Norton Internet Security 2003 6.0 Norton Personal Firewall 2003 6.0 Release Notes - August 7, 2002 Copyright 1999-2002 Symantec Corporation All rights reserved This document contains detailed information about some features of Norton Internet Security. Please also check the Readme file for additional notes regarding installation and uninstallation issues. Please review the Technical Info.TXT file (from the Start menu) if you are an advanced user who wishes additional info. Topics include: - Blocking ads speeds up download time - Blocking ads can block other Web elements - Blocking ads blocks graphical advertisements - Blocking programs from accessing the Internet - Blocking browser type and version is off by default - Blocking popup windows is limited - Blocking referring Web sites - Blocking scripts only blocks scripts on Web page - Creating firewall rules for N/A programs - Firewall alerts are cached - Permitted sites can contain items from blocked sites - Referring address blocking is for browser only - Restricted account users do not see prompts - Showing animated .gif files after blocking them - Terminating http connections - Hiding your computer name from the Internet - Attacks and AutoBlock - AutoBlock and legitimate connection attempts - Alerting while using DirectX and OpenGL - Windows XP delayed startup on a network - Limited accounts in Windows XP or Windows 2000 - Interaction with the Windows XP firewall - Supported instant messenger Clients for filtering - EarthLink setup and NetBIOS - Crash while using NetMeeting under Windows 2000 -------------------------------------------------------- Blocking ads speeds up download time -------------------------------------------------------- Ad Blocking does not block all advertisements on the Internet, but it can reduce the amount of time it takes your browser to display Web sites containing several ads. For information on blocking ads not blocked by Norton Internet Security see the User's Guide or Help. -------------------------------------------------------- Blocking ads can block other Web elements -------------------------------------------------------- Norton Internet Security blocks ads by preventing your Web browser from displaying specific HTML strings. This may also prevent your browser from correctly displaying some page elements and cause script errors on some pages. If you visit a site that does not display properly, try disabling Ad Blocking and reloading the page. The Symantec KnowledgeBase contains information on how to use the Log Viewer to determine why a site is blocked. Visit http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/, or select the Support item in the Help menu. -------------------------------------------------------- Blocking ads blocks graphical advertisements -------------------------------------------------------- The Norton Internet Security Ad Blocking feature blocks graphical advertisements, Flash animations, and popup and pop-under ads. It is not effective against text- based or script-based advertisements. -------------------------------------------------------- Blocking programs from accessing the Internet -------------------------------------------------------- Norton Internet Security restricts programs from accessing the Internet, but it cannot prevent users from running restricted programs. If a user attempts to run a restricted program, the program may crash, freeze, or report problems. The results depend on how the program was designed. -------------------------------------------------------- Blocking browser type and version is off by default -------------------------------------------------------- By default, Norton Internet Security does not block information about the type of browser you are using because many Web sites depend on this information to display Web pages tailored for specific browsers. Blocking this information can cause Web pages to display incorrectly or trigger warnings that you need to update your browser. To block information about the type and version of browser you are using: 1. Open Norton Internet Security. 2. Click Options > Norton Internet Security. 3. Click the Web Content tab. 4. On the Global Settings tab, in the Information about your Browser section, click Block. 5. Click OK. -------------------------------------------------------- Blocking popup windows is limited -------------------------------------------------------- The Popup Blocking feature blocks the most common methods that Web sites use to open additional browser windows, but it does not block all methods. Even with this feature turned on, you might find Web sites where popup windows are not blocked. Some Web sites, including Microsoft's Windows Critical Update, will not operate correctly when you block script popup windows. -------------------------------------------------------- Blocking scripts only blocks scripts on Web page -------------------------------------------------------- You can choose to block JavaScripts using the Global Settings tab of the Web Content options. This blocks any JavaScripts embedded in Web pages, but it does not block JavaScripts that are in form objects or in external script (.JS) files. Blocking JavaScript will cause problems with Web sites that use JavaScript for display or navigation. This feature should only be used by advanced users. -------------------------------------------------------- Creating firewall rules for N/A programs -------------------------------------------------------- If Norton Internet Security cannot