Norman raises false alarm on Windows PCs - Update

Norman ASA is warning its customers of a false alarm that's being raised by its Windows anti-virus software which results in the file kernel32.dll being detected as malware. The cause of the false positive appears to be a bad signature and the company has stopped sending out the signature in question and has taken its update server offline.

Norman is advising affected users not to restart their PCs and not to acknowledge the alert flagged up by the real time anti-virus scanner. Users are advised to simply ignore the alert and to continue working on their PCs as normal. The company is currently working on an updated signature and is aiming to bring the update server back online once this is ready. Users should then initiate the update manually. Until that happens, users can get around the problem by creating an entry for kernel32.dll in the anti-virus software's exclusion list.

The false alarm comes at an unfortunate time, coinciding with the launch of Norman's new Security Suite version 7.3, which, the company boasts, includes an optimised scan-engine and a new anti-spam module. The user interface has also been simplified and the products support Windows 7. Additionally, the Web Content Protection module promises to prevent children and young people from viewing websites with unsuitable content.

With all modules included, the suite costs £44.95. Anti-virus / anti-spyware is priced at £29.95, the Anti-spam module at £29.95 and Web Content Protection module at £19.95, all inclusive of V.A.T. All prices are for a non-commercial use license for three PCs and include twelve months' worth of updates.

Update - Norman has now corrected the signatures on its update servers.

(crve)