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Norton 360, developed by Symantec, is an “all-in-one” security suite for the consumer market.

It was first released in 2007, but was discontinued in 2014; its features were carried over to its successor, Norton Security. ^[1]

In 2019, Symantec, under its new corporate name NortonLifeLock, began promoting a "NEW Norton 360" as a product replacement for Norton Security.^[2]

Version history[edit]

Project Genesis[edit]

Symantec announced Project Genesis on February 7, 2006. Genesis would differ from Symantec's other consumer security products by incorporating file backup and performance optimization tools with antivirus capabilities and a firewall.^[3]Phishing protection and real-time heuristics were also planned. Windows Vista compatibility was a major aspect of Genesis. Genesis was slated for release in September. In May 2005, Microsoft announced Windows Live OneCare, a security suite with similar functionalities, slated for release in 2006.

Genesis was renamed Norton 360 on May 31, 2006. Its feature set was confirmed—it would have the same functionalities as Norton Internet Security—with file backup, performance tools, phishing protection, and real-time heuristics. A public beta test was planned for summer 2006. The final release date was set at the end of 2006.^[4][5] The same day, McAfee announced Falcon, a security suite with similar functionalities as Norton 360 and OneCare.^[6] However, those dates were delayed. OneCare was launched in summer 2006 while Falcon entered public beta testing.

Some viewed Norton 360 as a response to Microsoft's antivirus software, OneCare. However, with the release of OneCare, some saw Symantec as lagging behind its rivals. Mark Bregman, Symantec's vice president, claimed the upcoming Norton 360 was not intended to compete with OneCare, stating "We somehow left the wrong impression in the market place that there's Windows Live OneCare from Microsoft, there's Falcon from McAfee, and there's nothing from Symantec."^[7]

The first public beta was delivered in November 2006, compatible with Windows XP. A second beta was subsequently released December 20, 2006, adding compatibility for Windows Vista build 6000.^[8][9] After 100,000 people tested the software, Symantec began distribution to retailers in February 2007.^[10]

Version 1.0[edit]

Version 1.0 was released on February 26, 2007. This version was the first Symantec product to use SONAR to detect zero-day viruses. It monitors applications for malicious behavior, taking action as needed.^[11] The backup and restore functionality allowed users to back up files online or to a hard drive, CD, or DVD. Performance optimization tools allowed users to clear web browser history and temporary files. A disk defragmenter was bundled as part of the optimization tools. Phishing protection integrates with Internet Explorer, warning users of fraudulent sites.

In Windows XP, a 300 megahertz processor, 256 megabytes of RAM, and 300 MB of hard disk space is required. Under Vista, an 800 MHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 300 MB of hard disk space is required.

Reviews cited Norton 360's low resource usage, relative to Norton Internet Security 2007, and phishing protection. PC Magazine found the phishing protection feature to be more effective at blocking access to fraudulent sites than Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2.^[12][13] However, reviewers highlighted the lack of manual control for advanced users. CNET noted the lack of phishing protection for browsers other than Internet Explorer, such as Mozilla Firefox. CNET also highlighted the lack of wireless network tools, such as notifying users when someone uninvited joins the network or help encrypting wireless signals. PC Magazine criticized the antispam filter of Version 1.0, finding it blocked only half of the spam mail, and with five percent false positive rate.^[14]

Version 2.0[edit]

Version 2.0 was released March 3, 2008. The backup feature can now inscribe data to Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. Multiple installations of Norton 360 can also be managed from a centralized location. When backing up files online, the user can control the amount of bandwidth Norton uses.^[15] A registry cleaner is bundled with the performance tools, allowing the user to remove invalid entries. Phishing protection for Firefox was added. Supplementing the phishing protection is the Norton Identity Safe, which stores login credentials to websites. A network map allows users to view the status of other Norton installations on networked computers and view basic information about each computer. System requirements remain the same as version 1.0.

PC Magazine found the spam filter to be inaccurate, with a 25 percent false positive rate.^[16] CNET encountered problems when installing version 2.0 on legacy machines.^[17]

Version 3.0[edit]

Norton 360 version 3.0 box art

Version 3.0 was released on March 4, 2009.^[18] This version uses the same codebase as Norton Internet Security 2009. For earlier versions, Symantec rewrote code specifically for Norton 360.^[19]

Version 3.0 incorporates Norton Safe Web, offered as a standalone service earlier. Safe Web integrates with Firefox and Internet Explorer as a toolbar, blocking access to fraudulent and malware hosting sites. This toolbar also includes a search box, routing search queries typed in the box through the Ask.com search engine. The toolbar does not share code with the Ask.com toolbar, which was classified as spyware by McAfee, Trend Micro, and other antivirus vendors. Due to criticism of the search functionality, Symantec announced the Ask.com search box would be hidden in future releases of version 3.0.^[20][21][22]