identify a program or process that is attempting to access the Internet, it identifies the program or process as N/A. If you create a firewall rule for N/A programs, you should specify a particular port or address. Permitting or blocking N/A programs for all ports and addresses may negativelyimpact your protection because Norton Internet Security will apply that rule to every program it cannot identify. -------------------------------------------------------- Firewall alerts are cached -------------------------------------------------------- Sometimes Internet-enabled programs send requests to several computers to contact your machine. As a result, you may receive multiple alerts. To ensure that you are informed about all connection attempts, Norton Internet Security caches firewall alerts. As a result, you may continue to receive alerts about a program even after you have closed it. Specific examples include multiplayer Internet games like Unreal Tournament or Gamespy. -------------------------------------------------------- Permitted sites can contain items from blocked sites -------------------------------------------------------- When you specify a list of permitted Web sites, content from all other Web sites is blocked. If a site uses graphics or other items from other sites, these items will be blocked even though they appear to be from the site you are viewing. To avoid this problem: - Use domain names instead of more specific Web site names. If you permit www.example.com, you will only be able to view content from that Web site. If you permit example.com, users will be able to view all content from the example domain, including www.example.com, help.example.com, img.example.com or any other sites in that domain. - If you are viewing a permitted site and notice blocked images, open the Log Viewer and select the Restrictions tab. This lets you see the site that contains the blocked items. You can then add the site containing the blocked items to the list of permitted Web sites. These steps only apply if you specify permitted sites. If you specify blocked sites, users can view all sites that are not blocked. -------------------------------------------------------- Referring address blocking is for browser only -------------------------------------------------------- Norton Internet Security prevents your browser from providing information about the last Web site you visited to other Web sites. It is still possible for a Web server to provide this information. For example, if you visit a site that refers you to another site on the same Web server, the Web server might transfer the referring information internally. Since this information does not come from your browser, Norton Internet Security cannot block the information. In most cases, these occurrences should not cause privacy or security concern. -------------------------------------------------------- Restricted account users do not see prompts -------------------------------------------------------- Norton Internet Security lets you choose to automatically allow, block, or notify the user when certain security events occur. Child users do not receive these alerts. Any item set to prompt the user is automatically blocked when a Child user is logged on to Norton Internet Security. -------------------------------------------------------- Showing animated .gif files after blocking them -------------------------------------------------------- Norton Internet Security can prevent animated .gif files from repeating their animation. This feature modifies incoming .gif files to prevent them from animating. To show the animation of a modified .gif file again, turn off the Block animated images, clear your browser's cache and revisit the Web site where you found the file so you can download it again. -------------------------------------------------------- Terminating http connections -------------------------------------------------------- Norton Internet Security lets you terminate most types of network connections from the Detailed Statistics window. To terminate http (Web) connections, you must close your Web browser. -------------------------------------------------------- Web site blocking and browser cache -------------------------------------------------------- Most Web browsers improve performance by saving recently visited pages in pages in a hard disk cache. Some browsers also support offline browsing, which lets you download Web pages to your hard disk for later viewing. If an Adult user views Web pages that would normally be blocked by Parental Control, other users on this computer may be able to view the cached version of these Web pages. To ensure that Child and Teenager accounts do not view inappropriate cached content, empty your Web browser's cache before logging off your Norton Internet Security account. -------------------------------------------------------- Hiding your computer name from the Internet -------------------------------------------------------- By default Norton Internet Security hides your computer name and share information when you use Microsoft File and Print Sharing. Some cable Internet Service Providers require customers to share their computer names. If you need to share your computer name to connect using your cable modem, consult the Troubleshooting section of the User's Guide or Help. -------------------------------------------------------- Attacks and AutoBlock -------------------------------------------------------- When Intrusion Detection identifies an intrusion