Latest news with #Norton360Deluxe
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Norton 360 Deluxe antivirus review
When it seems like there is a security hole everywhere you click on a computer or mobile device, Norton 360 Deluxe is a welcome relief. There are extensive security protections available, beyond what we've found offered in some of the other best antivirus apps. And, like hugely popular tax preparation app TurboTax, Norton 360 is incredibly intuitive to makes Norton 360 a top overall pick in the category has to do with the added security protection. You can do a quick antivirus scan, a full scan, and then a much deeper scan that runs during startup and before Windows loads. Ransomware protection creates a backup of important files -- even the ones held in the UEFI (what used to be called the BIOS). The more we explored the app, the more features we found, and we were pleased to find they were not just meaningless add-ons. You can protect your identity using a webcam blocker, get a warning on websites before you visit them, and even ward off botnets. Bitdefender Total Security is still our top pick for antivirus software, but that mostly comes down to value. Both McAfee+ Premium and Norton 360 Deluxe are more expensive for the core security features that all three products offer -- including ransomware protection. Bitdefender limits file transfers in their VPN to 200MB per day and the password manager is a trial version, but the antivirus features are just as robust as anything on the market -- for less. Our other gripe with Norton 360 Deluxe: It tends to ping you about upgrading quite often. We get it: Norton is a powerhouse and they have a lot to offer. But we could stand to hear about it via pop-ups for their privacy monitoring assistance and system performance apps a little less frequently. We always evaluate antivirus software according to the normal annual pricing, not the first year deals which tend to change frequently. We've even seen two different websites offer markedly different first-year pricing, so that pricing is a bit too fluid. Norton 360 Deluxe costs $119.99 per year (after the first year) for up to five devices. That's the same price as McAfee+ Essential which also protects five devices. However, we strongly prefer the McAfee+ Premium subscription in terms of pricing because it protects unlimited devices in your home for $149.99 per Bitdefender Total Security offers equally robust security protection features as both Norton 360 Deluxe and McAfee+ Premium, but for a lower price of $109.99. So what's included in Norton 360 Deluxe that makes it a compelling antivirus option? For starters, there are several differentiators that might be worth considering for $10 more per year than Bitdefender, and even compared to protecting unlimited devices with McAfee+ Premium. The security features are so extensive that it takes quite some time to find them all. Norton 360 Deluxe includes intrusion protection against botnets, brute force attacks, and file and print sharing vulnerabilities. You can block access to your webcam and start apps in a protected 'sandbox mode' to make sure they are not infected. A Safe Search feature shows you a warning before visiting any iffy website, explaining any risks involved. And, a rescue disk feature lets you generate a full ISO, or digital copy, of your disk or save everything to a USB drive. That's a long list. For scanning, we really liked the ability to do a very quick scan that only lasts a few seconds, looking for the most obvious problems. Unlike most antivirus apps we've tested, Norton 360 Deluxe then lets you choose from many deeper scanning options -- a full scan, choosing specific folders, scanning only critical files, and then doing a deep scan that runs before Windows loads. The full scan is not quite comparable to the full scan in other antivirus apps because it only took about four minutes, whereas the full pre-boot deep scan took about 35 minutes. Overall, the antivirus scanning options are more extensive than most apps. Norton 360 Deluxe also offers parental protection for your kids, up to five devices. It's somewhat basic but you can control usage time, which sites to block, and even where access is allowed. The included VPN is also powerful. It can disable your internet connection if you visit a site that's compromised and supports split tunneling, allowing some sites to bypass the VPN. One huge bonus with Norton 360 Deluxe is the Genie Scam Protection. It's an AI bot that scans for threats, warns you about websites, and can even protect you from text message threats. Genie even has a chatbot mode where you can ask it about specific websites and whether they are safe. To use the Genie on mobile to ask about text scams, you have to install the Genie app. In order to gauge antivirus detection ability, we reference the testing done by independent labs: SE Labs, AV Test and AV Comparatives. In AV Comparatives March 2025 Malware Protection Test, Norton received a 99.96% antivirus protection rate, blocking 10,026 files and allowing four through, but produced 10 false positives. McAfee and Avast had similar scoring here, while Bitdefender performed ever so slightly better. In AV Test's Jan/February 2025 Product Review and Certification Report, Norton scored a 6 out of 6 for protection against malware attacks, and produced only 