SAN MATEO (07/18/2000) - To fend off some of the security problems sometimes associated with broadband access technology, ISP Earthlink Network Inc. on Tuesday announced that the company will ship free firewall software to its DSL subscribers.
Atlanta-based Earthlink teamed up with Cupertino, Calif.-based Symantec Corp. on the announcement, which was made at the MacWorld tradeshow in New York City.
Earthlink will give interested DSL consumers a copy of Norton Personal Firewall, which can be downloaded from a Web site.
Earthlink said its move to offer a security product with DSL subscriptions was prompted by recent statistics, which showed that about 50 percent of broadband users have been hacked.
Put together by Boston-based Yankee Group Inc., the statistics also turned up a high percentage of broadband probing cases.
Yankee said that 70-80 percent of broadband users have had systems probed.