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Keeping your computer clean of e-mail worms could get easier with the upcoming release of Norton AntiVirus 2002, which promises to scan e-mails for viruses contained in attachments.

Symantec unveiled Monday the latest update to its Norton AntiVirus software. Besides e-mail scanning, Norton AntiVirus 2002 offers automatic updating and support for Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, due this fall.

Norton AntiVirus 2002 is available now for preorder and is expected to cost $49.95 when it goes on sale on August 29th.

Attachment Attacks

Norton AntiVirus 2002 offers incoming and outgoing e-mail scanning, script blocking, automatic virus deletion, intelligent alerts and a new interface, Symantec says. The software scans e-mail--both as it arrives in an inbox and as it leaves--to check for viruses contained in e-mail attachments. Attachments have contained some of the most widespread and well-known viruses and worms of recent years, including Anna Kournikova, ILove You, Melissa and others.

The attachments these worms spread by are often Microsoft Visual Basic Script files. In addition to scanning e-mails, Norton AntiVirus 2002 offers a script-blocking feature to filter out such potentially troublesome attachments and can even stop e-mails that may contain infected attachments from being sent, Symantec said.

One constant problem with antivirus software is keeping it updated. In an attempt to make keeping up to date easier, Norton AntiVirus 2002 offers automatic updating of virus definitions, a process that normally requires a manual download. The software also provides constant alerts to users, informing them of their virus protection status, Symantec says.

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