The capability to back up files to a flash drive was introduced in this release. Files stored on a flash drive can be copied to another computer without Norton 360 installed. Norton also creates a virtual drive in Windows Explorer, allowing users to browse their backup files, stored locally or online. Users can restore individual files using the drag-and-drop technique. Version 3.0 does not retain previous versions of files and skips files which are open by another program. A startup application manager was included in this release, allowing users to control which programs start at login. To complement the application manager, Norton can measure the impact programs have on login time.^[23]

PC Magazine highlighted version 3.0's inaccurate spam filter, misfiling half of valid mail as spam. PC Magazine also noted a support session with a Symantec technician who used the shareware application Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to remove malware from a computer, referring to it as an "online Norton program". Controversy was raised over the fact the technician misleadingly referred to the program as a Symantec product.^[24]

Version 4.0[edit]

Version 4.0 was released on February 17, 2010.^[25] This version adds many new security features found in Norton Internet Security 2010.^[26] Version 4 also features a GUI change. The prominent colors now match the gold and black sunburst of Norton Internet Security. The widely criticized antispam has been replaced with the far more effective Brightmail, which according to Symantec gives 20% better results and require no training.^[26][27]

Version 5.0[edit]

Version 5.0 was released in February 2011 and offers improved performance and virus detection. It also provides updated versions of SONAR (version 3) and System insight. Download Insight now not only supports Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers only, but also supports the following clients: QQ (Chat), MSN Messenger (Chat), Limewire (P2P), MSN Explorer (Browser, E-mail & Chat), Opera (Browser), Outlook (E-mail), Thunderbird (E-mail), Windows Mail (E-mail), Chrome (Browser), BitTorrent (P2P), AOL (Browser), Yahoo Messenger (Chat), Safari (Browser), FileZilla (File Manager), Outlook Express (E-mail).

It features a new and enhanced interface with more realistic icons and animations and it also includes Norton Widgets - a platform that integrates other Symantec online services directly in the UI. Also new for this version are Reputation scan, that gives the user clear insight of the loaded applications and files and the Safeweb for Facebook, which scans the links on the wall to verify their safety. Links to Norton Recovery Tools have been added in the scanner's interface and in the start menu folder to help in restoring a highly infected system. The backup and restore functionality has also been improved. Passmark performance test 011 rated Norton 360 5.0 as the fastest and lightest all-in-one suite.

Version 6.0[edit]

Featured Metered Broadband modes, and easily remembers logins and other personal info while protecting against online identity theft.

Version-Less (unofficially 7.0 or 2013) 20.0[edit]

This version of Norton was released on September 5, 2012, together with the newest Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security products. It was described as Version-Less in Symantec's press release^[28] alluding to automatic updates that always keep the software to its latest version. There is no specific version reference anywhere in the description of the software. The software is compatible with Windows 8. This version of Norton 360 features enhancements in social networking protection, anti-scam capabilities, and stronger networking defenses. Norton also introduced the extra tune up disk optimizer.

Version 21 (2014)[edit]

Version 21 of Norton's security suite was released on September 4, 2013, together with the newest Norton Antivirus and Norton Internet Security products. Norton 360 is an antivirus solution developed on SONAR technology, which claims to be able to detect any threat, block it, and remove it, thanks to three out of five layers of shields: Threat Monitoring, Threat Removal, and Network Defense, the last one dealing with online threats before they can actually reach the user’s computer. Protection is also granted through analyzing the behavior of known menaces.

Another important aspect derives from stealth capabilities, as the five shields work silently in the background, performing scans, updates and back-ups automatically with no need whatsoever to care for important files. Browser Protection and Download Insight have a keen eye for dangerous applications, warning the user about eventual threats before running them on the computer.

Version 22 (2015)[edit]

Version 22 was released on September 22, 2014.^[29] This release was marketed as Norton Security 2015, however Norton 360 users are able to update to v22, even when Norton is retiring the Norton 360 brand. The appearance of the software is identical to Norton Security 2015, except for the product name in the top-left corner.

Norton 360 (2019)[edit]

In April 2019, the Norton 360 brand was revived to replace Norton Security, adding Norton Secure VPN, 10 GB of online backup per-user, as well as premium plans incorporating LifeLock identity theft protection.^[30][31]

Norton 360 Editions[edit]

Norton 360 is available as Norton 360 (standard), Norton 360 Premier Edition, and Norton 360 Multi-Device. The Premier Edition has all the functions of the standard edition, with the difference that it comes with 25 GB of online storage versus 2 GB which is included with the standard edition. Norton 360 Multi-Device is actually three products in one subscription: Norton 360 Premier Edition, Norton Internet Security for Mac®, and Norton Mobile Security. The comparison between Norton 360 editions and Norton One shows all of the features and OS coverage.^[32] Norton 360- Gold Edition credit card type with 5 unique sets of alpha-numeric key data on reverse is sold with the instructions to go online and install on the installation page.