3 false positives. Norton also participated in SE Labs' October - December 2023 Endpoint Security Home Protection testing, where they scored 100% accuracy in 100% protection against general and targeted attacks and showed zero response to false positives. As you might expect from a mature and well-known product, Norton 360 Deluxe is fast and reliable. We tested the app on an Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, a Windows computer with 32GB of RAM, and an Apple iMac with 24GB of RAM. The full scan took about four minutes to scan 927K files. That's a bit surprising because both Bitdefender Total security and McAfee+ Premium took around 30 minutes and scanned 1.5M on the same test computer. The reason is that Norton does more of a deep scan before Windows even loads. Oddly, that Startup Scan (as Norton calls it) took 35 minutes and did not report on how many files it found. As for the included VPN, we tested a 150MB download and didn't notice any speed difference whether we had the VPN enabled or not. That finding is the same as the McAfee+ Premium speed test with the VPN, whereas the download with Bitdefender took a bit longer with the VPN enabled. The reason might have to do with how fast the servers are for each product. One discovery with Norton 360 Deluxe is that the 'extras' beyond the antivirus scanning, ransomware protection and included VPN are a mixed bag. Some are powerful and useful, even if advanced features require you to pay for an added subscription. For example, we liked all of the privacy and identity theft features that are included, although they are mostly there as alerts. You can scan the dark web for your email, social security number, and even your mother's maiden name to find any known privacy threats. The downside is that you'll need the Privacy Monitor Assistant add-on that costs $109.99 per year to actually fix any issues automatically, as opposed to fixing them yourself manually. In some tests, the privacy monitoring flagged the wrong person. It showed alerts for someone living at different addresses, which seems like false alarms. Overall, the fact that you have to manually delete old accounts and fix vulnerabilities could mean some users won't bother to take the time -- or will choose to upgrade to the more advanced automatic assistance. Norton also provides plenty of performance features as well. You can check whether software on your computer needs to be updated -- and that's more of a security feature than you might realize. Outdated software is often a huge hole that attackers use to breach a system.. You can also remove junk files and even speed up your computer by disabling some startup files. We bumped into some promotions to upgrade to Norton Utilities for performance boosts. That product costs $69.99 per year. For example, we found 417 broken registries on a PC, but only Norton Utilities lets you fix backups are only supported on Windows, although you can view archives from other devices. Another slight 'gotcha' is the cloud backup limit is for all devices, not per device. A 'protection promise' that says you can get a full refund if you are not able to remove a virus applies to all versions of Norton 360 Deluxe on any platform. We mentioned earlier how Norton 360 Deluxe reminded us of a tax preparation app like TurboTax. That is not a diss. Millions of people use these well-known programs, so they have to be easy to navigate for non-technical users. Norton 360 Deluxe uses a familiar, almost reassuring interface where anything important or that you have to click on is in yellow, like a school bus. Thankfully, the app also shows the most common features front and center. There is a row of buttons on the left for security, performance, privacy and identity. In each section, the most common functions are the most obvious, and then you can drill down to more advanced features. There's even a search function similar to TurboTax for finding features quickly. That makes it easy and quick to find for experienced users and hard to miss for those less experienced ones. Norton offers 24/7 support through online chat or phone. There did not appear to be a way to open a support ticket by email. You can also post in a community forum and, surprisingly, you can also contact tech support through Twitter(X) and Facebook, but that is only for general questions. The online chat starts with a virtual agent that was helpful about an issue related to cloud storage on Mac. A human agent took five minutes to respond and resolved the issue. (Oddly, the virtual bot provided the wrong answer, though the tech contradicted and corrected that advice.) Norton 360 Deluxe is one of the best and most intuitive antivirus apps around, it has extensive features to help you stay protected from security threats, from ransomware protection to botnet blockers, the price is reasonable compared to Bitdefender, and it gets props for having so many antivirus scanning modes. Though our other top pick, Bitdefender, costs $10 less, we'd say McAfee+ Premium is arguably a better value for those with many devices because it protects unlimited devices for about $40 more per month. However, Norton 360 is a thorough and feature-rich choice for those who know they have a set number of devices to protect. Our only caveat is we wish the app didn't prompt us to upgrade to advanced tools so often.
