Symantec AntiVirus Wins Record-Breaking 17th Consecutive Virus Bulletin 100 Per Cent Award

Detects All Viruses in Virus Bulletin's In the Wild Tests, Generates No False Positives, and Scores 100 Per Cent in Macro, Polymorphic, and Standard Virus Tests

CUPERTINO, Calif. - 25 March, 2004 -- Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), the global leader in information security, today announced that Symantec AntiVirus has won an unparalleled 17th consecutive VB 100 per cent award from Virus Bulletin. To win the VB 100% award, Symantec AntiVirus detected all viruses in Virus Bulletin's three In the Wild tests and generated no false positives. Symantec AntiVirus also received a score of 100% in Virus Bulletin's three macro, standard, and polymorphic tests. Symantec AntiVirus earned perfect scores in all six Virus Bulletin tests last year as well, which makes Symantec AntiVirus the only antivirus product to receive 100 per cent in all six tests two years in a row.

"Virus Bulletin is widely regarded as the premier international publication on computer virus prevention, recognition and removal, and its antivirus product testing is considered among the most thorough, fair and challenging," said Arthur Wong, vice president of Symantec Security Response. "Consequently, it is an honour to see Symantec AntiVirus continue to perform consistently and flawlessly in Virus Bulletin's demanding tests."

Virus Bulletin reserves the VB 100 per cent for antivirus products that detect all In the Wild viruses during both on-demand and on-access scanning in comparative tests and that generate no false positives when scanning a set of clean files. Symantec AntiVirus earned perfect scores in these tests to earn its 17th VB 100 per cent award. It also scored 100 per cent in Virus Bulletin's macro, polymorphic, and standard virus tests.

"Symantec's product detected all files in all test sets, leaving little room for discussion," Virus Bulletin editors wrote in the February 2004 edition of the publication. "What's more, the product managed exactly the same feat this time last year."

According to Virus Bulletin, because the virus threat is continually changing, consumers and businesses should look for products that have achieved a succession of VB 100% awards rather than just one or two. Editors also emphasised that Virus Bulletin's In the Wild detection tests are relevant because the viruses they test against are known to be causing real-world virus incidents and of doing so in more than just one or two isolated places. "Products that do not have full detection of these viruses are unlikely to be of widespread appeal," according to Virus Bulletin editors.

Symantec AntiVirus is the world's most trusted antivirus, offering superior virus protection in an unobtrusive, easy-to-manage solution. Symantec AntiVirus provides up-to-the-minute protection against late-breaking viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Advanced automation features provide timely updates and rapid response to virus outbreaks without disrupting work.

Symantec AntiVirus is supported by Symantec Security Response, the world's leading Internet security research and support organisation. Symantec Security Response leverages sophisticated threat and early warning systems to help provide customers with comprehensive, global, 24x7 Internet security expertise to proactively guard against today's complex threats.

About Symantec
Symantec is the global leader in information security providing a broad range of software, appliances and services designed to help individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and large enterprises secure and manage their IT infrastructure. Symantec's Norton brand of products is the worldwide leader in consumer security and problem-solving solutions. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in more than 35 countries. More information is available at http://www.symantec.com.

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