Norton 360 software is not sold; it is a purchased subscription for a stated period (e.g. one year). The software (e.g. firewall, antivirus) is automatically disabled at the end of the subscription period, unless a new subscription is purchased.

A special edition of Norton 360 Premier Edition, branded Norton Security Suite, is available for free to PC customers of Comcast Xfinity internet service. The only difference between Norton 360 Premier Edition and Norton Security Suite is the latter does not include any online storage feature. (Norton Internet Security for Mac is also available free for Comcast Xfinity customers.) Major version updates to Norton Security Suite typically occur about 1 month or more after Norton 360.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview compatibility[edit]

Windows 8 consumer preview was released on February 29, 2012.^[33] Symantec announced that Norton AntiVirus and Internet Security, as well as the newest Norton 360 version 6 will be compatible with Windows 8.^[34]

Disadvantages of older versions before 3.0[edit]

FBI cooperation[edit]

Symantec, in compliance with the FBI, whitelisted Magic Lantern, a keylogger developed by the FBI. The purpose of Magic Lantern is to obtain passwords to encrypted e-mail as part of a criminal investigation. Magic Lantern was first reported in the media by Bob Sullivan of MSNBC on November 20, 2001 and by Ted Bridis of the Associated Press.^[35] Magic Lantern is deployed as an e-mail attachment. When the attachment is opened, a trojan horse is installed on the suspect's computer. The trojan horse is activated when the suspect uses PGP encryption, often used to increase the security of sent e-mail messages. When activated, the trojan horse will log the PGP password, which allows the FBI to decrypt user communications.^[36] Symantec and other major antivirus vendors have whitelisted Magic Lantern, rendering their antivirus products, including Norton Internet Security, incapable of detecting Magic Lantern. Concerns include uncertainties about Magic Lantern's full potential and whether hackers could subvert it for purposes outside the jurisdiction of the law.^[37][38]

Graham Cluley, a technology consultant from Sophos, said "We have no way of knowing if it was written by the FBI, and even if we did, we wouldn’t know whether it was being used by the FBI or if it had been commandeered by a third party".^[39] Another reaction came from Marc Maiffret, chief technical officer and cofounder of eEye Digital Security, "Our customers are paying us for a service, to protect them from all forms of malicious code. It is not up to us to do law enforcement's job for them so we do not, and will not, make any exceptions for law enforcement malware or other tools."^[40]

FBI spokesman Paul Bresson, in response if Magic Lantern needed a court order to deploy, "Like all technology projects or tools deployed by the FBI it would be used pursuant to the appropriate legal process."^[41][42] Proponents of Magic Lantern argue the technology would allow law enforcement to efficiently and quickly decrypt messages protected by encryption schemes. Implementing Magic Lantern does not require physical access to a suspect's computer, unlike Carnivore, a predecessor to Magic Lantern, since physical access to a computer would require a court order.^[43]

Uninstallation[edit]

Norton Internet Security (Windows versions) is criticized for not uninstalling completely, leaving unnecessary files and registry entries.^[44][45] Versions prior to 3.0 also installed a separate LiveUpdate program, which updates Norton-branded software. The user must uninstall both Norton Internet Security and the LiveUpdate component manually. The LiveUpdate component is purposely left behind to update other Norton-branded products, if present. Symantec has developed the Norton Removal Tool to remove registry keys and values along with files and folders.^[46] The uninstaller must be run twice: initially, then again after a computer restart, requiring a second restart. Uninstallation will not remove subscription data, which is preserved to prevent users from installing multiple trial copies.

Windows Service Packs[edit]

When Norton 360 version 2.0 is installed, users have encountered incompatibilities upgrading to Windows XP Service Pack 3 or Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Users report numerous invalid Windows Registry keys being added by a tool named fixcss.exe, resulting in an empty Device Manager and missing devices such as wireless network adapters.^[47][48] Symantec initially blamed Microsoft for the incompatibilities but has since accepted partial responsibility.