Associated Press
30-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Domestic Violence Survivor Support
At Gen, we believe that everyone should feel safe and able to take full advantage of the digital world. The knowledge that our personal data and financial information are protected brings invaluable peace of mind, and we aim to provide that sense of confidence to individuals across the globe, including members of our most vulnerable communities. That's why we work with organizations like the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), the leading voice in the United States for domestic violence survivors and their advocates. Together, we've joined the fight against technology abuse, a growing part of domestic violence that often includes online stalking, identity theft or financial abuse. Through product donations and volunteer initiatives, we've helped raise awareness of tech-facilitated abuse, created tools that make survivors' lives online safer and more private, and continued to support our nonprofit partners serving these communities on the ground. Providing Survivors with Tools to Help Stay Cyber Safe In 2024, we launched a targeted donation program through our partnership with TechSoup to provide more than 3,700 Norton product licenses to domestic violence survivors across the U.S. TechSoup helps facilitate the donations to the Safe Shelter Collaborative, which in turn delivers the products to survivors through its network of member organizations. The donated products include Norton 360 Deluxe, which can prevent activity or location tracking, information theft, installation of malicious programs and uninvited changes to devices, and Norton Secure VPN, which protects the user's online privacy by hiding the computer's address from websites visited from any device. NNEDV, which represents the 56 U.S. state and territorial domestic violence coalitions, who in turn represent more than 2,000 local programs and the millions of survivors they serve annually, also collaborates on the donation program. Coming Together to Support Survivors Gen team members from across the company have volunteered their time and effort in service of survivors through a series of recent events. In April, our Head of Corporate Responsibility and our Director of AI & Innovation spoke alongside NNEDV representatives on a virtual panel about how to support domestic violence survivors in the digital age. The conversation covered the threats that survivors face online, how to identify tech-facilitated abuse when it happens and how advocates can help survivors increase their digital privacy. The event also shone a spotlight on some of the digital resources we've co-created with NNEDV, such as the Financial Abuse and Technology Guide and the Securing Devices and Accounts Guide. These tools are in addition to our $100,000 annual grant to NNEDV, supporting the organization's Safety Net technology abuse response initiative as well as its Economic Justice program. Subsequently, Gen team members at every one of our U.S. locations, including our new MoneyLion offices in New York and New Jersey, as well as our remote U.S. employees, participated in events facilitated by that benefited domestic violence survivors as part of our 2025 Global Volunteer Week. Together, Gen volunteers assembled nearly 500 backpacks for survivors that included food, hygiene items and physical copies of the resources we developed with NNEDV to help survivors stay safe online. This meaningful partnership with NNEDV helped enhance the impact of the events and further spread the word about the organization's critical work. 'I grew up in and used to work in shelters around New York, so I know how much this means,' said one volunteer. 'We wrote messages for survivors and packed kits with everyday essentials... And it was great to be able to do good alongside coworkers.' These grants were awarded from the Gen Foundation, a corporate advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Gen Digital Inc.
