Latest news with #antivirus
Gizmodo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Nobody Thought a VPN This Good Could Be This Cheap
Obtaining a VPN at a budget-friendly price often means making compromises. Well, not with PIA. This renowned provider has significantly reduced its prices, making it the most affordable VPN currently available. You won't believe the discount the provider has come up with. It's an 82% discount with two free months for the biennial plans. When you do the math, you save $255 compared to the monthly plan. Sounds unreal, but it's true. Save $255 on PIA VPN Today PIA VPN $255 Discount Explained Private Internet Access was never too pricey to begin with. However, its monthly plan at $11.99 per month isn't remarkably affordable. Now, imagine spending this amount of money for 26 months straight: sounds ludicrous! That's why PIA has introduced a discount that slashes the price by 82% and includes two free months. As a result, you'll spend only $56.94 for the first 26 months. Even after the initial offer, PIA will charge you this much annually! This still results in ample savings compared to the standard monthly price. Private Internet Access hasn't forgotten to include a 30-day money-back guarantee, either. This enables a prompt refund if you're unsatisfied. Antivirus + Dedicated IP Discounts As part of its flash sale, the VPN has discounted its antivirus and dedicated IP addresses. Its competitive antivirus now costs $34.80 for two years, while a dedicated IP costs $60 for two years. It's worth noting that PIA Antivirus is primarily designed for use on PCs. However, its dedicated IP addresses can be used on a plethora of devices. PIA offers them in 25 locations, so there's plenty to choose from if you decide. As a gift, Private Internet Access includes 500 GB of pCloud for free for a year. We reviewed pCloud and were thoroughly impressed. At under $57 for 24 months, PIA offers one of the top VPN packages you can find. Features Rundown There's not much you can buy at $2 per month, except if you shop on Temu. PIA doesn't skimp on necessary VPN features, despite its nearly free price. You'll get unlimited device protection and a no-log policy, for example. PIA also introduced MultiHop, which doubles your encryption. People love using the VPN for streaming and torrenting. Meanwhile, it's phenomenal for those on the dark web who seek full onion over VPN support. Private Internet Access is compatible with nearly all devices, and each app version offers robust security. From 256-bit GCM encryption to IP and DNS leak protection, you can expect everything in this neat package. Bear in mind that Private Internet Access periodically alters its price. This is a unique opportunity to enjoy a world-class VPN and spend peanuts. See the offer at Private Internet Access
CNET
2 days ago
- CNET
AVG Antivirus Review 2025: Robust Free Version but Middling Premium Plans
CNET's expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 7.6 / 10 SCORE AVG Antivirus Buy at AVG Score Breakdown Performance 9 /10 Security 7 /10 Customer Support 7 /10 Usability 9 /10 Value 7 /10 Features 7 /10 Pros Robust protection from both online and offline threats Resource-light scans TuneUp makes it easy to improve device performance Variety of safe browsing and anti-tracking tools Cons Data sharing with third-party services Extremely slow VPN Subpar customer support AVG Antivirus 7.6/10 CNET Score Buy at AVG AVG offers a variety of cybersecurity tools to keep your devices and accounts safe, including freemium antivirus software with an impressive feature set that landed it on our best antivirus and best free antivirus lists. But is it the right fit for you? I performed intensive hands-on testing of AVG's Ultimate plan, focusing on usability, performance, security, customer support and value. My experience was a mixed bag. The antivirus itself is effective, but its customer service was mediocre, and I have some concerns about its privacy policies and previous data breaches. As a result, I'm hesitant to suggest using this company's products. Here's what you need to know. AVG antivirus features AVG offers a free antivirus with features typically restricted to premium programs, such as scan scheduling and protection from advanced threats like ransomware. This version of the AVG antivirus comes bundled with a secure browser and a browser extension that blocks malicious websites and third-party tracking, things you won't get from most other free antivirus tools. Windows users can also use the Software Updater, which automatically finds programs that need to be updated for you, on AVG's free plan. The lowest-tier paid version of AVG, AVG Internet Security, offers more advanced tools for boosting your computer's performance and avoiding scam websites. This plan also lets you connect up to 10 devices to one account, which you can't do on the free version. AVG Ultimate offers more robust security, including a VPN, device performance enhancement tools like a startup optimizer and advanced anti-tracking tech. Like AVG Internet Security, this plan provides coverage for up to 10 devices. However, AVG Ultimate lacks advanced privacy features like McAfee's online account manager or Bitdefender's digital footprint visualization, which seems particularly egregious considering that AVG sells a Breach Defender with this functionality separately. You also won't get the identity theft protection or insurance offered by companies like McAfee and Bitdefender. AVG also lacks more basic safety tools like a password manager. And while AVG is compatible with MacOS, Android and iOS, some of its best features -- like the software updater -- are only for Windows. Overall features score These deficiencies result in AVG receiving only a 7/10 features ranking, the lowest ranking of any antivirus I've tested so far. AVG antivirus plans and pricing AVG's most basic plan is free. It lets you install the core antivirus software and some basic browser protections on one device. AVG Internet Security offers more advanced antivirus features and customer support. There's a single-device AVG Internet Security plan for $40 in the first year and $78 per year after, which is significantly more expensive than the basic single-device antivirus plans from other top companies like Bitdefender and Norton. There's also a 10-device option priced at $60 for the first year and $100 per year on renewal, with the option to share protection among five 'AVG family' members. This second option is notable, as most other antivirus companies require you to sign up for a full, expensive security suite to get coverage for 10 devices or multiple people. AVG Ultimate, the priciest plan, covers 10 devices starting at $60 for the first year and rising to $140 per year on renewal. This plan includes AVG's AntiTrack, VPN and TuneUp programs to help you fully protect and optimize your digital experience. You can add up to five 'AVG family' members to extend coverage to your partner, kids or other close relatives. Plan Features Who it's best for Price AVG Free Antivirus, software updater, browser safety extension; protection for one device Folks who want more robust security tools than Microsoft Defender but don't have the budget for paid software Free AVG Internet Security - Individual device Firewall protection, access to customer service; protection for one device Folks who want slightly more robust protection than the free antivirus and/or access to customer support $40 for the first year, $78 per year after AVG Internet Security - Multiple Devices Firewall protection, access to customer service; protection for 10 devices and five AVG family members Folks who want protection and access to customer support for multiple devices $60 for the first year, $100 per year after AVG Ultimate AVG AntiTrack, AVG VPN, AVG TuneUp; coverage for 10 devices and five AVG family members Folks who want improved digital privacy and performance optimization tools for multiple devices $60 for the first year, $140 per year after AVG antivirus usability I purchased an AVG Ultimate plan and spent a few days testing its account navigation, core antivirus interface and additional tools. I found the setup and basic navigation of AVG's programs to be largely intuitive, with only one minor hiccup. Account navigation Logging into my AVG account took me directly to the account dashboard, where I found clearly labeled links to the payment center (often hard to find with other antivirus software like McAfee), subscriptions area (where you can download the software) and account settings. It's not as pretty as the account dashboards for companies like Bitdefender or Norton, but it is effective, and that's really all you need. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET This page also includes links to free tools from AVG, including a password generator (which creates strong passwords but doesn't help you store them) and a secure browser (which blocks third-party tracking and ads). Below those are prominent links to both the community support forums and AVG's official customer support. In short, the page contains everything you're ever likely to need from AVG, savings you the searching you might have to do on other antivirus tools' dashboards (looking at you, McAfee). Installation and setup Installing AVG's tools was less simple than I'd hoped. The Install button at the top of the My Subscriptions page opened a list of tools included in my subscription, but I could only select one tool at a time. Worse, selecting a program didn't make a download button appear. I had to close the pop-up and scroll down to get installation links for each program. I didn't find a link to download them all together, which is frustrating since people who buy the AVG Ultimate plan presumably want to use all of the tools they've purchased. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET I downloaded the antivirus first. This took a couple of minutes and a few clicks, roughly the same as other tools like McAfee and Bitdefender. The program also installed AVG's secure browser, which surprised me since I had to download everything else separately. Once installed, AVG opened the antivirus dashboard. It didn't instruct me to run an immediate scan, but the Run Smart Scan button was easy to see alongside icons for the web shield and other tools included with the core antivirus. The one tool not readily apparent in this window was the scan scheduler, which I had to access through the Run Other Scans menu. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET AVG's mobile antivirus is easy to install through the Google Play Store and requires only a few clicks to give it permission to scan and protect your phone. Once installed, the app is easy to navigate, though a lot of space is devoted to trying to get you to download other AVG apps. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Additional tools Once I had installed the antivirus and connected it to my AVG account, a pop-up appeared with a button for downloading the rest of AVG's programs -- a pleasant surprise since I had expected I'd have to tediously download each program separately. I was further impressed to find these programs installed in around 1 minute. Most AVG programs are functional immediately after installation, with intuitive dashboards for performing core tasks. However, the AntiTrack tool requires you to manually enable browser protection, create a browser cleanup schedule and configure system privacy settings such as improved login security. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET You may also want to perform additional setup on the secure browser, enabling specific safety settings and disabling others. However, the default settings provide enough security for the average person, so you may not need to fiddle with them. The browser's also simple to use, with an interface similar to browsers like Firefox and Chrome. The one significant difference is that AVG's secure browser uses Bing for search instead of Google. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET AVG also offers a free secure browsing extension for Google Chrome, Safari and Microsoft Edge. This extension helps you opt out of most large third-party tracking systems, like Amazon ads, and the whole process takes only a few minutes. You can also configure it to block some or all cookies and other data collection. This extension isn't supported on Firefox anymore, but that doesn't mean Firefox users are totally unprotected. The Web Shield, which scans sites for signs of untrustworthiness, protects people on all browsers. Overall usability score AVG's account dashboard is refreshingly simple, and despite my initial confusion over how to download the programs, setting them up was mostly intuitive. I would like scan scheduling to be more prominent or even one of the installation steps, like it was for Norton, but it's no more complicated to find than Bitdefender or McAfee's scan scheduling tools. This gave AVG a 9/10 usability ranking,the same score earned by most antivirus tools I've tested. AVG antivirus performance Next, I tested AVG's security tools for performance -- how quickly they worked, how many resources (like processing power) they used and how much they affected my ability to perform simple tasks like surfing the web and editing images. Most of AVG's tools, with the exception of the VPN, exceeded my expectations in this area, using minimal resources while still completing tasks at a fast pace. Note: I performed these tests on a Lenovo ThinkPad with an Intel i5 processor. Your results may vary, especially if you're using an older machine. Background performance AVG Internet Security, the core antivirus software, ran efficiently in the background while I surfed the web (usually keeping five to 10 tabs open at once, sometimes with additional tabs in a second browser), collected test screenshots and edited images. Task Manager showed that AVG Internet Security was using 0.1% to 0.5% of my CPU and no disk space while running in the background. This was the case throughout my testing days. Active scans My first AVG deep scan used only 1% to 2% of my CPU's processing power and no disk space, making it similarly efficient to Norton's deep scan and much more efficient than comparable scans run on McAfee or Bitdefender. The scan also took only around 10 minutes, which is once again pretty similar to Norton's deep scan time. My second and third deep scans were even more efficient, using less than 1% of my CPU's processing power and taking around five minutes. The Smart Scan, which also checks for operating system issues and outdated apps, was faster still, taking only 3 minutes, though it did use slightly more processing power (2%). This scan suggested fixes for the issues it found, with a Resolve All button at the bottom of each section to have AVG fix everything for you. The CPU usage did increase slightly while AVG resolved issues, but it was still minimal (between 3% and 5%), and the fixes were completed within 5 minutes. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Additional tools Next, I tested the TuneUp tool, which you can open on its own or through the Performance Scan option in the main antivirus. This scan took around 30 seconds -- so little time that I didn't even get to check Task Manager for its resource usage -- and delivered an extensive list of suggestions for improving my computer's performance. Like the antivirus smart scan, TuneUp also gives you options to have AVG clean up data and fix other performance issues for you. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET TuneUp completed most of its performance-enhancing tasks within a couple of minutes. The longest task, data cleanup, took closer to 5 minutes and used between 10% and 20% of my CPU's resources. This means you might not want to perform resource-heavy tasks like video editing while you're running TuneUp, but it won't take long for the program to finish its work. Moreover, its fixes can significantly improve your computer's overall performance. AVG's AntiTrack program and online security tools didn't interfere with my internet usage in any significant way. The most annoying thing was that AntiTrack notified me every single time it blocked a tracker, but this was actually useful for my test since it let me know the tool was working. The pop-ups also included an option to disable or limit these notifications, so this isn't something you have to deal with the entire time AVG AntiTrack is enabled. The other downside of AVG's online security tools is the limitations of its Hack Check. This tool starts searching for data breaches the instant you enter an email address and gives you fast results, but those results aren't as detailed as what you'd get from McAfee's data breach tracker or Bitdefender's digital footprint visualizer. All Hack Check says is, 'Some accounts connected to this email have been hacked, change your passwords.' While this can be useful, it's not enough information to help you choose the sites you want to disconnect from. Finally, I tested the VPN to determine its impact on internet speed. I started by running Ookla speed test three times without the VPN activated. My average internet speeds were 3 Ms (milliseconds) for ping, 644.71 Mbps (megabits per second) for download and 694.72 Mbps for upload. