Norton Internet Security 2007 - TechRadar UK

Symantec's security products have attracted criticism for extending too many tentacles into their host systems. Complaints include causing conflicts with other applications, being overly large and cumbersome, and having parts that just don't work.

We were therefore interested to see if the 2007 version of Norton Internet Security would fall foul of the same troubles, or if Symantec would pull a superior offering out of the bag this time around.

The first aspect that gained our approval was the installer's pre-emptive strike against any potential clashes. It carries out a scan for applications that NIS doesn't get on well with and prompts you to remove them prior to installation. Once installed, the shields are up immediately so there's no awkward configuration for people without the knowledge or inclination for it.

The interface looks basic, but is reasonably well organised and it's easy to see if action needs to be taken. If anything is set up in a way that's not to Norton's liking then a large "Needs attention" notice appears, and all the user needs do is click the Fix Now button.

NIS 2007 does a good job of configuring things so that the PC is secure with minimal input from the user. Firewall alerts are turned off by default and Norton decides what to do when programs try to connect to the Net.

The rationale is that most users won't have the knowledge to make the right decision and will start to click "Allow" for everything, potentially enabling nasties to get on with their mischief. Advanced users can turn the alerts on. The default setup also ensures that email is automatically scanned.

Another feature that simplifies things for people with little security knowledge is the Security Inspector. This examines your system for security risks in your choice of setup, such as weak Windows passwords. These deficits are flagged up and instruction given on how to remedy them.

Missed opportunities

On the downside, while the anti-phishing toolbar is sophisticated, it only works for Internet Explorer. Another disappointment is that parental controls and anti-spam features are absent; if you want these you have to download them separately as add-ons. It would be preferable to have an option to install them from the disc.

It's worth noting that McAfee Total Protection 2007, a competing product of a similar price, has additional features such as backup and restore capabilities, a file shredder, password encryption and an anti-phishing tool that works with Firefox as well as IE. To gain similar features from Norton, you'd have to buy Norton Save and Restore and Norton Confidential.

Sophisticated malware detection techniques work at a low level in the OS to root out malicious code, and there are clever features to avoid encroaching too much on system resources. For example, scanning automatically goes more slowly to free up resources when the PC's busy.

There are little touches that remind us of older Norton products: the Learn more link in the Protection Center was dead and some notifications proved impossible to turn off. Overall, though, NIS 2007 delivers a solid service. You might, however, be expecting a more complete security solution for your £50.