Tom's Guide
28-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
Avast Premium antivirus review
Avast Premium is a powerful antivirus program that's loaded with extra features. Compared to some of the best antivirus programs, this low-cost package doesn't throw in bloatware to make it seem like the subscription fee is worth it. Instead, you'll be able to create a backup of your sensitive files to protect against ransomware, search for sensitive files and protect them against prying eyes, and even block your biggest surprise with Avast Premium is that the list of security features doesn't stop there -- there is so much to explore in the app that it might even seem overwhelming at first. The antivirus software doesn't mess around, it also offers a highly capable security tool for protecting your email called Email Guardian. The app protects against DNS hijacking and remote desktop exploits, both dangerous and all-too-common attacks. Yet, with all of this power comes a downside: Avast Premium does not include a VPN or a password manager, features that are often included in competing products. You can still rely on the extensive security protection but will have to add a VPN and password manager if those are features you're going to need. That means Avast Premium can't best Bitdefender Total Security, our top pick for antivirus software. It's also not as capable as McAfee+ Premium or Norton 360 Deluxe. All three of those top picks include a VPN and a password manager for one subscription fee. (Thought Bitdefender Total Security has a 200 MB per day limit on the VPN and includes a trial version of the password manager.) Avast also tends to include many 'reminders' to upgrade to their VPN app, Avast SecureLine VPN, and add their performance tool, Avast Cleanup. That said, if you're mainly looking for extensive security protection, Avast Premium is a wise choice. Even with all of this security capability, Avast Premium is actually one of the lowest cost options out there, cheaper than most security packages for consumer use. To protect one device, the subscription fee is only $79.99, which is a good $30 less than most antivirus programs like Bitdefender. For protecting 10 devices, the yearly cost is only $99.99, which is about $10-$20 less than antivirus products from Norton, Bitdefender, and McAfee with a similar feature set. There's an exceptional value here if you can set aside the fact that the Premium version does not include a VPN or a password manager -- which are included with Norton 360 Deluxe and McAfee+ Premium. In fact, McAfee+ Premium does not set a limit on how many devices you can protect. With Avast, you can select the package for one device or 10. The app works with Apple Mac, Windows, tablets or your smartphone (iOS or Android). Avast includes limited privacy protection features, such as a data shield for your sensitive documents and a data shredder. For performance tools, the app only includes a tool for seeing if your installed software needs an update and a way to disable notifications while you work. That last feature is a bit unusual and seems to be mostly about not being interrupted. As mentioned, the security features are quite extensive and include a few options that go beyond our top picks in the category, such as Bitdefender and Norton 360. For virus scanning, you can do a quick scan or targeted (which allows you to select specific folders). Like Norton 360, you can also do a boot detector scan which runs before you load Windows. Digging into the app, there's a new feature to explore at every turn. You can scan your computer for sensitive information -- such as a Social Security number in a PDF or login info -- and then add extra protection to those documents by blocking access to them. The Email Guardian feature worked perfectly by scanning incoming messages, then adding a 'safe' label to emails that did not pose a threat. There's a sandbox mode to run any app in a protected environment, and a banking mode that lets you conduct financial transactions in a browser that runs on top of Windows. (You can't even take a screenshot when in that mode.) Avast doesn't stop there. You can run a dedicated browser beyond the bank mode, although it should be noted this Avast browser is available for free. The browser runs in a safe mode that doesn't allow you to be tracked by advertisers and blocks harmful sites. Avast Premium is a speedy and capable app while lacking some of the polish of Norton 360 Deluxe (though both apps are made by the same company). That straightforward design is a benefit for those who just want to run antivirus scans. In our tests, a fast scan only took about three minutes; faster than the Bitdefender, McAfee, and Norton antivirus offerings. The full boot sector scan took 12 minutes, which is about 15-20 minutes faster than the competing apps. However, Avast Premium only found about 900,000 files on the same PC used to test the competitors, which found about 1.5M files. Since Avast Premium does not include a VPN, we weren't able to test downloads using that encrypted connection. However, Avast Premium generally ran faster than the glossier competing apps, and we noticed the iOS and Android apps both operated in a streamlined way. When looking to measure how an antivirus program protects against actual threats, we compare the results