Norton Safe Web

Norton Safe Web (sometimes abbreviated NSW) is a service developed by Symantec Corporation that is designed to help users identify malicious websites. Safe Web delivers information about websites based on automated analysis and user feedback.

The software debuted as a public beta in 2008, and is now included in current versions of Norton Internet Security and Norton 360. A limited, standalone version of Safe Web, known as Safe Web Lite, is available as a freeware. Safe Web operates as a web browser plugin, and requires Internet Explorer 6 or Firefox 3 or later. Safe Web in Norton 2012 also supports Google Chrome. (lite)

Function

In addition to actively crawling and analyzing web sites, Norton Safe Web relies on feedback from users and Norton Community participants. When a drive-by download occurs at a web site, the suspicious URL is automatically reported to Norton Safe Web for analysis. The reported site is rated as unsafe if the analysis confirms that the download is malicious.