Dave Cole, senior director of product management, acknowledged that users running Norton products were experiencing problems, but said the numbers are small. Cole also said that Symantec had done "extensive testing" of its products with Windows XP SP3, but this issue was not encountered. Cole blamed Microsoft "This is related to XP SP3." Microsoft recommended for users to contact Windows customer support.^[49] To resolve the problem, Symantec has issued a fix intended for users before upgrading.^[47] Symantec also recommends disabling the tamper protection component in the 2008 release, dubbed SymProtect.^[48] A tool to remove the added registry entries is available from Symantec.^[47]

Windows Vista[edit]

Sarah Hicks, Symantec's vice president of consumer product management, voiced concern over Windows Vista 64-bit's PatchGuard feature. PatchGuard was designed by Microsoft to ensure the integrity of the kernel, a part of an operating system which interacts with the hardware. Rootkits may hide in an operating system's kernel, complicating removal.^[50] Mike Dalton, European president of McAfee said, "The decision to build a wall around the kernel with the assumption it can't be breached is ridiculous", claiming Microsoft was preventing security vendors from effectively protecting the kernel while promoting its own security product, Windows Live OneCare.^[51] Hicks said Symantec did not mind the competition from OneCare.^[52] Symantec later published a white paper detailing PatchGuard with instructions to obtain a PatchGuard exploit.^[53][54][55] After negotiations and investigations from antitrust regulators, Microsoft decided to allow security vendors access to the kernel by creating special API instructions.^[56]

Subscription expiration[edit]

Norton 360 comes with a one-year subscription which is activated upon installation, and is valid for three home computers. Expiration of the subscription not only blocks access to program updates but shuts down the antivirus and the firewall as well. All the other tools, such as the bundled password manager with user saved passwords are also inaccessible. Users often do not understand that they will be completely exposed, so their PCs become infected by viruses.^[57]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Several years ago, Norton’s antivirus software had some problems — annoying notifications, a complicated interface, and sluggish performance. But all that has changed.

Nowadays, Norton 360 is exceptional, guaranteeing 100% protection from malware, spyware, phishing threats, digital surveillance, and identity theft — all without annoying notifications or impacting device performance.

Not only does it defend against malware, it streamlines cybersecurity management with integrated features like a password manager, cloud backup, and a VPN. It even has some of the best parental controls on the market.

I’m convinced that Norton 360 is the best Norton product yet — in fact, it ranked #1 against other powerful antivirus competitors like Kaspersky and TotalAV on my list of the best antivirus products of 2020.

After extensive testing, here’s everything I found out about Norton 360.

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Norton 360 Security Features

Norton 360 is built around 5 core security features:

• Device Security.
• Cloud Backup.
• Secure VPN.
• Password Manager.
• Parental Control (360 Deluxe and 360 Premium only).

I’m going to give a detailed analysis of each of these features. For a full overview of everything Norton 360 has to offer, see the Plans and Pricing section below.

Device Security

Norton consistently ranks among the top-performing cybersecurity products on the market, and there’s no question that it’s a powerful antivirus application. Norton achieved perfect results defending my computer against the 17 different malware tests I ran on it — comparable to other big names like Bitdefender and McAfee.

It quickly quarantined every malicious file, and it stopped all suspicious processes from running. Norton prevented simulated attempts toencrypt my files, transfer data away from my computer, and hijack my CPU for cryptocurrency mining.

I also tested Norton’s Full Scan, which was completed in under 2 hours. I was able to use my computer throughout the scan without any slowdown.

I’d intentionally let one malware file escape Norton’s real-time protection by choosing not to quarantine it. Norton’s Full Scan detected this file.

My first-hand testing confirmed Norton’s excellent antivirus reputation. I also found Norton’s security tools to be lightweight, fast, and easy to use. There’s no doubt in my mind that Norton deserves top marks in malware protection.

If your device is infected, and Norton can’t remove the virus, you could get a full refund under Norton’s “Virus Protection Promise”. This is a generous offer — McAfee and Comodo have a similar policy, but few other brands offer a guarantee like this.

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Cloud Backup

Norton’s “Cloud Backup” feature offers secure remote storage for your important files.

Norton’s cheapest plan, 360 Standard, includes 10 GB of Cloud Backup space. Norton 360 Deluxe offers 50 GB, and the most expensive plan, Norton 360 Premium,offers 75 GB.

This is excellent value across all plans — much more generous than the competition. For comparison, Comodo’s top-tier plan, Comodo Internet Security Complete, offers 50 GB of storage. Kaspersky’s highest-priced plan, Kaspersky Total Security, offers only 2 GB.

Cloud Backup is convenient — you can easily access your files across your phone, your home computer, your work computer, or anywhere you can access the internet. You won’t lose access to your data if your computer gets damaged, lost, or stolen.

But besides convenience, there’s another reason that Norton offers cloud storage — to protect against ransomware.

Hackers can use ransomware to encrypt your files and force you to pay for the decryption key. Cloud Backup is a way to defend against this threat. If your files are safely backed-up on Norton’s servers, it won’t matter so much if the originals get encrypted.

Like most of Norton’s features, Cloud Backup is very user-friendly. When setting up Cloud Backup, Norton let me choose which files to back up, where to back them up,and how often.

Norton lets you backup your data by file-type — like pictures, office documents, emails, etc.

You can schedule backups on a weekly or monthly basis. But most impressive is the “automatic backup” option — Norton can back up my files whenever I’m not using my computer. This minimizes the chance of losing any data, without causing any slowdown.

