SINGAPORE -- September 6, 2001 -- Symantec has today announced the consolidation of the research and response teams; virus researchers, intrusion experts, security engineers and the global technical support teams will unite under the one banner of Symantec Security Response. The teams will work in tandem and provide extensive coverage for enterprise businesses and consumers.

The result of the combination of solutions, services and response capabilities will see SARC (Symantec AntiVirus Research Centre) included under the banner of Symantec Security Response to reflect the breadth of expertise.

The research centres are active 24 hours a day, seven days a week collecting and analysing the latest malware threats such as viruses and worms, as well as network security threats and vulnerabilities. When a new threat or vulnerability is discovered Symantec Security Response experts provide rapid emergency response focusing on communication and delivery of security updates for Symantec security products. They also provide information on product implementation and usage, countermeasures and identification tools for new threats.

Blended Internet security threats, such as W32.Sircam.Worm, CodeRed and CodeRed II, illustrate how individual security categories have merged, so that it is no longer the threat of individual viruses, exploits, or vulnerabilities, but the combination of those security threats that will be used to attack businesses and destroy assets. Symantec Security Response provides thorough analysis of each component of the Internet security threat and how the threats work together, while at the same time providing recommendations on how best to protect against them.

Research centres are located in Sydney Australia, North America, The Netherlands and Japan.

Further information and newsletters can be found at http://securityresponse.symantec.com.

The US press release can be found at http://www.symantec.com/press/2001/n010905a.html

About Symantec
Symantec, a world leader in Internet security technology, provides a broad range of content and network security solutions to individuals and enterprises. The company is a leading provider of virus protection, firewall and virtual private networks, vulnerability management, intrusion detection, Internet content and e-mail filtering, remote management technologies and security services to enterprises around the world.

Symantec's Norton brand of consumer security products leads the market in worldwide retail sales and industry awards. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has worldwide operations in 37 countries. For more information, please visit www.symantec.com.