Norton Antivirus Review – Features, Protection, Pros, and Cons
Norton Antivirus has a lot to offer. Discover all the benefits of this software in our Norton review.
What Norton antivirus offers is pretty broad. However, it covers most concerns modern-day internet users have.
Norton review:
- Block potential threats coming through internet connections
- Detect and remove malware using machine learning algorithms
- Use data from Symantec to keep harmful software off your devices
- Use AI to automatically block suspicious activity on apps
- Protect Windows operating systems against zero-day attacks
- Detect and remove risky apps already residing in PCs
- Protect devices against online attacks such as phishing, browser hijacking, pharming, etc.
The Pros
Norton Antivirus offers the best:
All-Around Antivirus Protection
The cheapest Norton package comes with browser extensions and a two-way firewall. The program can scan incoming and outbound traffic for suspicious activity that might indicate malware. The browser extensions—available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Internet Explorer—will protect you wholly when browsing online.
Webcam Protection
Worried that someone might spy on you by hijacking your webcam? One of the newest features included in Norton packages (excluding the cheapest Pro version), is protection against webcam hacking. This is a dedicated service that’s very useful when you want to give your computer well-rounded protection.
VPN
Norton VPN offers unlimited amounts of data and servers in 29 countries. It’s not the most impressive compared to other VPNs, but the advantage is that you are getting the service in addition to malware protection.
Password Manager
Password managers are available as browser extensions, apps, and PC software. Norton offers a cloud-based password manager that you can get access to via My Norton web portal. You can get this account when you purchase any Norton software.
You can create a master password for all your accounts here. However, the account password would be different from the master password. Just on it’s own, a password manager is nothing to write home about. However, when this comes bundled with antivirus software, cloud backup, and a VPN, it definitely becomes something special.
Backup and Storage
All the new Norton packages come with both backup software and cloud storage. You can get 2GB of cloud storage with the cheapest Pro package. It’s quite measly, but enough to keep backups of your passwords, bookmarks, and similar files. More importantly, you can keep backup files stored on a secure cloud to get access later. If you want more storage, you can subscribe to a more expensive plan.
The Cons
Norton is certainly not without its downsides. These are what you should be aware of:
High System Impact
One of the biggest complaints about Norton has always been that the software makes computers lag. When Norton runs its malware scan, it can slow down everything else on a PC to a standstill. The company made some strides in reducing such performance issues. Despite that, Norton antivirus software can still make your computer run slower.
Basic Protection Only
While Norton protects devices against a vast array of threats, it’s still missing some crucial features that give users more than basic protection. The newest line of Norton software noticeably lacks keylogger protection or permanent file shredders. While Norton purports to protect against ransomware, there are no specific features to protect laptops against system hijackings.
No Encryption Software
Norton quite notably lacks an encryption tool in the malware bundle. When you have cloud backup and a password manager, it would have been nice to encrypt all this sensitive information.
Complete Protection Is Expensive
The features you can enjoy with Norton really depend on the package you buy. The basic, cheapest package doesn’t offer features like webcam protection, VPNs, or even parental controls. If you want everything, then you would have to purchase one of the more expensive packages. Considering that users also have to pay for a subscription, the cost is not particularly appealing.
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