In short, Norton Cloud Backup is an excellent cloud storage service.

I already have some cloud storage space with Dropbox and Google Drive. However, I found Norton’s Cloud Backup feature to be superior to even those well-known services — mostly because of how easy it was to back up my files automatically.

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Parental Control

My child isn’t yet old enough to go online independently, but I’ve been shopping around for high-quality online parental control software in preparation for that fateful day! I believe that quality parental control software is an essential investment for any parent. And Norton offers the best parental controls I’ve ever tested.

My first step in setting up Norton Parental Control was to create a profile for my child. Norton provides presets for four different age groups. Younger children should have very strict controls, whereas older children need a little more freedom.

I named my child “Child 1”, and I set her age range at 12-14 years old. Norton also offers more detailed customization options if you want them, but I kept them at the defaults.

Once I’d set up Parental Control on my computer, Norton prompted me to install the “Norton Family” app on my child’s device.

Setting up that other device was very simple.

Unsurprisingly, the app requested a lot of device permissions. Norton helpfully explains why it needs each permission:

Norton is careful and transparent around privacy. Norton asked me to consent to specific functions — such as Location Supervision — on my child’s behalf, and it explained the implications of doing so.

Once I’d enabled Location Supervision, Norton showed me the location of Child 1’s device on Google Maps.

I then used the Parental Control feature to limit how much time Child 1 could spend on her device per day. I also imposed a curfew, which disables some apps after a certain time of day.

Here’s what Norton displayed on Child 1’s device when I tried to use an app after the curfew time:

This might seem a little strict. However, children can access the “House Rules” at any time to see how Parental Control monitors and restricts their behavior.

I couldn’t find a way to turn this “House Rules” function off on Child 1’s device. In my view, this is a good thing. In my opinion, it’s important to be open with your child about using any sort of parental control software.

I also received an email to let me know what Child 1 had been doing on her device that week.

Norton offers a lot of details about your child’s online activity. However, Norton Parental Control will not help you spy on your kids’ communications. There is software available for this (such as the keylogging software, Kidlogger). But I much prefer Norton’s respectful approach.

Kaspersky Total Protection also has a good parental control feature. However, I find Norton to be much more intuitive than Kaspersky. Norton Parental Control never felt complicated, despite offering extremely detailed customization options.

Norton’s Parental Control feature is only available with one of the plans offering support for multiple devices, like Norton 360 Deluxe and Norton 360 Premium. If you’re a parent, I strongly recommend investing in one of these plans — this feature alone makes it worth the upgrade.

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Secure VPN

A VPN (virtual private network) hides your IP address, using a process called “tunneling” to make your IP address (i.e. your physical location) hidden — it’s also encrypted, making it impossible for hackers to spy on you while using the internet. Whether you’re trying to avoid data scraping ISPs, protect against hackers on public Wi-Fi networks, download sensitive files, or unblock geo-restricted streaming content, a VPN is an essential tool.

Norton Secure VPN has a strict “no log” policy. This means that Norton doesn’t record your browsing history when you use its VPN, keeping your online activity truly private. Some VPN companies — especially free ones — track your browsing history, but the internet traffic sent through Norton Secure VPN is highly encrypted. This means that even if someone did intercept your traffic, they’d be unable to see what you’re doing.

A VPN also lets you hide your true location by connecting to secure servers all around the world, so you can access online content that’s unavailable where you live. I used Norton’s VPN to access USA Netflix even though I live in the UK. Norton Secure VPN has servers in over 30 countries, which is a lot. For comparison, McAfee’s VPN has servers across 22 countries, and Kaspersky’s only has servers across 18 countries.

Another great thing about Norton Secure VPN is that it lets you use unlimited data. Many other antivirus companies place data limits on their VPNs — Kaspersky (300 MB per day), Bitdefender (200 MB per day), and Panda (150 MB per day, with unlimited access on the most expensive plan).

But it’s not all great — a VPN can slow down your internet speed. I ran a few speed tests on Norton Secure VPN with the internet speed testing service Ookla.

First, I tested the speed of my broadband connection without the VPN running.

My regular broadband, without an active VPN connection, provided speeds of 40.68 Mbps.

Next, I connected to Norton Secure VPN. I chose a server in the United Kingdom — my actual location — which was likely to be the fastest virtual location, but I still expected the VPN to slow my speed a little.

My download speeds slowed to 16.48 Mbps. This is a pretty significant slowdown, butit wouldn’t be noticeable for most online activities except streaming very, very high-quality video (e.g. 4K HD).

Next, I tried connecting to a server in France. I expected this to be a little slower than with my UK test, but not much because France is pretty close to where I live.

My download speed slowed to 16.44 Mbps, which was barely any slower than when I connected to the server in the UK — still a pretty good speed.