attempt or port scan, it places the suspected attacker's IP address in the AutoBlock list for 30 minutes. Norton Internet Security automatically blocks all communication with computers on the AutoBlock list. If you are repeatedly attacked from a specific IP address, you can add that address to your Restricted Zone. Computers in the Restricted Zone cannot communicate with your computer at all. -------------------------------------------------------- AutoBlock and legitimate connection attempts -------------------------------------------------------- In some cases, Norton Internet Security may recognize normal activity as an attack. For example, some Internet Service Providers run regular port scans of their customers' computers. Online security tests like Symantec Security Check (www.symantec.com/securitycheck/) may also be identified as attackers. If AutoBlock is incorrectly blocking a computer, you can create an Exclusion for that computer. To exclude specific computers from AutoBlock 1. Open Norton Internet Security. 2. Double-click Intrusion Detection. 3. Click IP Address. 4. Do one of the following: * Select a blocked IP address in the Currently blocked list and click Exclude. * Click Add and type in the computer’s name, IP address, network identification, or a range of IP addresses containing the computer you want to exclude. 5. When you are done excluding IP addresses, click OK. NOTE: Adding a computer to the Exclusion List does not permit this computer to access your computer. This procedure simply prevents the computer from being added to the AutoBlock list. All firewall security remains in place. -------------------------------------------------------- Alerting while using DirectX and OpenGL -------------------------------------------------------- If you are playing a game or using a program that takes full control of your screen and uses DirectX or OpenGL to display 3D accelerated graphics, an alert for network access may not appear properly or may appear to lock up your machine. To avoid this, run Program Scan and create the appropriate rules for all your games. -------------------------------------------------------- Windows XP delayed startup on a network -------------------------------------------------------- In some network environments, Windows XP may delay the startup of the Workstation service (and thus delay other program's startup) for up to a minute when Norton Internet Security is installed. This is because the Workstation service is trying to access the Bootps port before the firewall rule permitting this access has loaded. One soloution to this problem is to start Norton Internet Security manually. To block information about the type and version of browser you are using: 1. Open Norton Internet Security. 2. Click Options > Norton Internet Security. 3. Click the Web Content tab. 4. In the Start Norton Internet Security section, select Manual. 5. Click OK. To change your startup settings, click Options > Norton Internet Security, then select Manual. -------------------------------------------------------- Limited accounts in Windows XP or Windows 2000 -------------------------------------------------------- Windows XP limited accounts or Windows 2000 Guest accounts usually have restricted access to the file system and registry. For this reason, people using these types of accounts will not be able to change most of the product settings. People using limited or Guest accounts should not be given Supervisor access or allowed to make changes to Norton Internet Security settings. -------------------------------------------------------- Interaction with the Windows XP firewall -------------------------------------------------------- Windows XP has a basic built-in firewall which is superseded by Norton Internet Security. Running both firewalls simultaneously may cause problems with some communications, including FTP. Symantec recommends disabling the Windows XP firewall before installing Norton Internet Security. -------------------------------------------------------- Supported instant messenger clients -------------------------------------------------------- Privacy Control can protect private information in the following instant messenger programs: - MSN Messenger 3.6 - AOL Instant Messenger 4.7 Privacy Control may also work with other instant messenger programs that use http to communicate. To see if Privacy Control works with an instant messenger program, type a test item in the Private Information list, then use the instant messenger to send the protected information to someone. -------------------------------------------------------- EarthLink setup and NetBIOS -------------------------------------------------------- Some versions of the EarthLink setup program require access to NetBIOS ports. This may cause the EarthLink setup program to freeze if you have Norton Internet Security installed. If this occurs, either temporarily disable Norton Internet Security while installing EarthLink or deactivate the default block rules for NetBIOS and Windows File Sharing. For information on changing firewall rules by Norton Internet Security see the User's Guide or Help. -------------------------------------------------------- Crash while using NetMeeting under Windows 2000 -------------------------------------------------------- Crashes while using NetMeeting on Windows 2000 may be related to a bug that Microsoft fixed with Windows 2000 Service Pack 2. Use Windows Update to update your operating system to Service Pack 2 or later for Windows 2000.