Norton 360 and MalwareBytes Pro

I have run Norton 360 for a while, since ditching Kaspersky, and am quite happy with it.

However I have occasionally run the free version of MalwareBytes to do a full scan when anything odd has happened.

A few months ago my Bank (RBS) stopped badgering me (for years) to install the "Rapport" software which I don't like the sound of. Instead they offered via themselves the full-blown MalwareBytes Pro. For free. (At least for a year, it wasn't made clear how long). So I accepted that.

It is now running full time as well as the Norton. Which is generally not a good idea.

I'm inclined to uninstall the Norton. Any opinions welcome. Thanks.

Edit: Fix typo in the Subject.

Edited by pluralist (Tue 20-Jul-21 20:40:54)

I got MalwareBytes Premium lifetime licence as a freebie from BitsduJour 4 or 5 years ago and currently have it running alongside Windows Defender. They get on with one another very well and I'm not aware of any performance hit.

Thanks .

I find these days most IS systems tie in with Defender. Mainly by letting it do some bits but predominantly disabling the Defender firewall and taking overall control.

Interesting! Defender is telling me MalwareBytes is doing the virus and threat protection, and Norton 360 the firewall and network protection.

Bedtime now. In the afternoon I'll disable N360 and see if MWB gets that bit.

In reply to a post by pluralist:

I find these days most IS systems tie in with Defender. Mainly by letting it do some bits but predominantly disabling the Defender firewall and taking overall control.

In Microsoft speak it is the the Windows Security Centre which is showing the status of the AV & Firewall products you have installed.

Interesting! Defender is telling me MalwareBytes is doing the virus and threat protection, and Norton 360 the firewall and network protection.

Quite likely when you have two installed that one has switched off half its function.

Bedtime now. In the afternoon I'll disable N360 and see if MWB gets that bit.

You may have to uninstall rather than disable. Normally in most AV products disable keeps the software installed, and hooked extremely deep into Windows (at a level most people would call malware), and choosing "disable" just routes network traffic through the same software but with it doing nothing.

Hence why I always suggest people having performance and other issues to uninstall, as you need to remove the software and return to Microsoft's code.

I generally suggest people don't bother with third party always resident products, and use the likes of Malware Bytes as a once a week scanner. (MB always did a different job to the likes of Norton).

I'm one of the people whom thinks Norton, McAfee and others have had their business taken from them by industry developments, and are now crying wolf too much. I never see their products in corporate anymore (but corporates use the enhanced version of Defender).

Thanks James.

Yes, I was expecting just disabling it wouldn't work. Uninstalling would be the next option.

Low priority today .