Things that I do not like about Norton 360.

After years of using Kaspersky Total I have recently tried Norton 360 in my laptop twice but there are things that I do not like about Norton 360 as follows;

(1). When an ethernet Ookla Speed Test is carried out the speed result is halved if Norton 360 is installed. - (Nothing wrong with the router speed just the speed of the Windows Device in which Norton 360 is installed..

(2). On this main laptop Norton 360 automatically turns on Dark Web Monitoring, (whatever that is), and you cannot get rid of it by the Norton 360 Consumer Menu Options.

(3). Installing Norton 360 removes the Restore Points so that you cannot revert to an earlier date before Norton 360 was installed and you then need to carry out a clean install of windows if you want to fully get rid of Norton 360.

The first rule for any Security/Antivirus Software should be "First do no harm" and when Norton 360 is removed it should leave the device as it found it and not prevent the device owner from using a Restore Point.

Edited by Fido (Wed 29-Mar-23 15:26:36)

For the reasons stated earlier Norton 360 is now binned.

Since no one posted to defend Norton 360 presumably my experience of it is not uncommon.

Over the years Kaspersky Total Security has generally been good and since I still have almost a year left on the Kaspersky licence I reinstalled it in the Android Phones. and I have bitten the bullet and have reinstalled in in my laptop.

Perhaps there is a data risk to me because of the Russian Address of the Head Office but since I have used Kaspersky for years if there is a data risk because of the Russian connection they already have my data and the CEO says that they are independent.


If it was just for the laptop I would have just used Windows Defender but the two Android Phones need an anti-virus package.

I had considered Bitdefender Total but on checking I noticed that Bitdefender is from Romania. and that may not be safer for my data than Russia.

I am uncomfortable about the way that the Russia State is treating Ukraine but we already have the licence.

In reply to a post by Fido:

If it was just for the laptop I would have just used Windows Defender but the two Android Phones need an anti-virus package.

They really don't.

In reply to a post by Davey_H:

They really don't.

Hello Davey_H,

Since I only use the approved Apps from Google Play and Android Phones have an app test device feature called Google Play Protect I did wonder if a separate antivirus was needed for Android Phones but when I checked the consensus was that a separate antivirus is needed..

Are you sure that Android Phones do not need separate antivirus ?

Kindly advise.

Regards,
Fido

Yes.

If you don't go installing apps from dubious sources etc then Play Protect is enough. Behaviour of the user is key

Also a analysis of Antivirus apps by AV Comparatives a few years ago found them ineffective, and in many cases not doing what they claimed.

https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/android-test-2...

In reply to a post by Davey_H:

Also a analysis of Antivirus apps by AV Comparatives a few years ago found them ineffective, and in many cases not doing what they claimed.

https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/android-test-2...

I would agree that a person not downloading Apps from dubious sources is key.

However, I am not sure that the conclusion of the av-comparatives analysis was that antivirus for Android is not necessary.

Mostly ineffective : Yes.

Unnecessary : No.


It is a long report but the conclusion of the av-comparatives analysis was as follows;


Conclusion
Some of the Android security products in our test blocked so few of the malware samples– in some cases literally none – that they cannot reasonably be described as anti-malware apps. Compared to last year, we found even more apps using only black/whitelists as a detection mechanism. In fact, even though we tested 46 additional apps this year, the number of apps which we consider “usable” has stayed the same. 55% of the tested apps offered insufficient malware protection. Furthermore, we also found 16 apps that have not been migrated to Android 8 properly, decreasing their protection capabilities on newer Android versions.

23 of the products we tested detected 100% of the malware samples; considering that the most common malicious Android apps of 2018 were used, this is what they should do. Most of the vendors that usually take part in independent tests score highly, as their products are regularly scrutinised, and they actively develop them to ensure they are effective.


There seemed to be quite a low bar for most antivirus tested but Kaspersky was in the better group.

We have a Samsung phones and included in the software is access to an on demand virus scan by Trend so Samsung appear to think that a virus scan is helpful to their phone customers.

Regards,
Fido

I dont use Norton because them doing things like crypto minering
https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/7/22869528/norton-cr...

Norton was once good about 2001 era......... Ever since, its gone down hill to extent that its [censored] ware.

never ever install norton, it does more harm than good.

