Security software giant Symantec is expanding its line of products with the acquisition of behavior-based security and anti-phishing firm WholeSecurity.

The Austin, Texas-based WholeSecurity offers software that analyzes viruses, worms and other malicious code and supplies real-time protection against threats without the need for traditional security signatures.

''WholeSecurity provides industry leading protection from phishing attacks, one of the fastest growing threats to online transactions, such as banking, e-commerce, and auctions,'' Enrique Salem, senior vice president, Symantec Security Products and Solutions, said in a statement.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Symantec said the transaction is expected to close in October.

Behavior-based security technology is a hot trend in the computer security industry, and Symantec's entrance into the field likely signals it is a trend that will continue to increase.

WholeSecurity's behavior based suite, dubbed Confidence Online, identifies collective threats such as Trojan horses, keystroke loggers and phishing sites by monitoring and analyzing their actions and characteristics, Symantec said. It can then determine whether threats are active processes or web sites are safe or malicious.

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