Symantec's New Norton AntiVirus 2003 Provides Consumers Automatic Protection from Multiple Threats

New Benefits Include Protection of Instant Messages, Detection of New Worms, Automatic Removal of Worms/Trojan Horses

TORONTO, ON. - August 21, 2002 - Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC), the world leader in Internet security, announced Norton AntiVirus 2003, the world's most trusted antivirus solution for home computer users. Utilizing new exclusive technologies, Norton AntiVirus 2003 removes malicious code automatically, and protects e-mail messages and Instant Messaging attachments from viruses. The latest version of Symantec's award-wining antivirus solution also keeps virus definitions up-to-date without requiring user intervention, which allows consumers to continuously maintain the highest level of virus protection.

"This new release of Norton AntiVirus represents the easiest, smartest, and most reliable antivirus solution for securing home users, professionals, and small businesses," said Steve Cullen, senior vice president, Consumer and Client Product Delivery at Symantec. "Norton AntiVirus 2003 ensures maximum virus protection by automatically safeguarding customers against malicious code at multiple points of entry and by keeping itself up-to-date to defend against the latest virus threats."

Norton AntiVirus 2003 now scans incoming Instant Message attachments, augmenting the multi-layered scanning capabilities of Norton AntiVirus to further ensure users' protection from viruses and other malicious code. Instant Messaging scanning supports Yahoo! Instant Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Windows Messenger. Combined with automatic scanning of both inbound and outbound e-mail, this capability assures users that their systems remain protected from viruses-without requiring user intervention.

Exclusive, heuristics-based Worm Blocking technology in Norton AntiVirus 2003 detects email worms such as Nimda and Badtrans, stopping them before they spread through outgoing e-mail. Used together with Symantec's automatic updating and response capabilities, and complemented by Symantec's powerful Script Blocking technology that detects fast-moving script-based viruses, Worm Blocking helps provide proactive protection against known and unknown threats even before new virus definitions are created.

In addition to automatic virus removal, Norton AntiVirus 2003 now removes Trojan horses and worms without interrupting work. This capability, used in conjunction with current virus definitions, significantly reduces the ability of Trojan horses and worms to present a potential security threat to systems and data.

Norton AntiVirus 2003 continues to keep users up-to-date by automatically downloading the most recent virus definitions through LiveUpdate, which now offers reduced virus definition size for faster delivery and better system performance. Norton AntiVirus 2003 includes one year of virus definition subscription services, which provide reliable, ongoing protection against new and unknown threats.

The Professional Edition of Norton AntiVirus 2003 includes all the features and capabilities of Norton AntiVirus 2003 plus data recovery and data cleaning features designed specifically for professionals and small businesses. These tools allow users to protect and recover critical files and ensure confidentiality by digitally shredding files no longer needed. Norton AntiVirus 2003 Professional Edition further ensures protection and recovery by offering a license for two computers.

Pricing and Availability
Norton AntiVirus 2003 and Norton AntiVirus 2003 Professional Edition are available now for preorder at www.symantecstore.com for an estimated retail price of CDN$69.95 and CDN$99.95, respectively. Current users of Norton AntiVirus and competitive antivirus products may upgrade to Norton AntiVirus 2003 for CDN$30.00 and Norton AntiVirus 2003 Professional Edition for CDN$60.00. Customers can also purchase Norton AntiVirus 2003 from various retail locations beginning in mid-September, and from Symantec's online store at www.symantecstore.com, as well as other online retailers.

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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