If you buy a laptop and its got it installed, do a registry clean and preferably a clean re-install. Also MCAFEE - never ever install.

Edited by Taras (Thu 25-Apr-24 09:09:13)

For those who are wondering, I saw the spam earlier that has since been removed.

In reply to a post by Taras:

If you buy a laptop and its got it installed, do a registry clean and preferably a clean re-install. Also MCAFEE - never ever install.

McAfee came installed on this laptop, it took me a while to realise why the new i7 processor was running so poorly.

Ive never experienced the slowdown you say you get with Norton,maybe some bits of Kaspersky were left behind after you uninstalled it?
Did you run the Kaspersky removal tool to ensure it was fully removed?
https://support.kaspersky.com/common/uninstall/1464
The dark web monitoring is to try and help you track whether any of your info is being banded about and to possibly to protect you from scams and having personal details used by others
As for crypto mining that is turned off by default I personally would be more concerned by stuff software linked to Russia and Putin may be doing in the background that you are unaware of
the thing I find annoying with Norton and prob applies to all security software is the fact they try to sell you "extras" after you initially purchase what is a highly regarded security product, you shouldn't need extra!

In reply to a post by steve195527:

what is a highly regarded security product

WAS a highly regarded brand, when created by Peter Norton. Since destroyed by PCWorld and Symantec/Broadcom into a money making scheme. Similar with McAfee and Kaspersky.

Many of the corporates I visit no longer use third party AV tools, they find they cause more problems than they solve. Using Apple's included tools, or Microsoft's included tools, they can report to the board about detected malware, and the number of crashed machines and helpdesk tickets is reduced.

My opinion is third party AV tools in 2024 are just snail oil, preying on the vulnerable.

If you get a machine with them pre-installed, consider reinstalling Windows from clean.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by steve195527:

what is a highly regarded security product

WAS a highly regarded brand, when created by Peter Norton. Since destroyed by PCWorld and Symantec/Broadcom into a money making scheme. Similar with McAfee and Kaspersky.

I totally agree with this. We used to sell and install mountains of Norton product, until 2006. We took nearly a year to test and trial various alternatives, and decided to move to Eset. I'm still of the opinion that Eset is top of the pile of those products.

The problem is completely down to venture capitalism where the new owners are only interested in sucking funds out of what was a good business. Norton and MacAfee are perfect examples of this. Maybe Mr MacAfee would never had ended up as he did if he had stuck to programming

Also agree with Taras above.

Regarding Kaspersky: that product did have a very good name at one time. I very much dislike when people decry it because "It's Russian". Same for Huawei because "it's Chinese". Those are political opinions and should be seen as such.

Regarding Eset: I no longer have the same regard for that, but that's because of the company and not the product.

Like yourself I did away with Norton decades ago. Ditto McAfee which earned special cursing when it bombarded us with renewal demands months before it was due. It hung about for a couple of months until we found the special tool to remove it completely. Then Kaspersky which is NOT run by the Russian Government. Or so they say. Would you believe we're with Windows Defender, which has performed perfectly for the past two years?

Kaspersky has lowered its standards in the last few years (since the Ukrianian war). I'm boycotting them due to the stance of E.Kaspersky. Theres some issues with Kaspersky which i'm not happy about even though you can turn them off.The majority of what the US government said about Kaspersky just showed up a) us gov viruses can be detected by Kaspersky b) us contractors can be stupid - by using an ms office keygen which had a virus.

The Ksn aspect is the part was is worrying and may allow unwanted access to your computer or act as a node in a bot.net. That bit was the unnerving part.

You need to check your history re Norton and Norton products,it was “good” initially ,then it became bloated,the times around 2006 where you claim it was good was around time it was a pain for users!slow with updates very few and far between,basically was a pain in the bum on any pc it was installed on,in or around 2010 Norton was engineered
It then became just about the fastest,lightest av product available with updates to it data base at least on a par with any other,it is still fast and light enough to use on most PCs without slowdowns and offers good protection.
Re kaspersky being Russian,yes problems regarding its use may be political but historically they have aided the Russian govt with hacking tools and if you think Putin has no influence on any Russian company then I feel you are being naive,he doesn’t take kindly to Russians who disobey his will

Edited by steve195527 (Sat 04-May-24 10:48:02)