Symantec, maker of Norton computer security software, has issued a warning that tens of millions of computer users have unknowingly downloaded “security software” that in fact is endangering the security of their computers.

While not saying it in quite those terms, Symantec released its latest Internet Security Threat Report on Tuesday, stating that "malicious activity continues to grow at a record pace." Certainly, those watching the activity surrounding Conficker might agree that things are somewhat risky out there.

Symantec Corp. , makers of Norton security software, today announced the availability of Norton AntiVirus 2009 Gaming Edition, a new offering designed specifically with the gaming community in mind.

Symantec, which is, quite honestly, the leading security software vendor, has released betas of two of its security programs. On Monday public betas were opened for both Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton Antivirus 2009.

Symantec Corp. today announced the release of the new Symantec Endpoint Management Suite to define the next generation of integrated, best-of-breed systems management, endpoint security and backup and recovery.

You may recall my earlier story on registry corruption for certain users upgrading to Windows XP SP3. The cases of registry corruption seemed to have a common thread: Symantec security products. Originally Symantec blamed Microsoft, but in a post on a Symantec support forum, a senior manager with Symantec indicated the fault may indeed lie with Symantec's products.

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced the availability of Symantec Online Fraud Protection, a comprehensive program that includes Symantec services, education and ongoing monitoring and management capabilities designed to protect businesses that conduct large volumes of financial transactions and their customers from losses due to online fraud. This offering helps businesses shield their customers from a variety of online threats, including phishing and pharming.

Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) launches of Norton Smartphone Security, the first consumer mobile security offering to provide a solution for both the Windows Mobile and Symbian OS(TM) in one product.

Gartner Healthcare IT Summit -- Symantec Corp. announced the Symantec Healthcare Provider Solution, comprised of products, services and best practices to help healthcare providers protect and manage their critical infrastructure and ensure vital patient information is both protected and accessible.

Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) announced the worldwide availability of Managed Threat Analysis (MTA), a new service designed to provide custom protection and analysis of malware and other security risks to help enterprises defend against data theft.

Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC) today reported the results of its second quarter of fiscal year 2008, ended Sept. 28, 2007. GAAP revenue for the quarter was $1.42 billion and non-GAAP revenue was $1.44 billion. Non-GAAP revenue, including revenue from the Altiris acquisition, grew 13 percent over the comparable period a year ago.

Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) today announced a new release of Symantec Database Security, a key component of the company's Security 2.0 vision that it launched this time last year.