produced by independent labs: AV Test, AV Comparatives and SE Labs. In AV Test's Jan/February 2025 Product Review and Certification Report, Avast scored 6 out of 6 in protection scoring where it was able to scan through over 16,000 samples in four weeks to search for malware samples. It also produced only three false positives in over 850,000 samples. In AV Comparatives March 2025 Malware Protection Test Avast scored a 99.96% protection rate and scanned over 10,026 files, correctly catching 4 compromised ones. However it produced ten false positives during this testing, much the same as Norton. In SE Labs' 2023 Endpoint Security testing, Avast produced 100% accuracy against both targeted and general attacks with zero false positives. While Avast Premium is loaded with security features as described above, the package is a little thin on extra protection for privacy and when it comes to disk cleanup tools and other features meant to make your PC or Mac run faster and leaner. It's clear that Avast Premium is focused primarily on antivirus protection, and if that is what you really need, this might be a top choice. Some of the competing apps in the space add both privacy and performance enhancing features designed to make your PC run safer and faster, but Avast mostly points you to add-on programs with a separate subscription fee. For example, you can scan for privacy problems and see the results, but to actually fix any of those issues, Avast only offers an option to buy Avast Secure Identity which costs $99.99 per year. That app does provide access to experts to help resolve identity theft problems, so it may be worth it depending on the issues you're facing. For performance-related functions like disk cleanup, you will need to buy Avast Cleanup Premium which costs $41.88 per year. That app can remove hidden files, clean up a broken registry, and even fix fragmented disk problems. It's similar to the Norton disk cleanup app. Avast Premium is a slim and functional app. It lacks the polish of a slicker and more polished app like Norton 360 Deluxe, which has a clean white and yellow look. The Avast interface looks more dated, although it was never hard to find a feature or run a utility. The interface has a black and green interface with red labels on anything important or that needs to be addressed. As such, you can find issues and solutions for them quickly. There are obvious buttons on the left for protection, privacy and performance -- although as stated above, the privacy and performance functions are limited. That means you might spend most of your time running antivirus tools. However, that may be exactly what you need and is what Avast Premium focuses on most. Avast Premium comes with 24x7 tech support by chat, and during our tests, the technicians helped resolve a question about cloud storage easily (the app does not offer cloud storage). The phone support is more for billing questions, but you can also send in a support ticket by email. Avast Premium is a highly capable antivirus package that focuses on the most serious security threats -- protecting you from ransomware scams, protecting sensitive documents, and even offering a safe browser for banking and other online activity. It's also reasonably priced,protecting one device costs lower than Norton, McAfee, and Bitdefender. In the end, Avast Premium is a good choice for antivirus protection at a fair price, but the lack of any privacy protection, a VPN or a password manager makes it less compelling.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
bolt Partners With C Spire to Deliver C Spire Tech Protection
The collaboration will offer advanced tech protection for customers of C Spire's wireless and internet plans ALPHARETTA, GA / / March 13, 2025 / bolt, the insurtech with the world's largest technology-enabled insurance exchange, in collaboration with C Spire, a leading wireless and internet provider recognized for delivering customer inspired service and solutions, today announced the launch of C Spire Tech Protection. Seamless access to technology is essential for consumers with the rise in remote work, adoption of smart home devices, and household reliance on digital services. By 2027, an estimated 93.59 million U.S. households will use smart home technology[1], at the same time, cybersecurity threats continue to rise[2], exposing consumers to greater risks. With this growing connectivity, many lack a single, unified protection plan to safeguard all their essential devices, leaving critical gaps in their digital security. With these customer needs in mind, the bolt and C Spire partnership has created C Spire Tech Protection offered as part of customers' wireless and internet plans and designed for complete protection for their digital lives including home office, entertainment and smart home devices, Norton 360 Deluxe cyber security, and 24/7 online technical support. "We are extremely impressed with bolt's advanced insurtech capabilities and flexible, all-digital customer journeys," said Craig Jackson, SVP & General Manger, Consumer Markets for C Spire. "They are truly a collaborative partner that brings a wealth of global knowledge and experience that we can leverage to deliver new and innovative solutions to our customers." "C Spire is a market and thought leader with a passion and commitment