Next, I tried connecting via the United States. This is a long way from home, but a good location for accessing the latest movies and TV shows.

Connecting via the United States gave me a download rate of just 2.40 Mbps. Ouch! This is fine for regular web browsing, but not good enough for even Standard Definition video. My upload rate was (weirdly) much higher, at 5.45 Mbps.

My regular VPN provider, Dashlane (a password manager), scored significantly better — providing download speeds of 23.98 Mbps when I connected to a UK server, 25.09 Mbps when I connected via France, and 21.86 Mbps when I connected via the US.

Norton’s VPN is disappointingly slow. Kaspersky’s VPN is faster (it uses the well-known VPN provider Hotspot Shield), as is TotalAV’s (which uses Windscribe). But there are drawbacks with these other brands — Kaspersky’s VPN has strict data limits, and TotalAV’s VPN costs extra.

But despite its poor speeds, Norton’s VPN will serve most users well. The “no log” privacy policy and unlimited data are significant advantages to many competitors. It’s also easy to use, and it’s included with all plans. Unless you want to use it to stream ultra-HD video from a server in the US, you should find it suits your needs just fine.

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Password Manager

Norton Password Manager lets you:

• Store usernames, passwords, text notes, contact details, and payment card details using secure 256-bit AES encryption.
• Assess the strength of your existing passwords.
• Generate strong new passwords.
• Automatically change passwords on over 60 sites including Facebook, Amazon, and eBay.
• Autofill login details, addresses, and payment information as you browse the web.

Norton Password Manager runs as a web app in your browser. I tested it on both Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. Keep in mind that I’ve tested many password managers, so my standards are very high.

After installing the Password Manager Browser extension, Norton helped me create my Password Vault. The first step is to create a vault password, and Norton immediately tells you how strong your password is.

Once I had created my vault password, Norton took me to my Password Vault.

The Password Vault has a clear and simple interface. The “Safety Dashboard” tool gives you an overall score for the strength of your passwords. Along with login credentials, you can also store payment details, addresses, and notes in the Password Vault.

Norton Password Manager also has an “Autochange Password” feature. It can automatically change your password on compatible sites with just one click. This works on over 60 sites, including Facebook, Amazon, and eBay.

Features like Norton’s Autochange Password are very rare, even among the best password managers on the market. It’s really impressive that Norton Password Manager can do this.

As far as I’m aware, only Dashlane and LastPass offer a similar feature. Dashlane’s version is more developed, and works on over 300 sites. However, LastPass’s version only works on 50 sites — fewer than Norton Password Manager.

Like most password managers, Norton Password Manager also automatically detects username and password fields as you browse the web.

I found that Norton didn’t fill my passwords immediately. First I had to click the icon it had placed inside the password field. Norton says this is a security measure. This seems sensible — I wouldn’t want my passwords automatically sent to unverified websites.

When I entered a password that wasn’t saved in my Password Vault, Norton automatically offered to save it:

Norton can also autofill addresses and payment information that you have saved in your Password Vault. I did have a little trouble with this feature at first, but I got it working eventually.

Norton provides a Password Generator to create strong new passwords. This offers a good level of customization — you can create a password with up to 64 characters, including any combination of upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols.

Norton Password Manager is truly impressive. However, it isn’t quite up to the standard of the best password managers. Dashlane, for example, offers secure password sharing, emergency access, and a range of 2-factor authentication options on all of its plans.

But if you’re new to password managers, Norton Password Manager is definitely worth using. It’s a great addition to all Norton 360 plans with no restrictions. Compare Norton’s offering to Kaspersky’s password manager, which only lets you save 15 passwords — unless you pay for Kaspersky’s top-priced plan.

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Norton 360 Plans and Pricing

When it comes to plans and pricing, Norton does things a little differently compared to most other antivirus companies.

Norton offers three plans, and pretty much every feature is available across each of them. The two more expensive plans offer more licenses, more Cloud Storage space, and access to the Parental Control feature.

This pricing structure means every Norton customer gets the best that Norton has to offer, and there’s no annoying upselling that you find in some other brands like AVG. While there’s no free option, all of Norton’s 360 plans include a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Compare Norton’s pricing structure to TotalAV’s, which denies access to important features even on its top-priced plan. Or Panda’s, which doesn’t protect its lower-paying customers against ransomware. I think Norton definitely has the best approach here.

Note that this review is about Norton’s international product line. There’s a slightly different offer for US customers. For US customers, all the core features are the same. As an added bonus, some US plans alsoinclude Norton’s identity-theft protection product — Norton LifeLock. There are also some minor differences around the number of licenses and the amount of Cloud Storage space, but other than that, it’s basically identical.

