor doesn't activate the screensaver. It just shows the locked desktop backgound screen.
Second item is I would love to see newer content scrolling at the bottom of the window.
Otherwise I love the look of it and is very cool in a geeky way.
Excellent idea! However, one suggestiion: The feed is delayed 8-12 hours? These days, that's a lifetime! Can't this be updated more frequently, like... once an hour?
Also, can you create dual monitor support?
Thanks
For corporate PC's the screen saver needs to support using "On Resume, display logon screen".
Can't use a screen saver that does not support a screen lock function. Other that that its pretty cool. With out the lock funciton, it could be used as a browers app, or wallpaper background.
Interesting - here, it pops into screen saver mode, and after 10 or 15 minutes, true, it doesn't lock like it should (here it's state policy, lock after 10 minutes) but I find that eventually the screen goes dark and then the computer is locked. Must be going to sleep. Willhave to try a different computer. They aren't supposed to sleep or put the monitor off or in standby.
My sites - http://theamcpages.com & http://antique-engines.com
Toy:
Shadow:
CPU utilization is way too much. There is no throttling, if any other application is running, the cycle is stolen away.
POC:
1) Launch an application that generally requires high CPU usgage.
2) Launch procexp and then quickly "C:\WINDOWS\system32\Symantec Threat Monitor, Powered By DeepSight.scr". I did it through the cmd with arrow keys for quick toggling.
3) Once the SCR has been launched, hit <ALT><TAB> for getting to procexp. You can use all the keys that you want to diagnose(including the mouse, if you stay within the window) within procexp since the focus has been shifted away.
5) Notice that the CPU usage would rise to >90% for "Symantec Threat Monitor, Powered By DeepSight" and toggles between 85 % - 90%
De facto when AV does something, it starts jumping up and down, waving its arms, and shouting...
"Hey! I found a virus! Look at me! I'm soooo goooood!"
I've not noticed any impact on performance. Granted, if I'm not working, neither is the computer, save for the SEP console and some other stuff, Word, Outlook and so on. I never do any compiling or database sorts, etc. - but it sure doesn't slow this computer one bit. And this computer is very sensative to anyything that requires horsepower. It may be 64bit raid and so on, but with Vista, if an app wants power, this thing generally pukes. Not so with the screensaver. It's very responsive. If the screensaver is kicked in, a simple touch of the mouse and I've got 100% full control back in an instant.
My sites - http://theamcpages.com & http://antique-engines.com
Toy:
Shadow:
Of course when you touch it, you get back the control, that's what screensavers are about.
Did you try the POC? It's a pretty simple one.
De facto when AV does something, it starts jumping up and down, waving its arms, and shouting...
"Hey! I found a virus! Look at me! I'm soooo goooood!"
why do I get 50 notifications for this post a day? :)
Best regards,
Bekir Burak Durmaz
At the bottom, Click on Notifications and check that button over there.
De facto when AV does something, it starts jumping up and down, waving its arms, and shouting...
"Hey! I found a virus! Look at me! I'm soooo goooood!"
it's not working sandeep :)
this is notification madnessssss :D
Best regards,
Bekir Burak Durmaz
Got it, installed it, can't use it.
Says I'm not connected to the internet, when I am.
I am behind an NTLM authenticating proxy - does it work with those?
Hi,
You surely would be connected to internet, but NTLM authenticating proxy might be blocking the download.
Check with your Proxy Admin, if there are is anything which blocks the downloads.
I am sure ..you would have something which is blocking the Download.
Mithun Sanghavi
Symantec Technical Support Engineer, SEP
MIM | MCSA | MCTS | STS | ITIL v3
Twitter: @mithun_sanghavi
Don't forget to mark your thread as 'SOLVED' with the answer that best helps you.<&a
Its good. i m currently using it on my PC
Regard's
Ajit Jha
Technical Consultant
ASC & STS
Great is very cool
Not sure if it is possible, but for those who have dual monitor setups, is it possible to have different content displayed on the second display?
There have been some great suggestions already on how to improve upon the screensaver, but we want more! We'll give positive votes to the best ideas we see.
For example:
Let the brainstorming begin!
Post your ideas here: https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/idea/symantec-threat-monitor-screensaver-how-can-we-make-it-better
Yup..it's run on 7
Works find through Proxy (ISA) without getting prompted.
It doesn't work fine through a Proxy (ISA) that requires NTLM authentication (at least it doesn't work through mine)....
Finally a REAL reason to put a screensaver on a server. Honestly, I never thought the day would come when I would approve of using a nonstandard screensaver on a server but here it is. This is going on my AV server first thing.
nice screen saver, most of us attempt for a wallpaper but its good tht some one has though of doing it as a screensaver.
~ SQA Manual - Crafting tomorrow
If a forum post solves your problem, please flag it as a solution. If you like an article or blog post vote for it.
Hi,
I have a Dell Studio 8 gig ram Win 7 64 bit. First the Symantec threat monitor launches then my monitor shuts downs 15 minutes later. When I bring the screen back my task bar is gone except for the start icon. Is it because I have a 64 bit Win 7?
Thanks
It's very possible, WIN7 64 bit is not listed as a supported OS.
Supported Operating Systems:
(Note: An update of the screensaver for OSX 10.6 “Snow Leopard” will be available soon.)
http://www.symantec.com/business/theme.jsp?themeid...
Ooyala Community
I was told by a friend of mine, and saw it first had, norton antibot detects the screensaver as a virus.
Adam St. George
Bombshell Networks
There's a new OS update on the way this year for Mac most likely, and we're still waiting for the Snow Leopard version of this screensaver. What's the holdup? The codebase on the new OS isn't that drastically different from Leopard to Snow Leopard for something basic like a screensaver tied to an Internet feed. It's been out for almost 5 months now. Any ETA on when it's coming?
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