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PROS:
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Norton Security Standard is among the best anti-malware software on the market today. It provides exceptional protection while allowing your PC to run without any disturbance. Norton showed it can reliably differentiate between good and bad files by receiving an above the average score in the AV-Test lab usability test. Even though you can only protect one device per license, Norton Security Standard is still an excellent anti-malware solution.
Since its beginnings in 1991, Norton has established itself as a reliable name in the anti-malware industry. We included Norton at the very top of our reviewed products since it justified its good name with excellent testing results and an overall great value. Its customer support can be reached at any time of day or night and the Norton website is a great database of useful information on its own.
Features
Norton has everything you need to successfully shield your PC from any malware looking to infect it. It has a well-known antivirus program that’s efficient against known and new threats. It protects from various different kinds of spyware, ransomware and Trojans. To ensure your absolute satisfaction, Norton has a “100% guarantee” policy that promises a Norton Expert will keep your computer virus- free from the moment you sign on. Unlike our top pick in the category, Norton Security Standard only offers to protect one PC, Mac or mobile device.
Common with all the best anti-malware products on the market, a USB immunizer scans any USB device inserted into your PC for infected files or possible threats. Similarly, an anti-spam feature combs through your incoming mail to make sure no malicious files are lurking in any of the attachments. To prevent a possible catastrophe, Norton offers the option of creating a bootable rescue CD which is your safety net in case a serious infection breaks through your PCs defenses and brings down your system. The rescue CD allows you to bring your computer back to the state it was before the infection, without losing any of your precious data.
Some anti-malware products offer special safe browsers that ensure no harm can befall you while you’re surfing the web. Instead of a web browser, Norton developed the Norton Identity Safe Toolbar which is essentially your in-browser protector. By offering a toolbar, Norton doesn’t restrict you to a certain browser since you can always reinstall the safety bar as you migrate from one web browser to another. This feature alerts you of any suspicious sites you might be visiting and it automatically blocks any phishing links it detects while always remaining on guard. It’s inconspicuous and it runs without much intervention.
Norton Security Standard anti-malware software also efficiently protects from ransomware. This is a very serious, newly emerged malware. Ransomware gets into your PC through Trojan-infected files and apps you download. It then sits on your system until it activates and it shuts down your PC. Hackers then pose demands in often large amounts of money that you have to pay in order to get control of your PC again. More often than not, even when you do pay you never get access to your computer again. To prevent this from happening, it’s important to have an anti-malware program like Norton to help.
Norton also offers several apps for free download as well as a few premium features you can try out for a period. Some of these features include an advanced parental control tool - Norton Family Premier, a password manager - Norton Identity Safe or you can try out the online backup service that allows you to backup up to 25GB of your files.
Price: $39.99
To get the most realistic view of the products efficiency, reliability and performance, we used testing results provided by the AV-Test institute for software testing. Several times a year, AV-Test lab conducts independent tests on various anti-malware software in order to find the most reliable products in the industry. Norton Security Standard did great in all areas it was tested providing excellent protection while using your PCs resources economically.
On the protection test, Norton was set against more than 14,000 familiar malware threats like viruses, worms, spyware, ransomware etc. The anti-malware giant received a perfect score by blocking all threats it was exposed to. The success on the protection test is crucial for the viability of an anti-malware software, since that is its primary function. The industry average in this category was 92% efficiency.
The performance test measured how much lag the anti-malware software causes on its host PC. The testers ran several programs and did various different operations while Norton was running its scans. With a 92% on this test, Norton did well above the industry average of 83% showing it won’t significantly slow down your PC.
The final test shows how efficient an anti-malware program is at differentiating between real and false threats. Having a program that often makes this misidentification can be time consuming later since you’ll have to add each safe program onto your anti-malware software’s whitelist manually. Norton scored well above average on this test.
Norton is among the very few anti-malware software companies that offer 24/7 phone support. The website itself is uncluttered and visually pleasing. It offers an active community and a FAQ section. There is a searchable knowledgebase in case you want to look for the solution yourself. Aside from contacting customer support via phone, you can also engage in live chat or request to be contacted via email.
Email: Even though there is no direct email you can contact customer support through, you can send them an enquiry through a form on their website.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Norton
Phone number: The phone number depends on the country you’re in, but you can file a form and ask for the number for your specific location through this link:
support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/contact-phone
Support Forum: community.norton.com/en
Website: www.norton.com
Our editorial staff evaluates products and services independently, but Best Review Guide may earn money when you click on links. Read our advertising disclosure.
By: Tamara | Last updated June 2, 2017 