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Basic Plan: Norton 360 Standard

Norton 360 Standard offers the following features (PC, Mac, smartphone, or tablet):

• 1 device.
• Protection against all types of malware, including viruses, spyware, and ransomware. Includes customizable, on-demand scans and real-time protection.
• PC Cloud Backup (10 GB).
• Secure VPN.
• Norton Password Manager.
• Norton Smart Firewall for PC and Mac.
• 100% Virus Protection Promise.
• SafeCam for PC — prevents unauthorized access to your webcam.

This is a complete internet security package. It’s the most generous bottom-tier antivirus product that I’m aware of. Most antivirus companies only offer their lowest-paying companies basic malware protection, but Norton packs in lots of valuable extra features.

If you only have one computer, and you don’t have kids, you could save some money by choosing this plan. However, with only 1 license, you wouldn’t get access to the excellent Norton Mobile Security app — unless you use your 1 license on your mobile device, but it would be cheaper to just buy the Mobile Security license directly (or upgrade to the Deluxe plan).

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Best Value: Norton 360 Deluxe

Norton 360 Deluxe offers all the same features as Norton 360 Standard, plus:

• 5 licenses (in total).
• 50 GB of storage (in total) with the Cloud Backup feature.
• Access to the Parental Control feature.

Because Norton’s basic package is so good, this also might not seem like a whole lot of extra features.

However, this is a big increase in value — 5 times more licenses, 5 times more storage space, and access to arguably the best parental control software on the market. You can also use one or more of your licenses to install Norton Mobile Security.

Parents with smaller families should definitely make the upgrade to Norton 360 Deluxe, if only for access to the Parental Control feature and support for more devices.

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More Advanced: Norton 360 Premium

Norton 360 Premium offers all the same features as Norton 360 Standard and Deluxe, plus:

• 10 licenses (in total).
• 75 GB of storage (in total) with the Cloud Backup feature.

Norton 360 Premium is the best plan if you have a large family. For example, if there are 2 parents and 3 kids in your household, each person could protect up to 2 devices.

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Norton 360 Ease of Use

It’s actually hard to believe that Norton once had a reputation for being sluggish and complicated. This certainly isn’t true anymore. Norton has spent the past several years developing one of the most easy-to-use and efficient antivirus applications on the market.

Installing the software takes just a few minutes, and then Norton gives you a guided tour to help you set everything up.

Another great thing about Norton is that it offers 2 interfaces — “My Norton” and “Classic”. This is presumably to keep long-standing customers happy who have grown accustomed to the old interface, but it’s nice to have two options.

Here’s how Norton’s “Classic” interface looks:

If you want to make the most of the software, Norton offers a great level of customization. You can exclude certain folders or types of files from scans to save time. You can also schedule automated tasks, such as clearing your browser history or backing up your files.

But while it’s great to have all these options, most people don’t need to worry about them. Norton can handle this stuff for you, and it keeps everything simple by default.

My one minor complaint about Norton’s user-interface is that there’s no desktop application for Norton Password Manager — only a browser-based web app. But this really isn’t going to bother many people.

Overall, Norton is fast, simple, and easy to use. It will keep you happy whether you’re an absolute antivirus beginner or a total cybersecurity geek.

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Norton 360 Mobile App

Norton Mobile Security is available with all 360 plans. However, if you choose Norton 360 Standard, you only get 1 license, so you’ll probably want to use it on a desktop or laptop.

Norton promotes a “free” version of Norton Mobile Security, which nearly made the number 1 spot on my list of the best free antivirus apps for Android — until it turned out to only be a free trial! What happens is you can download the “free” version, and then after a 30-day trial, it will default to the premium version which asks you to pay money to keep using it. But if you are using one of the 360 plans, you already have access to the premium version.

Norton Mobile Security provides the following features:

• Malware scanning and real-time malware protection (Android only).
• Wi-Fi Scan.
• Web Protection.
• Safe Search.
• App Advisor — checks apps for privacy and battery-use issues.

The following features are also available on mobile, but via separate apps:

• Norton Password Manager.
• Norton Parental Control.
• Norton Secure VPN.

I tested Norton Mobile Security on a Galaxy S10e running Android 9.

The first thing I noticed was that Norton Mobile Security has a very simple interface. It shows the features available in the app itself, and it also displays the features that are available via a separate app.

Norton Mobile Security easily detected my test virus — both in real-time and via a malware scan. The App Adviser feature also recognized my antivirus-testing app as malware and tried to warn me not to install or use it.

Other mobile antivirus apps have not been so effective — for example, TotalAV’s real-time protection didn’t detect this virus (although its malware scan did).

When you open a link outside of your browser (for example, via your email app), the Link Guard feature checks whether the destination site is safe. This protects against phishing scams and malicious websites.

There’s also a Wi-Fi Security feature which scans Wi-Fi networks to ensure they’re secure.

