Internet security month continues here at Zatz Not Funny. Personally and professionally I’ve had a hand in this arena to varying degrees over the years. As our origin story remains untold, you didn’t know that we launched “Project Safety Net” before ZNF morphed into a digital media blog – and the site was intended to provide security guidance for lay people. Like my mom.
As Norton periodically blocks our site from visitors, I’d like take this opportunity to provide some alternate solutions that might serve you better.
The false positives seem to have started about 15 months ago, when various Norton products or components would throw up an interstitial web page strongly encouraging visitors to steer clear of ZNF. One regular reader kindly alerts me when this happens, as he did yesterday, and has previously provided screenshots (above) that’s allowed me to file reports with Norton. Additionally, Norton’s incorrect flagging led to a rather entertaining exchange on the Roku Forums a few months back. From “Village Idiot” :
I have good reasons to trust Norton. – i have no reason to trust you. I DON’T trust some site i never heard of before. It would be really stupid to throw away a trusted Norton program for an unheard of site. Good luck on your site. I just don’t need the risk.
While I know our site’s safe, and based on the back and forth (including further evidence and endorsements) this person appears somewhat paranoid, one can assume his is not an atypical reaction. Which means Norton has failed us both.
First off, all modern web browsers have free, integrated services that alert folks to sites suspected of phishing or hosting malware – comparable to the service Norton seems to have some difficulty managing. So, make sure your browser is current and review each provider’s details here:
Additionally, if you’re sold on Norton, they also offer a free web tool that allows you to validate the efficacy of their paid desktop software. Unfortunately, Norton’s analyses aren’t always in sync as at every check we come up clean (as expected). Google also has a web widget that scans sites for danger. Check it out here and replace our URL in the address bar with any of your choosing. Of course, none of these solutions is perfect; there’s bound to be false positives and yet-to-be indexed threats. Which is why the best defense against web threats remain common sense and solid anti-virus protection.
On the common sense front, don’t download software or make purchases from unknown sites. Especially via links embedded into unsolicited email. And make sure your OS is patched. Simple as that. On the AV front, for probably the last 18 months I exclusively recommend (and use) Microsoft’s Security Essentials. It’s top notch with a minimal footprint. And free. For an additional layer of defense, check out WinPatrol. It runs in conjunction with your other products and the one-time $30 software fee gets you a lifetime of updates. WinPatrol monitors system state and comes very highly recommended… yet Norton and Symantec periodically classify it as a virus. Notice the trend?