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Next, I tested internet speed with my fastest VPN server -- the one closest to my location, in Canada -- activated. The results were discouraging, with the average ping rising to 34 Ms, download speed decreasing to an average of 264.93 Mbps and upload speed decreasing to an average of 239.34 Mbps. These are dramatic shifts for a VPN server in my own city and made my internet usage significantly less pleasant. Next, I moved on to testing internet speed with the VPN in different countries and got the following averages: US UK France Germany Singapore Australia Download (Mbps) 428.89 20.61 3.01 104.5 71.4 128.25 Upload (Mbps) 416.79 20.01 5.03 52.44 18.41 23.45 Ping 24 183.33 295.33 204 516.66 497.33 While not as thorough as our testing process for VPN reviews, these tests are enough to show that AVG's VPN majorly impacts internet speed. In fact, it slowed my internet down more than any other VPN I've tested during my antivirus reviews. The extreme slowdowns I experienced when using the internet with the VPN set to France and Germany were particularly brutal. If you're looking for a security suite with a decent VPN, I recommend Norton, which has the highest-performing VPN of any security suite I've tested so far. However, Norton's VPN still isn't the best. You'll get much better performance if you separately purchase one of our top-rated VPNs. Overall performance score Most of AVG's tools are fast, effective and resource-light, allowing you to perform even high-resource tasks while running active scans or fixes. However, the VPN dramatically reduced my internet speed even when using the server closest to my location, so I can give AVG only a 9/10 performance ranking. AVG antivirus security AVG's tools are intuitive and, with the exception of the VPN, efficient, but how secure are they? I answered this question by analyzing tests from third-party labs and reviewing AVG's security and privacy policies to determine how committed AVG is to protecting its customers' data. The first portion of this research was promising, as AVG received excellent security rankings in all of its recent third-party tests. It also has excellent processes for protecting VPN privacy. However, it may share data with third parties, including law enforcement, and there are some questions about the company's overall data security. Antivirus AVG's antivirus engine has consistently earned a 6 out of 6 security ranking from AV-Test since 2022. AVG also regularly receives awards from AV-Comparatives and notably had a 99.3% online detection rate and a 99.96% online protection rate, on par with other top-ranking tools like McAfee and Norton. The offline detection rate, which represents how effectively AVG finds viruses on things like USB keys, was also quite high at 97.7%. This is outmatched only by Bitdefender's 98.7% offline detection rate. Security for additional tools AVG's VPN is a no-logs VPN, which means it doesn't collect data about the websites you visit or activities you perform with the VPN activated. The only data it collects is overall usage data -- raw numbers telling AVG how much data is processed through its VPN. AVG protects this limited data with AES-256 encryption, an internationally recognized protocol used by many VPNs and other cybersecurity programs like password managers. Privacy policy and data breaches AVG has an extensive privacy policy explaining the data it collects, starting with the concerningly broad 'personal data.' My main qualm here is the inclusion of personal data collected from third-party sources, including third parties such as marketing companies deliberately engaged by AVG to collect more information about you. This means AVG could have a pretty much endless supply of your personal data. The billing and account data sections are more straightforward, confirming that AVG stores all of the data it needs to keep your account active and manage your billing cycles. The product data section states that AVG stores basic information about your device, location, error logs and unsafe sites or apps. Product data is collected primarily to improve AVG's effectiveness and efficiency. It collects communication data -- information about your interactions with customer service -- for the same purpose. AVG says it will generally use your data only to improve its products and processes, but there are a few other instances where it may disclose your data, such as when a third-party payment processor is required to set up a subscription. AVG further states that it may disclose your information to service providers for customer relationship management, analytics and marketing. Again, this language is concerningly broad, but AVG does at least provide some concrete examples of these providers, like Salesforce for CRM and Google Analytics. Additionally, AVG says it will share your data with public authorities in specific instances where it's legally required to do so. AVG's headquarters are in the Netherlands, which is part of the Nine Eyes Alliance, meaning that any country within the alliance, including the US, can legally request this data. AVG also doesn't say anything about anonymizing your data, which means it may be able to provide legal authorities with a considerable amount of information about you. These terms may not be ideal, but they're pretty standard in the antivirus space. I've yet to find an antivirus company that doesn't disclose data to third parties, and only Bitdefender specifically talks about anonymizing data. What's more concerning is AVG's 2023 data breach. Detected by InsecureWeb, a highly trusted dark web monitoring company, this data breach was relatively minor -- just 19.9KB of emails -- but its existence is still troubling, especially since InsecureWeb states that this isn't the first AVG data breach it's found. Furthermore, AVG hasn't acknowledged these data breaches or potential vulnerabilities, leaving me uncertain about its commitment to transparency. Finally, AVG is now owned by Avast. Avast was long considered one of the best antivirus providers on the market, but it's been fined $16.5 million by the Federal Trade Commission for selling its customers' data. My research suggests this was done through a subsidiary, Jumpshot, which wasn't connected to AVG and has now been discontinued. Still, more cautious people may want to avoid AVG and other companies owned by Avast. Overall security score Third-party testing shows that AVG's antivirus provides effective protection from most threats. I also appreciate that the VPN doesn't log detailed usage data and that AVG encrypts the VPN data it does collect. However, its privacy policy has some concerningly broad language around sharing with third parties, and AVG has failed to address data breaches in the past. Moreover, its connection to Avast, a company suspected of selling large amounts of user data, is troubling. As a result, I can give AVG only a 7/10 security ranking. AVG antivirus customer service AVG offers a self-serve knowledge base and community forum, plus 24/7 live chat and phone support for paid customers. (Free customers have to stick with the self-serve solutions.) I tested each form of support for accessibility, speed and helpfulness. This is one place where AVG let me down, with AI systems that sent me to human support only after multiple requests and staff who couldn't quickly answer my questions. Knowledge base Much like the account dashboard, AVG's knowledge base lacks the fancier design elements you'll find in support centers for companies like Norton, but its simple layout is highly effective. The search bar is easy to see, and there are clearly labeled links for contact options near the top of the page and prominent links to support pages for all of AVG's products. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Individual articles provide step-by-step instructions with lots of screenshots and minimal jargon, making them accessible to those without much technical expertise. However, I didn't find a single tutorial video, which could be frustrating for those who prefer to learn through video content. Direct communication AVG's customer support follows a trend I've noticed when testing other antivirus tools: doing its best to keep you from speaking to a person. The Contact Options link isn't hidden away like McAfee's, but the process is very similar from there. You must state the type of issue you're having and navigate past recommended tutorials to access AVG's contact information. I also had to enter my name and contact information into a form, despite already being logged in. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET The similarities to other antivirus companies continued, with AVG connecting me to a chatbot instead of a person. That said, I only had to tell the bot I wanted additional help once for it to connect me with an agent -- much better than the three times I had to request human help from Norton. The agent responded right away, though they requested a couple of minutes to look through my account and files before diving into my current concerns. However, the agent wasn't able to immediately answer my relatively simple questions about the difference between the web shield (which protects all browsers) and AVG's online security extension (which isn't available for my preferred browser, Firefox). They took 2 minutes to answer, which was the case for every question I asked. In total, the interaction took a little over 10 minutes, longer than my conversations with customer support at other cybersecurity companies like Bitdefender and McAfee. I had a similar experience when calling AVG. A robot answered, and I had to ask to speak to a person twice. I was immediately connected to a person after the second request, but they weren't able to answer my questions either. They forwarded me to the technical department, and I spent 2 minutes waiting for a response. From there, an agent walked me through some troubleshooting processes, but they weren't able to help me improve my VPN speed. I suspect this has more to do with the VPN being a poor product than a failing on the part of customer service. Still, having to jump through hoops to receive any significant assistance is frustrating. Overall customer support score Apart from using the VPN, dealing with AVG's customer service was the most frustrating part of my test experience. The lack of videos in the knowledge base was notable, the system's determination to keep me away from human support was annoying, and the staff's helpfulness was limited. These setbacks, combined with the lack of email support, result in AVG receiving a 7/10 support ranking. AVG antivirus value Finally, I compared AVG's plans with offerings from other top antivirus companies. Here's a quick look at what I found: Basic plan cost Mid-range suite cost and devices Most expensive suite cost and devices Standout security features AVG Free $40 for the first year, $78 per year after; coverage for one device $60 for the first year, $140 per year after; coverage for 10 devices Software updater for Windows; anti-tracking tools; device performance enhancement tools Bitdefender $25 for the first year, $50 per year after $90 for the first year, $160 per year after; coverage for five devices $150 for the first year, $250 per year after; coverage for five devices Scam protection; digital footprint visualization; identity theft insurance of up to $2 million McAfee $40 for the first year, $120 per year after $90 for the first year, $200 per year after; coverage for unlimited devices $200 for the first year, $280 per year after; coverage for unlimited devices Scam protection; online account manager; identity theft insurance of up to $2 million We can draw a few conclusions based on this data: AVG is one of the few top antivirus companies with a free option. While others, like Avira, also have a free version, the biggest names in the industry require at least some investment if you want their protection. While others, like Avira, also have a free version, the biggest names in the industry require at least some investment if you want their protection. AVG offers the lowest-cost 10-device plan. McAfee's unlimited device plans start at $90, much more expensive than the 10-device AVG Internet Security plan, and Bitdefender doesn't offer any 10-device plans. McAfee's unlimited device plans start at $90, much more expensive than the 10-device AVG Internet Security plan, and Bitdefender doesn't offer any 10-device plans. AVG's most advanced plan is more affordable than other top-level security suites. However, it's not really comparable to those suites because it lacks advanced digital privacy tools and identity theft protection. Overall value score In short, AVG ismuch more affordable than other antivirus tools, especially if you want to protect multiple devices. But its low prices are offset by its limited features. It's still useful for the average person, but it's not particularly worthwhile for power users with many online data concerns or those with significant assets. This nets it a mediocre value ranking of 7/10,the lowest of any antivirus I've tested so far. AVG: Is it right for you? First let's break down how AVG performed in our review subcategories: Features: 7/10 7/10 Usability: 9/10 9/10 Performance: 9/10 9/10 Customer service: 7/10 7/10 Security: 7/10 7/10 Value: 7/10 Bringing these numbers together gives AVG an overall ranking of 7.6/10. This is the lowest score of any antivirus I've tested so far. The software itself performs well, but it lacks many of the features you'll get with security suites from companies like Bitdefender and McAfee. I also have significant concerns about AVG's commitment to protecting user privacy, and the customer service was frankly unpleasant to work with. As such, I can't recommend paying for AVG. However, it may be worth downloading the free version if all you want is an antivirus with more robust protection than Microsoft Defender.
Digital Trends
4 days ago
- Business
- Digital Trends
Avast's most complete antivirus plan is 70% off right now
Avast has been popping off with incredible deals this month. The antivirus company recently offered 70% off its Premium tier of virus protection. For the next 30 days, Avast is extending that offer to its Ultimate tier of protection. That means you can protect one device with Avast Ultimate for $33 for a year, down from its usual $110. If you want to cover 10 devices, you'll only pay $42 instead of $140. Let's dive into what Avast Ultimate offers and why you might want it over the free tier or the Premium plan. This deal is live now, and will stick around for the next four weeks. Why should should buy Avast Ultimate Avast Ultimate starts with covering everything that the Premium plan does. That means ransomware protection and several forms of browsing protection. Avast will verify that the public Wi-Fi networks you're joining are safe and legit, then protect you while you're browsing with notifications for unsafe, fake, or phishing sites. You'll also be protected against remote access attacks. When you choose the Avast Ultimate tier over the Premium, you get even more resources for protecting your computer: a VPN, identity masking software, and PC cleanup software. Avast's VPN is called SecureLine VPN. It has all the perks you'd expect from a VPN, such as private browsing, the ability to spoof an internet connection in a different country, and security from anyone trying to nab your browsing data. Avast says the VPN won't impact your connection speed because of its many secure servers set up across the world. Avast's AntiTrack, also included with the Ultimate plan, has a similar goal as a VPN: obscure your identity from websites trying to track you. This includes all targeted ads. Have you ever looked at a plane ticket, closed the tab, and come back to find it more expensive than the first time you checked it out? AntiTrack is designed to block that sort of thing from happening. And to round out the Avast Ultimate experience you have Cleanup Premium, which does exactly what it sound like. It declutters your computer, organizing and deleting old files that you didn't even know where there. It's an easy way to speed up your computer. Avast Ultimate is 70% off for the next four weeks, bringing the price of your first year down to just $33 for one device or $42 for 10 devices. If you've been living on the edge without antivirus, this is a great way to keep your computer safe, secure, and clean.