to delivering innovative customer-centric solutions," said Clayton Bodnarek, EVP of Alternative Distribution at bolt. "We are thrilled to launch this partnership and work alongside the C Spire team to protect and better serve their customers." For more information on C Spire, please visit To learn more about bolt, visit ### About bolt bolt is the leading distribution platform for P&C insurance, uniting distributors and insurers to transform the way insurance is bought and sold. The result is the world's largest tech-enabled exchange of insurance products, including two-thirds of America's leading insurers, helping businesses of all kinds distribute insurance, expand market reach, and meet more of the insurance and protection needs of customers. For more information, visit About C Spire C Spire is a diversified telecommunications and technology services company that provides world-class, customer-inspired wireless communications, Gigabit consumer Internet access as well as a full suite of dedicated Internet, wireless, IP Voice, data, cloud and managed IT services for businesses and enterprises. This news release and other announcements are available at For more information about C Spire, visit or follow us on Facebook at or X at Sources: [1] Strategic Market Research - Smart Home Statistics and Trends 2024 [2] National Cybersecurity Alliance - Cybersecurity Predictions for 2025: Challenges and Opportunities bolt Media Contact:Ross StevensAccount ManagerCaliber Corporate Advisersbolt@ SOURCE: bolt insurance View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
C Spire Partners with bolt to Launch C Spire Tech Protection for Home Devices
New home device protection offering provides comprehensive coverage for $21.99/month. RIDGELAND, Miss., March 11, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--C Spire, a diversified telecommunications and technology services company, announces a partnership with bolt, the insurtech with the world's largest technology-enabled insurance exchange, to launch C Spire Tech Protection, a new home device protection offering. In today's digitally connected world, consumers invest significantly in tech devices, often adding extended warranties that can be expensive and complex to manage. C Spire Tech Protection streamlines this by offering a single, comprehensive plan that covers multiple devices, simplifying the warranty experience at an affordable monthly cost. "We are dedicated to not only providing the latest technology that improves our customers' lives but also helping them safeguard the devices they rely on for connectivity," said Craig Jackson, senior vice president and general manager of consumer markets for C Spire. "C Spire Tech Protection is another way to further empower our customers, protect their home devices at an affordable cost, and provide them peace of mind." With C Spire Tech Protection, customers will have access to protection for accidental damage, mechanical breakdowns, and electrical malfunctions for smart home, home entertainment, and home office devices including but not limited to laptops, televisions, gaming systems, Bluetooth speakers, smart security cameras, tablets, sound bars and much more. "C Spire is a market and thought leader with a passion and commitment to delivering innovative customer-centric solutions," said Clayton Bodnarek, EVP of Alternative Distribution at bolt. "C Spire's Tech Protection offer is a game changer that takes a wholistic approach to keeping customers connected and safe. Powered by bolt's all digital AI enabled journeys, C Spire customers have the power to manage their digital lives at their fingertips." Through the partnership with bolt, C Spire will offer tech protection to customers for $21.99 per month. Key benefits of C Spire Tech Protection with bolt include: One plan/unlimited number of devices covered Digital technical support to help troubleshoot eligible devices Simple digital claims process Affordable repairs/replacements Ability to cancel at any time Access to Norton 360 Deluxe digital security and technical support for up to five covered devices C Spire wireless and home customers interested in C Spire Tech Protection can visit a local C Spire store for more details or learn more at To learn more about bolt, visit About C Spire C Spire is a diversified telecommunications and technology services company that provides world-class, customer-inspired wireless communications, multi-gigabit consumer Internet access as well as a full suite of dedicated Internet, wireless, IP Voice, data, cloud and managed IT services for businesses and enterprises. This news release and other announcements are available at For more information about C Spire, visit or follow us on Facebook at or X at About bolt With a mission to build the world's leading technology-enabled ecosystem for protection and insurance, bolt has a proven track record of technology innovation with deep insurance expertise. We work with hundreds of leading insurers and business partners across industries, to serve millions of customers worldwide. bolttech Group now spans more than 35 markets across four continents, making us the most internationally scaled insurtech in the world. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Courtney Grimes, C Spire (601) 746-2737, cgrimes@ Sign in to access your portfolio
