Norton LifeLock 360 Test vs Malware: Security Review

TL;DR

Norton LifeLock's Norn 360 undergoes thorough testing, showing decent proactive detection capabilities, but with some bugs and limitations in removing threats.

Transcript

hello and welcome to the pc security channel today we'll be taking a look at norton lifelock and its brand new security product norn 360. we will put it through its paces and make it face an onslaught of malware from the wild west of the internet and see how it holds up and whether or not it's able to protect the system we will also monitor the res... Read More

Key Insights

• ☠️ Norn 360 shows a proactive detection rate of 99.23% for blocking threats before execution, but some samples still slipped through.
• 🙂 The software's resource usage during testing was relatively light, with CPU usage hovering around 20-30%.
• 🔨 Despite the promising proactive detection, Norn 360 struggles with removing threats effectively, often requiring additional tools like Norton Power Razer.
• 🖤 User experience issues arise from bugs in threat removal, misleading notifications, and a lack of actionable options.
• ⛔ The inability to customize or disable specific features limits the flexibility of Norn 360 for targeted testing.
• 💳 Norn 360's sign-up process and trial limitations, including requiring credit card information, raise concerns about transparency and marketing practices.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Norn 360 perform in proactive detection against malware?

Norn 360 shows promise with a proactive detection rate of 99.23%, blocking threats even before execution. However, it did miss nine samples, but it's likely that they were ultimately blocked after execution.

Q: Are there bugs or issues with threat removal in Norn 360?

Yes, there are bugs in threat removal. Some threats remain unresolved even after attempted removal, causing an unpleasant user experience. The software recommends performing manual removal from logs but fails to provide an effective solution.

Q: How does Norn 360 handle additional tools like Norton Power Razer?

Norton Power Razer is recommended and required to remove some threats that Norn 360 let in. However, this raises concerns as it seems the main security application should be capable of removing threats on its own, without the need for additional tools.

Q: Can Norn 360 be easily customized or adjusted for specific testing scenarios?

Norn 360 lacks modularity in its settings, making it difficult to disable specific features or conduct targeted tests. For example, turning off basic file protection automatically disables other components, limiting the ability to test or focus on specific functions.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Norton LifeLock's Norn 360 is tested against 1100 malware files collected from the wild west of the internet.

• The test includes monitoring resource usage and evaluating the system's ability to protect against various threats.

• The review highlights the software's decent proactive detection rates and resource usage, but also points out bugs in threat removal and unsatisfactory user experience.