CNET
4 days ago
- Business
- CNET
Norton Antivirus Review 2025: Solid Value for Fast, Effective Protection
CNET's expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 8.6 / 10 SCORE Norton Antivirus Buy at Norton Pros Resource-light Fast scans Performance optimization tools Superior VPN Cons No identity theft insurance No online account management/data visualization tools AI-heavy customer support Mediocre phone support Norton Antivirus 8.6/10 CNET Score Buy at Norton Founded in 1982, Norton is one of the oldest digital security companies on the planet, and it's long been on our list of the best antivirus tools. But has it earned that longevity? I spent one week analyzing Norton's offerings and testing its 360 Deluxe package to find out. Overall, I found its tools to be fast, effective and intuitive. I was also impressed with Norton's comprehensive privacy policies and security protocols. However, Norton doesn't offer some of the tools I enjoyed most when working with other security suites, like a digital footprint visualization or an online account manager. Norton antivirus features Norton's core antivirus software includes all of the features you'd expect from a premium antivirus tool, including real-time protection, manual scans, automated scans and scan scheduling. Every Norton plan also includes the Genie Scam Detector, an AI tool that scans text messages and web activity for signs of cybercrime, and a password manager. You'll also get 2GB of cloud backups, something not available through other antivirus companies I've researched. Norton also offers security packages with features like a VPN, dark web monitoring, privacy management and parental controls. The most advanced plans provide financial security protocols like identity theft protection, stolen wallet protection and credit monitoring. However, you won't get the identity theft insurance that competitors like Bitdefender and McAfee provide, making Norton an insufficient choice for people with significant assets. For the average person, however, Norton's cloud backups are more useful than high-level identity theft insurance. Overall features score Norton doesn't have an equivalent to McAfee's online account manager or Bitdefender's digital footprint visualization. This means it will only alert you to dark web activity, not potential risks from sites that are legitimate but not properly secured. These features are incredibly useful for people who've been online for a while and haven't always paid attention to their digital security. Norton's lack of a similar tool means I can only give it a 9 of 10 features ranking. Norton antivirus plans and pricing Norton has four cybersecurity plans: Plan Identity protection features Cloud backup space Who it's best for Price Norton Antivirus Plus Scam protection; password manager 2GB Average users with only one device to protect $30 for the first year; $60 per year after Norton 360 Standard VPN; dark web monitoring 2GB Average users with up to three devices to protect and/or significant concerns about dark web data breaches $40 for the first year; $95 per year after Norton 360 Deluxe Privacy monitor; parental controls 50GB Parents; users with four or five devices to protect; users with significant online privacy concerns $50 for the first year; $120 per year after Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus LifeLock Identity Theft Protection; stolen wallet protection; credit monitoring; credit alerts; $25,000 in stolen funds reimbursement 250GB Users concerned about identity theft; users with significant amounts of data to back up $100 for the first year; $190 per year after Norton doesn't offer family plans for its main antivirus. However, you can access family plans for LifeLock if you want to protect multiple members of your family from identity theft. Norton antivirus usability I set up an account with the Norton 360 Deluxe plan and tested Norton's usability in three key areas: account navigation, installation/setup for the primary antivirus and setup for additional tools like the VPN. Most of Norton's tools were fast to set up and easy to work with, even for folks who aren't technically inclined. Account navigation Norton's account dashboard is easy to navigate, with a block near the top offering to walk you through feature setup the first time you log in. You'll also see boxes with clear links to areas for managing the devices connected to your Norton account, Genie scam protection, dark web monitoring and other Norton tools. The customer service and community forum links are similarly noticeable, though a bit further down the page. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET The one thing I didn't see immediately was a link to billing management. Instead, I found access to the billing area in the My Account drop-down menu. Many tech companies, including other antivirus tools like McAfee, store their billing links in similar drop-down menus. However, it's not as straightforward as Bitdefender, which includes a prominent billing link in the sidebar of its account dashboard. Installation and setup Norton's installer downloaded and unpacked the core antivirus in around two minutes, then let me select the features I wanted to enable. Having these options at the outset gives you high-level control over how the antivirus operates and serves as an excellent reminder of everything Norton can do. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Once installed, Norton directed me to run a Smart Scan. This made it easy to check my device's security and reminded me of Bitdefender's instruction to run a quick scan on installation. Of the antivirus tools I've tested, McAfee is the only one without a similar prompt after the initial setup. After the scan, Norton showed me its automated scan schedule and provided a link to change the scheduled time, something I had to hunt for in both Bitdefender and McAfee. This window also featured links for adding more devices and opening the password manager, simplifying the next steps in the process of securing my digital presence. I appreciated the level of guidance here, as it makes cybersecurity simple for people who aren't technically inclined. From there, Norton opened the main antivirus dashboard. Like the online account dashboard, this area is remarkably simple to navigate, with a large Run Smart Scan button in the center and a Control Panel for accessing other Norton tools on the right. The Control Panel can be switched out for an Alerts list, displaying notifications about completed scans and any security issues Norton finds. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET You can also access Norton's full range of additional tools through the left sidebar. These include a wide range of antivirus scans (found in Security), a software updater (in Performance), the VPN (in Privacy)and dark web monitoring (in Identity). I appreciated the breadth of these tools, especially the number of scan types and the software updater -- features I didn't encounter in Bitdefender and McAfee. Additional tools Norton's cloud backup is also easy to set up. You can connect it to your device during the antivirus installation and select the folders you want it to back up, as well as the frequency of backups. Norton will automatically run backups on your selected schedule until it runs out of space. You can also manually back up files at any time from the Security window of the antivirus. You can set up the VPN during the antivirus installation process or enable it later through the Privacy window of the antivirus. Once activated, the VPN makes it easy to switch locations through both a search and a drop-down menu. Once I had the core program set up, I headed to the Norton account dashboard to test its other tools. I started with dark web monitoring, which was very simple to set up. All you need to do is give it the information you want tracked -- like your email address, phone number and mailing address -- and permission to search for that information. Norton will then continuously scan the dark web, alerting you to breaches as it finds them. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET You can also access parental controls through the website. I didn't test these since I don't have kids or devices I want to restrict, but the instructions were clear. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Norton's other tools are run through either Norton's private browser -- a highly secure browser that automatically flags suspicious sites -- or browser extensions. Most of these, such as Norton Safe Search (which marks search listings for potentially harmful websites), don't require much configuration beyond the initial installation. Setting up the password manager is slightly more involved, as you'll need to create a master password and download a recovery key. You also must manually input your existing passwords or, if you're already using a password manager, go to the Settings page to access Norton's password import tool. This is pretty standard for password managers, though. The Genie Scam Protector is automatically enabled on Norton's private browser, which you can install on your computer during the antivirus installation process. You can also enable Genie scam protection on your phone through the Norton mobile app. Once set up, Genie will automatically scan websites you visit and texts you receive for signs of cybercrime. You can also scan specific emails, websites and other digital content with the Ask Genie feature to determine if something's a scam. Overall usability score Norton provides excellent guidance during the installation and setup processes for its online tools, plus intuitive dashboards for both the antivirus and your online account. The only things that could have improved my experience would be a clearer link to the billing area and a pop-up asking me to import passwords the first time I logged into the password manager. This results in Norton earning a 9 of 10 usability ranking. Norton antivirus performance I spent two full days running Norton while I performed common tasks like browsing the internet and editing images. I also tested Norton's dark web monitoring to see how quickly and effectively it found my data, then installed Norton's various safe browsing tools to see how much they affected my internet experience. I found most of Norton's tools to be both fast and effective, providing a pleasant and secure experience. Note: These tests were conducted on a Lenovo ThinkPad with an Intel i5 processor. Your results using this program may vary, especially if you're working with an older machine. Background performance Norton ran smoothly in the background while I performed a variety of simple tasks, including surfing the web with numerous tabs open simultaneously and simple image editing. Task Manager showed that Norton was only using around 0.2% of my CPU's processing power and 0.5% of my disk space for real-time protection, suggesting that you should be able to perform more advanced tasks like gaming or video editing without issue while Norton is running. Active scans Norton's initial Smart Scan used a mere 0.5% of my CPU's processing power and 1% of my disk space, making it far more efficient than the first scans I ran with Bitdefender and McAfee. The scan also took a mere two minutes -- one minute for the malware scan and one minute to scan my system settings for potential security issues. The scan identified two system settings issues that other programs didn't find. A full scan used between 1% and 2% of my CPU's processing power and 0.2% of my disk space. This made it easy to continue other tasks. I expected it to also mean a slow scan, but Norton finished the full scan in under 10 minutes -- slightly longer than Bitdefender's equivalent scan but much shorter than McAfee's. This is impressive considering both Bitdefender and McAfee used over 30% of my CPU's processing power and over 7% of my disk space. I ran two more full scans, both with similar results to the first. This shows that Norton has consistently low resource usage and fast scans. The quick scan also used minimal computer resources and wrapped up in roughly one minute. This held true for all three of the quick scans I ran, further proving Norton's efficiency. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Other scan types, such as the software update scan and file manager scan (which finds files you can delete to improve your computer's performance), were also highly efficient, concluding within a couple of minutes. I was using them on a test machine with minimal programs installed, so they might take longer on your devices, but my experience suggests Norton's performance tools are fast and easy for anyone to use. Additional tools Next, I tested Norton's additional tools, starting with its performance optimization tools: the software updater, file cleanup and startup manager. All of these tools finished scanning within two minutes and provided specific suggestions for improving my device speed, complete with buttons to quickly update programs or adjust settings as recommended. I then moved on to Norton's various online tools, starting with dark web monitoring. The dark web monitoring found one dark web breach of my data within a few minutes, and while I assume it continued scanning, that was the only breach it found over several days. I was mildly surprised it didn't find more, but I can't be certain if that means it's ineffective or if my data is just better protected than I thought. Norton's Safe Search extension, which changes your default search engine from Google to Norton Safe Search, provided similar results to other search engines, with sponsored listings and regular listings. The big difference is that you'll see a green checkmark next to sites deemed safe and a red X beside results deemed unsafe. The password manager worked similarly to comparable tools, instantly filling in passwords when I opened familiar sites and suggesting strong passwords when I created accounts on new sites. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET Norton's private browser also had similar functionality to its competitors. As far as I could tell, the main difference was that it already had security tools like Norton's Safe Search extension installed. The Genie Scam Protector didn't make a notable difference in my experience with email or my phone. While I prefer this to the mildly obnoxious approach Bitdefender took -- marking every single email with a bright banner declaring it safe or unsafe -- I'm left with concerns about how effective it is. However, I can't confirm this in either direction, as I may simply not have received any scam emails during my test days. Next, I tested Norton's VPN to determine how it impacts browsing speed. I started by running Ookla speed tests three times without the VPN active to determine my average internet speed. These tests showed that my base internet had an average ping of 3milliseconds, download speed of 562.37 megabits per second and upload speed of 756.17Mbps. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) I then enabled the VPN (set to my fastest server, which is in Canada) and ran three more speed tests. These tests had an average ping of 20.33ms, download speed of 545.86Mbps and upload speed of 843.14Mbps. This fascinated me because the ping was much slower than it was without the VPN, but the impact on download speed was minimal, and upload speed actually improved. I also didn't notice any change in speed while browsing the internet with the VPN on. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET I cycled through several popular server locations, running three tests in each, and netted the following averages: US UK France Germany Singapore Australia Ping (ms) 34 171.22 183 187 465.33 415.66 Download (Mbps) 529.06 172.57 381.09 158.39 209.98 256.53 Upload (Mbps) 855.91 550.03 411.25 363.9 203.47 226.44 These numbers show that Norton's VPN doesn't significantly slow your internet speed when you're using a server relatively close to your location. Both the Canadian and US VPN servers were notably faster for me than equivalent servers from McAfee and Bitdefender. This suggests that Norton's VPN is good if you use the server closest to you Go further away, however, and your internet can become painfully slow, something I experienced when surfing the web with the VPN set to Germany. This suggests that Norton's VPN may not be ideal if you're, say, a Canadian wanting to look like an Australian so you can access shows only available on Australian Netflix. If you really want to maximize your VPN speed, you'll want to separately purchase one of CNET's best VPNs. Overall performance score Norton's antivirus scans are much faster than the competition and also use less processing power than Bitdefender or McAfee's equivalent scans. The performance optimization tools -- which you won't get using McAfee or Bitdefender -- are also fast and effective, as are Norton's safe browsing tools. The VPN proved better than other antivirus tools' connected VPNs, resulting in only minimal speed loss when I used North American servers. However, the speed loss increased significantly when I switched to servers in Europe and other distant locations. I'm also not certain the Genie Scam Protector does its job well, though I may simply not have received any scam emails during my test days. This means I can only give Norton a 9 of 10 performance ranking. Norton antivirus security Next, I evaluated Norton's overall security practices. I did this by researching third-party test results for the encryption protocols it uses to protect information stored in tools like its password manager. I also analyzed Norton's privacy policies to develop an understanding of how the company uses customer data and looked