Norton’s mobile app used to have anti-theft tools, but not anymore. For an app with great anti-theft tools, I recommend McAfee Mobile Security, which made it to 1st place on the list of best antivirus apps for iOS.

The only other issue with Norton Mobile Security is that you need to download separate apps to access the Password Manager, Parental Control, and Secure VPN. This isn’t a big deal, however, as you can access all of your Norton apps via the main menu.

Norton Mobile Security is the fastest, most user-friendly, and most feature-rich Android antivirus app I’ve tested. That said, the removal of anti-theft features is annoying, and iOS users get a slightly worse deal without real-time protection (which is not needed on iOS). However, on either device, adding the mobile app is a great reason to upgrade to either Norton 360 Deluxe or 360 Premium.

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Norton 360 Customer Support

Norton offers support via:

• Phone (available 24/7).
• Live chat.
• FAQs.
• Community support forum.

Norton’s FAQs are comprehensive and well-organized. However, like any long-standing product, Norton has to cater for users of older products, so this can sometimes get confusing when there are a lot of questions to look through.

What’s strange is that Norton doesn’t seem to provide an email support option.

To be fair to Norton, email isn’t a great format for support. Solving a technical problem can take a lot of cooperation between the customer and the agent. However, I like having the option of email.

Testing out the live chat support, I got connected to an agent immediately, who was extremely helpful. He offered to take remote access of my computer to resolve my issue. I declined, so he talked me through my problem instead, step-by-step:

I also called Norton’s helpline a couple of times. The first time, I waited nearly an hour on hold. However, the second time I got through in only a few minutes. On both occasions, Norton’s call handlers were helpful and polite, and they easily answered my questions.

Overall, it’s great to have access to live chat and phone support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I don’t know of many other antivirus companies that offer this level of availability. Norton’s FAQs are also very good. I would really like to have email support as an option, but with so many other great support channels available, it’s not going to be that big of a problem for most users.

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Is Norton 360 the Best Antivirus Out There?

After testing more than 70 cybersecurity products, I can safely say that this is probably the best all-around antivirus software out there. Norton’s “360-degree” marketing angle is actually meaningful — it really does all I’ve ever expected my antivirus to do. During this test, it protected my device from pretty much every type of cybersecurity threat I threw to it, on each of its three plans.

If you already have a VPN, password manager, parental controls, and plenty of cloud storage — and you only need antivirus protection — perhaps consider Kaspersky’s entry-level plan, Kaspersky AntiVirus, or take a look at Cylance.

While it’s a great product right now, I hope to see Norton continue to improve this software. The Secure VPN is private and user-friendly, but it’s also very slow. And the Password Manager is really good, but it needs more 2-factor authentication options to compete with top-of-the-range password managers software.

These minor criticisms aside, I’m confident in saying that Norton 360 is the best overall antivirus software available. It has the most impressive Device Security, Cloud Backup, and Parental Control features I’ve ever used, and it has a 100% protection rate against all types of malware.

Overall, Norton 360 is a powerful, efficient, all-in-one cybersecurity package — the best online protection money can buy.

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🤔 Is there a free version of Norton antivirus?

There are some free Norton cybersecurity tools for PC users (no free tools are available for Mac users, unfortunately). These include a virus scanner and a password manager. However, there aren’t any free versions of their most popular products, such as Norton 360.

The free tools offered by Norton are useful, but they won’t fully secure your device — leaving you vulnerable to many different cybersecurity threats. You need one of the premium plans to secure your devices.

🤔 Is LifeLock Included in the Norton software?

Norton’s identity theft protection tool, LifeLock, is included in some of the Norton 360 packages and only in the United States.

Note that LifeLock is not included in the Norton 360 Standard or the Norton 360 Deluxe packages, only packages which explicitly state that LifeLock is included.

🤔 Is Norton compatible with my system?

Norton is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android users.

Windows users need to have Windows XP (32-bit) Home/Professional with Service Pack 3 or above installed on their PC. Mac users need OS X 10.7.5 (Lion) or higher.

Android users need Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) or higher. To use the Norton Family Premier Android app, Android users will only need to have Android version 4.0 installed.

iOS users will need to have iOS 8 or higher installed on their Apple devices.

🤔️ Does Norton scan external hard drives for viruses?

Norton’s antivirus software does scan external hard drives for viruses and other malware threats, during the Full System Scan. Make sure your external hard disk is connected to your PC or Mac before running the Full System Scan.

You can disable the external hard drive scan by creating a Custom Scan.

🤔 How long does the full system scan take?

This is entirely dependent on the number of files on your system. On average, virus scans can take over an hour to complete. However, if you have a large amount of data on your system, the scan will take longer.

Luckily, Norton’s developers have designed the software to make subsequent scans a lot faster — skipping over previously scanned files and only focusing on newer or recently modified files.

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