Symantec Asia Pacific's SMART initiative for Y2K protection, support and peace of mind on eve of the millennium
-Symantec customers to receive, around-the-clock Y2K assistance from Symantec AntiVirus Research Centre (SARC) and customer support-
MUMBAI -- December 17, 1999 --
As part of its commitment to providing real-time support to organisations with Y2K-related issues, Symantec Asia Pacific will be staffed throughout the upcoming New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebrations. Its unique worldwide initiative, Symantec Millennium Action Response Team (SMART), will provide corporations easy access to expertise from the Symantec AntiVirus Research Centre (SARC) and assistance through Symantec's award-winning customer support system.
With computer viruses today increasing at an unprecedented rate, SARC's engineers, scientists and researchers are analysing new threats and creating technologies to combat the potential havoc virus writers may attempt to cause around January 1, 2000. Over the Christmas and millennium period, SARC will continue to actively research potential new virus threats 24 hours a day, seven days a week, particularly monitoring any viruses designed to take advantage of the Y2K transition period.
In India, on Dec 31st , 1999 and Jan 1st , 2000, Symantec's support engineers and technical support analysts will be available round-the-clock and will offer support to customers that will ensure a smooth transition into the new millennium.
"While the 'Y2K bug' has nothing to do with viruses themselves, there is every chance that virus writers will try to take advantage of the significance of the 2000 date by creating viruses that make reference to the new millennium," said David Banes, Regional Manager for SARC, Asia Pacific. "In order to be prepared for this, SARC will be analyse virus samples over the New Year period, quickly provide virus information and definition updates to protect customers against all known threats."
In the lead-up to December 31, 1999, SARC has identified a number of the most common, key elements typical of malicious programs that are known to poseY2K threats. A Y2K virus, worm, or trojan will contain one or more of the following elements:
- Triggers on or around Saturday, January 1, 2000
- Displays a message about Y2K issues
- Resets the system clock to simulate a Y2K problem
- Modifies programs or data to simulate a Y2K problem
- Masquerades as a Y2K patch, program fix or update
As part of the commitment to educating and assisting customers in safely dealing with the global Y2K transition, the SARC website is regularly updated with information relating to Symantec's Y2K-compliant software and testing criteria, as well as answers to frequently asked questions regarding Y2K preparedness. In particular, SARC aims to assist customers in better understanding the issues involved and the most appropriate responses in each case.
"A large amount of misinformation is likely - such as hoaxes suggesting claims about viruses which are due to become active on January 1, 2000. This, along with uncertainty about the Y2K bug, Y2K viruses, what is happening and what can be done, is expected to cause plenty of confusion. Those dealing with Y2K virus issues, should visit Symantec's Y2000 Virus Awareness Centre, dedicated to providing the most up to the minute information on Y2K virus issues for customers' peace of mind," concluded Banes.
About SARC
The Symantec AntiVirus Research Centre represents the industry's largest dedicated team of virus experts. SARC works continuously to identify and neutralise viruses before they can endanger systems and files.
Symantec, through its regional SARC program, is committed to providing swift, global responses to computer virus threats, proactively researching and developing technologies that eliminate such threats and educating the public on safe computing practices. SARC Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Sydney, Australia and other SARC offices are located in the US, Japan and the Netherlands.
About Symantec
Symantec, a world leader in Internet security technology, provides content security solutions to enterprise organisations and helps companies manage and support workforces that use laptop computers and other mobile devices. The company is a leading provider of software products for the consumer market and is rapidly growing its presence as a provider of solutions to enterprise organisations.
In India, Symantec has an exclusive distribution tie-up with Godrej Pacific Technology Ltd (GPTL) to market its products in India. This tie-up with GPTL is part of Symantec Asia Pacific's marketing and distribution strategy for the South East Asia region.
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