for evidence of data breaches in the past five years. Norton's security proved to be very impressive, with excellent results in all third-party testing, comprehensive encryption protocols and the most extensive privacy policy I've seen when analyzing antivirus suites. I was also impressed by its quick, thorough response to the data breach it experienced in 2022. Antivirus AV-Test, one of two industry-gold-standard testing facilities, has given Norton's antivirus a 6 out of 6 security ranking in every test over the last decade. This is far longer than the three years of perfect security scores Bitdefender earned, or even the five years of perfect security scores given to McAfee. In 2024, Norton also received a three-star Advanced Plus malware protection award from AV-Comparatives, the other industry-gold-standard lab, with a 99.96% online protection rate. The offline detection rate -- which measures how effectively the software identifies malicious software on physical devices like USB keys -- is lower, but still high at 97.7%. This shows that Norton's coverage is comprehensive on a level similar to other top antivirus tools like Bitdefender and better than McAfee, which had 99.96% online protection but only 79.3% offline detection. Security for additional tools Norton's password manager uses the same AES-256 encryption protocol that most password managers use. This protocol is internationally recognized for its ability to prevent malicious actors from intercepting data stored in the cloud. This data will only be decrypted when accessed through one of your synced devices or with your master password. You can also set up two-factor authentication, requiring the program to send a code to your phone before you can log in. Norton's cloud backup systems also use the AES-256 encryption protocol. Cloud backups are connected to the password manager's vault, meaning you can only access those files on a device authorized with your master password. Norton's VPN is a no-log VPN, which means the company doesn't keep your usage data, such as the websites you visit or the files you download. The VPN also encrypts all information sent to and from your browser while you're using it. Norton doesn't store encryption keys, ensuring complete privacy. Norton's VPN also goes through regular third-party audits from VerSprite and biannual transparency reports. This indicates that Norton is deeply committed to user privacy, more so than McAfee or Bitdefender. Privacy policy and data breaches Norton has extensive privacy policies for each software type, plus a global privacy statement that applies to most of its products. I focused on analyzing this global privacy statement. I also reviewed the transparency statements for Norton's desktop security products, Norton 360 mobile apps, password manager and VPN. Norton's global privacy statement states that it processes extensive device, security and personal data for the purpose of training and improving its software. It clarifies that Norton software will only collect as much data as needed to detect, block or report cybersecurity threats. Norton says it will remove personal identifiers from this data unless it's required to keep those identifiers to address cybersecurity threats or comply with the law. Norton says it will share your data with its business partners for the purposes of advertising and delivering associated services, processing data analytics, troubleshooting and improving its cybersecurity processes. It will also share your data with legal authorities if requested to do so. However, it's worth noting that Norton's protocols for erasing VPN data and ensuring that only you can decrypt password manager data mean it has less to share than other companies, like McAfee. Norton further states that its social media monitoring service uses APIs from several platforms and that it may share some data with them. I'm not thrilled with the limited information about what data Norton will share with these companies, but I appreciate that it provided a list of platforms it shares information with. This means you'll know which companies may receive your data, something that's not clear in McAfee's data exceptions for social media platforms. Norton has experienced one data breach in the past five years, when the password manager was targeted by mass login attempts. Norton immediately reset passwords for 925,000 potentially affected accounts and retested its security systems to ensure they were still working effectively. Based on these tests, Norton stated that its systems weren't compromised, and the attack likely began when malicious actors gained some users' credentials on the dark web and leveraged those credentials to attack other accounts. Overall security score Norton's antivirus protection, security protocols and privacy policies are more robust than many of its competitors, including popular companies like McAfee. Norton also told its customers about its 2022 data breach quickly and clearly, providing steps its users could take to protect themselves while also taking steps to improve protections on its end. However, the existence of this data breach means I can only give Norton a 9 of 10 security ranking. Norton antivirus customer service Norton offers self-serve customer support through a community forum and knowledge base. You can also get 24/7 support via live chat and phone. There's no email support, but Norton's Contact Us page includes social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter. I found this interesting because, while most corporations have customer care accounts on social platforms, those accounts are typically for damage control rather than a recommended point of contact. Support tickets, which are effectively email, are recommended far more often and are available with both Bitdefender and McAfee. I spent about an hour exploring the knowledge base to determine its effectiveness and accessibility, then reached out to customer support to get a feel for how helpful Norton's customer support team is. The experience wasn't as pleasant as working with Bitdefender or McAfee support, but it was still pretty solid, especially when contacting Norton via live chat. Knowledge base Norton's knowledge base is clearly laid out, with a prominent search function and buttons for common question categories. However, I encountered a couple of annoyances, starting with the search function's insistence on answering every question with AI rather than linking to articles. The AI pulled information from Norton's existing support articles, so it was correct, but it took longer than simply providing links. Moreover, the inability to opt out of this may be frustrating for people concerned about AI's environmental impact. Screenshot by Dianna Gunn/CNET I also disliked Norton's insistence on opening a new tab for every article I wanted to view. I can't imagine a context where this is actively helpful for a knowledge base, and if you keep a collection of tabs open like I do, it just adds clutter. That said, the articles themselves were easy to navigate, providing step-by-step instructions and using minimal jargon. Every article I opened included a video, making Norton's knowledge base extremely accessible to those who prefer learning through video -- something I can't say for competitors like Bitdefender and McAfee. Direct communication Norton's live chat is hidden on the Contact Uspage, which you can only access by scrolling to the bottom of the knowledge base, and you must specify the type of help you need before you'll see your contact options. To open an actual chat, you also need to fill out a form with your name, email address and phone number. This was annoying since I was already logged in, but not as frustrating as realizing that 'Kate,' who responded to the live chat about 30 seconds after I opened it, was a chatbot, not a person. My annoyance grew when I typed 'speak to a person' and the bot told me it didn't understand the question. I only managed to connect with an agent after telling the bot repeatedly that my problem wasn't resolved. This was even more frustrating than trying to speak to a person through Bitdefender's live chat. The good news is that, when I finally got the bot to transfer me to a rep, it only took two minutes for me to connect with a live person. The rep was knowledgeable about advanced topics related to VPN privacy and consistently responded to my queries within one or two minutes. The whole conversation wrapped up in roughly five minutes, making it both fast and effective. Next, I called Norton. Again, I had to go through several steps to get the contact number, including filling out a form with my personal information and my issue, on top of needing to sign in to view the contact number. Like Bitdefender and McAfee, Norton seems determined to make sure you'll only contact them directly as a last resort. The phone line connected