Symantec Security Check Tops 15 Million User Mark

World's Most Widely Visited Security Testing Site for Consumers Adds Tracing Service to Enable Users to Locate Potential Intruders

CUPERTINO, Calif. - February 25, 2002 - Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), the world leader in Internet security, today announced that more than 15 million consumers have utilized Symantec Security Check to identify and address online safety threats, making it the most widely visited security testing site worldwide. Every day, the free web-hosted vulnerability assessment tool, www.symantec.com/securitycheck, provides approximately 65,000 PC and Mac users worldwide with easy-to-understand information on potential security risks from viruses, hackers, and privacy threats and offers recommendations for securing their computers against those risks. To further strengthen the service for home PC users, Symantec Security Check now provides a new tracing service that enables consumers to locate potential intruders.

"The overwhelming popularity of Symantec Security Check underscores the important role of online security in the homes of millions of computer users around the world today," said Steve Cullen, senior vice president, Consumer and Client Product Delivery at Symantec. "Symantec Security Check provides home users a trusted source for taking a giant first step in securing their systems."

The new tracing service of Symantec Security Check provides information about the network from which a potential attack originated and the geographical location of the computer used in the attack. Using technology licensed from Visualware, Inc., the service determines precisely where and how traffic is flowing on the route between the desired destination and the user trying to access it, then provides a geographical map of the route. As new information becomes available, the map is updated and redrawn in real-time. As a result, consumers can quickly identify the location of potential hackers and forward this information to the attacker's Internet service provider.

In addition to providing tracerouting, Symantec Security Check includes a network vulnerability scan and a NetBIOS availability scan to assess vulnerability to hackers; an antivirus software check, antivirus definition check, and active Trojan application scan to assess susceptibility to the latest virus threats; and a browser information check that provides instructions, when necessary, on how to safeguard privacy. Once the scans are completed, Symantec Security Check provides users with a comprehensive list of results and concise recommendations on securing against identified vulnerabilities.

Users of Symantec Security Check are also given the option of voluntarily submitting results of their system scans to be used for overall vulnerability assessment purposes. Thus far, the results of more than one million submitted scans reveal that 29 percent of users have computers that allow unknown or unauthorized Internet communication; 35 percent do not have a recent version of a commonly used antivirus product; and 64 percent use Web browsers that release information about the site they last visited to other web sites without their knowledge.

Symantec Security Check is available in English, German, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, and traditional Chinese.

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 e-mail 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 38 countries. For more information, please visit www.symantec.com.

Symantec's Canadian operations are headquartered in Toronto with offices in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. For more information on Symantec products or current promotions, contact the Canadian office at (416) 441-3676 or access Symantec's Canadian Web site at www.symantec.ca. Symantec is an active member of the Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft (CAAST).

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