Symantec’s new version of Norton Internet Security for Windows Vista is designed to guard against malicious code that promotes financial crimes such as identity theft. And, as the name implies, Norton AntiVirus for Windows Vista is smaller in scope, protecting computers against virus attacks only. Symantec intends to release final versions of both programs when Microsoft rolls out the consumer version of Vista in January of next year.

This week, Symantec released public betas of Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus for Windows Vista. The betas work on both 32- and 64-bit versions of Vista, itself in beta until Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, formally unveils Vista on Thursday at an invitation-only event in New York.
Microsoft also plans to formally introduce new versions of Office and Exchange, its corporate e-mail solution, at that time.

Symantec’s new betas are meant for consumers, not companies. The Norton Internet Security application is designed to protect end users against a range of online threats, including adware, hacking, phishing, and spyware, as well as virus attacks and worms, which infest a user’s computer, then replicate and spread to other machines.