Antivirus Is 'Dead' Says Norton Software Boss

A senior executive at Symantec says software now only catches around 45% of malware attacks because hackers are so sophisticated.

Antivirus software is "dead" according to an executive at the firm that pioneered it.

Symantec, which developed software to protect computers from hackers 25 years ago, says it no longer thinks of antivirus as a "moneymaker in any way".

Brian Dye, senior vice president for information security, said software only catches around 45% of malware attacks because hackers are increasingly sophisticated.

He said the company is now moving its business towards "detecting and responding" to attacks, rather than simply trying to protect against them.

Mr Dye, who has been at the firm for a decade, admitted to the Wall Street Journal the company has slipped behind rivals, but said it was trying to catch up.

"It's one thing to sit there and get frustrated," he said.

"It's another thing to act on it, go get your act together and go play the game you should have been playing in the first place."

The company, which sells the Norton antivirus suite of software, has a turnover of around $1.6bn (£590m) and has an 8% share of the global antivirus market.

Revenue has fallen in each of the past two quarters, although profits have risen because of cost-cutting measures.

Antivirus still accounts for 40% of the company's revenue.