me to another bot, which attempted to solve my problem on its own. I had to ask to speak to a person twice and tell the bot about the issue I wanted resolved before it passed me on to a person. The whole bot interaction only took about two minutes, but it was frustrating to once again struggle to reach a human. The phone representative struggled to answer my questions, repeating basic information about how VPNs work instead of answering my specific queries about Norton's VPN. While this may be due to the nature of my requests -- which probably aren't very common -- I was still disappointed, especially considering how quickly I got high-quality answers via live chat. However, I got my answers eventually, and the conversation only took around 10 minutes -- longer than my conversations with McAfee or Bitdefender support, but still reasonable. Overall customer support score Norton has an excellent knowledge base, but its seeming determination to prevent me from speaking with a human was frustrating. I was also disappointed by my experience with phone support, which was reasonably fast but required me to repeat my questions three times before I got answers. Between these frustrations and the lack of email support, Norton only earns an 8 of 10 customer support ranking, lower than the support rankings for both McAfee and Bitdefender. Norton antivirus value Finally, I considered Norton's value by comparing it to other top antivirus tools. Here's a quick overview of what I found: Basic plan cost Mid-range suite cost and devices Most expensive suite cost and devices Standout security features Norton $30 for the first year; $60 per year after $50 for the first year; $120 per year after; coverage for five devices $100 for the first year; $200 per year after; coverage for 10 devices Genie Scam Protection; cloud backup; LifeLock identity theft protection; $25,000 ransomware insurance Bitdefender $25 for the first year; $50 per year after $90 for the first year; $160 per year after; coverage for five devices $150 for the first year; $250 per year after; coverage for five devices Scam protection; digital footprint visualization; identity theft insurance of up to $2 million McAfee $40 for the first year; $120 per year after $90 for the first year; $200 per year after; coverage for unlimited devices $200 for the first year; $280 per year after; coverage for unlimited devices Scam protection; online account manager; identity theft insurance of up to $2 million Using this information, we can draw a few conclusions: Norton's starter plan is average , costing slightly more than Bitdefender but less than McAfee. , costing slightly more than Bitdefender but less than McAfee. Norton's higher-tier plans are more affordable than the equivalents offered by Bitdefender and McAfee. However, these savings are likely due to the lack of identity theft insurance, which may make Norton less appealing to those with significant assets to protect. than the equivalents offered by Bitdefender and McAfee. However, these savings are likely due to the lack of identity theft insurance, which may make Norton less appealing to those with significant assets to protect. Norton's lack of online account management and data visualization tools makes it less than ideal for people who've spent a long time using the internet without proper security protocols. You'll be protected from viruses, yes, but your credentials and personal information may still be at risk from accounts or websites you don't even remember visiting. and data visualization tools makes it less than ideal for people who've spent a long time using the internet without proper security protocols. You'll be protected from viruses, yes, but your credentials and personal information may still be at risk from accounts or websites you don't even remember visiting. Norton's maximum device coverage is middling. Its 10-device limit is significantly higher than Bitdefender's five-device limit, but not as impressive as McAfee's unlimited device coverage. Overall value score Overall, Norton provides solid value for the average person, but there's a reason why it's more affordable than alternatives: It simply doesn't provide the same level of protection. Users with a lot of data to clean up or assets to protect are unlikely to get the level of security support they need from even the most expensive Norton plan. This means I can't give it more than an 8 of 10 value ranking. Norton: Is it right for you? Before you make a purchasing decision, let's revisit Norton's rankings in each of our review categories: Features: 9 of 10 9 of 10 Usability: 9 of 10 9 of 10 Performance: 9 of 10 9 of 10 Security: 9 of 10 9 of 10 Customer support: 8 of 10 8 of 10 Value: 8 of 10 Altogether, these subrankings earn Norton an overall ranking of 8.6 out of 10. Norton is a good choice for many users thanks to the software's intuitive interface and excellent performance, but its imperfect customer service and lack of advanced security tools like identity theft protection mean it's not a perfect solution for everyone. In fact, both Bitdefender and McAfee earned higher rankings (9.5 and 8.8, respectively), largely thanks to their better customer support and additional privacy/identity protection tools. In other words, Norton's great if all you want is an antivirus tool with a few additional features to enhance your device's performance. If you want more robust protection features, or you're particularly concerned about the quality of your security suite's customer service, you may want to make the slightly larger investment of purchasing Bitdefender (our top-ranking antivirus) or McAfee.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Hackers are sneaking malware into your browser using Google's link, and antivirus software can't stop it
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Attackers use real Google URLs to sneak malware past antivirus and into your browser undetected This malware only activates during checkout, making it a silent threat to online payments The script opens a WebSocket connection for live control, completely invisible to the average user A new browser-based malware campaign has surfaced, demonstrating how attackers are now exploiting trusted domains like to bypass traditional antivirus defenses. A report from security researchers at c/side, this method is subtle, conditionally triggered, and difficult for both users and conventional security software to detect. It appears to originate from a legitimate OAuth-related URL, but covertly executes a malicious payload with full access to the user's browser session. The attack begins with a script embedded in a compromised Magento-based ecommerce site which references a seemingly harmless Google OAuth logout URL: However, this URL includes a manipulated callback parameter, which decodes and runs an obfuscated JavaScript payload using eval(atob(...)). The use of Google's domain is central to the deception - because the script loads from a trusted source, most content security policies (CSPs) and DNS filters allow it through without question. This script only activates under specific conditions. If the browser appears automated or the URL includes the word 'checkout,' it silently opens a WebSocket connection to a malicious server. This means it can tailor malicious behavior to user actions. Any payload sent through this channel is base64-encoded, decoded, and executed dynamically using JavaScript's Function constructor. The attacker can remotely run code in the browser in real time with this setup. One of the primary factors influencing this attack's efficacy is its ability to evade many of the best antivirus programs currently on the market. The script's logic is heavily obfuscated and only activates under certain conditions, making it unlikely to be detected by even the best Android antivirus apps and static malware scanners. They will not inspect, flag, or block JavaScript payloads delivered through seemingly legitimate OAuth flows. DNS-based filters or firewall rules also offer limited protection, since the initial request is to Google's legitimate domain. In the enterprise environment, even some of the best endpoint protection tools may struggle to detect this activity if they rely heavily on domain reputation or fail to inspect dynamic script execution within browsers. While advanced users and cybersecurity teams may use content inspection proxies or behavioral analysis tools to identify anomalies like these, average users are still vulnerable. Limiting third-party scripts, separating browser sessions used for financial transactions, and remaining vigilant about unexpected site behaviors could all help reduce risk in the short term. These are the best VPNs with antivirus you can use right now Take a look at our pick of the best internet security suites HP unveils the future of super-HD video meetings, but it comes at a huge price
