Recommendations on using Security software (e.g. Norton) on my Mac

No security software should be installed and Apple's XProtect is very good at keeping your device secure. Other software installed will only conflict with the XProtect framework and unnecessarily consume valuable resources on your device.

These are some of the most common problems that users experience and will not be prevented by using apps like Norton:

• Allowing website to send you Notifications. These notifications from some websites will claim you have a virus in an attempt to get you to purchase additional software. These are easily removed in Safari settings and only occur because the user specifically allowed the website to do it.
• Falling for fake scam that claims to Scan your computer or a message that claims to Update FlashPlayer. These will install files in your launch folders that run on startup and also do things like claim you have a virus in an attempt to get more money out of you. This action has to be initiated by you even though they claim to do something else. A/V software does not stop you from doing this and the files are easily removed from your launch folders if it does occur. This is not a virus and cannot spread.
• Falling for a phishing attempt, whether it is a Message, email, or phone call. These may claim to be Apple Technical support, your bank, or a fake transaction that you did not make. They will have phone number to call or a link that will take you to a site that imitates an official looking site. They are attempting to get you to divulge personal or financial information. Nothing will prevent you from giving your information away. You best defense is being able to avoid these phishing scams.

Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

• Installing VPN software for security purposes also should not be done. All of your information and website data is sent to the VPN company. Some of these companies, especially if it is a free one, will sell your personal information as a source of income.

You will not find a 3rd party A/V software that gets updated as frequently as Apple does to protect against threats. Security has always been a cat and mouse game and that will continue well into the future. Apple is far more knowledgeable about the OS and how to protect it and I would only be worried if they no longer provided these security updates.

Nothing has been shown that any of the A/V software on the market would prevent against these threats. Adding them does not offer an extra layer of protection and in the cases we have seen in these forums, they only conflict with the normal operation of your computers OS.

The Mac OS is locked in a Read Only portion of your Hard Drive. There is no virus that can insert itself there that would be able to infect your computer. Users on the Mac are not getting infected with viruses, although they can get their account compromised by any of the methods that I have previously described. That is the real concern and not protected by adding additional software.

However, there are dangerous websites, that one has no way of knowing about unless there is software to recognize them.

Safari already does that: Legal - Safari & Privacy - Apple

Same about viruses and other software that can take control over one's system without the user having allowed them to do anything. I do not believe Apple protects against those.

Believe what you will, but you appear to have been misled — most likely, by those who want to sell you something you don't need. Follow the money. Works every time.

macOS already includes robust anti-virus and anti-malware features others already discussed. Nothing gets installed on a Mac without your consent. To install malicious software or even potentially malicious software on a Mac, you need to intentionally bypass multiple layers of defenses already incorporated in macOS.

It has been nearly a quarter century since macOS and its predecessor OS X was introduced. Yet there has never been a macOS "virus". Why?

https://www.apple.com/ae/business/resources/docs/macOS_Security_Overview.pdf

But wait, there's more! There will never be a macOS virus. Why?

After years of slowly moving in that direction, macOS adopted the iOS approach of completely separating the operating system from the user space in macOS "Catalina". It now exists on its own dedicated and secure "read only" signed system volume — isolated, cryptographically protected, and totally inaccessible to the user. If, through some (effectively impossible) means, an alteration to that volume is attempted such an attempt will fail. Not only is any nonconforming code rejected, any single solitary nonconforming byte is rejected:

https://help.apple.com/pdf/security/en_US/apple-platform-security-guide.pdf

Installing third party products from various companies that claim some superior insider knowledge greater than that of the most obsessively secretive company that builds Macs and maintains macOS is just... well, it may be rude to say it's a dumb idea, but there you have it.

Mac malware and inept developers are nothing new though. Protect yourself against malevolence and ineptitude by following these basic principles: Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community. That's all I have ever done on any of the Macs I own or control, even before Apple Silicon, before Catalina, before Intel. It's a practice that works. Non-Apple "anti-virus" products... simply don't.

Whatever that arbitrary code does cannot affect macOS for the reasons I explained. Apple releases security updates for valid reasons. Third party "anti-virus" peddlers are always months or even years behind. They can't even keep up with macOS updates. Some can't provide uninstallation instructions that actually work. Some have even gone to the absurd extent of advising people not to update macOS until they update their products. It would be laughable if not for the fact so many people are deceived into believing that nonsense.

Mac OS is all that is needed! Simply keep it up to date and restart the computer about 1x per week and and you will be rewarded with a stable and quick Mac. Deviate and you will not.

These forums are full of thousands of posts from users that deviated and then spent hours and hours and hours attempting to recover from the damage these types of apps did.

Yes you are wrong!!!!!!

You will do yourself no service by adding any of the following types of apps to your Mac:

• Antivirus apps
• Cleaning apps
• VPN apps
• Security apps
• Maintenance apps

Mac OS does not benefit from nor does it require ANY of these types of third party apps. If you decide to install any the chances are very high that you will be rewarded with a slow, unstable and buggy version of Mac OS. Yup, it’s that simple.

You should not install any security or cleaning software on a Mac. It is not necessary and just consumes resources on your system.

I have a Windows box too but only because my hobby, astrophotography is primarily a Windows world. In close to 30 years of Mac ownership I have never installed any of the types of apps I am advocating against and have never had any issues. Why would I?

That is pretty easy, when I get those warnings on my I use common sense and DO NOT continue onto those sites. I’ll provide some advice from my wife, “Use your eyes and your brains!”

You don’t have to follow our advice of course but if I warned you to stay away from an erupting volcano and you ignore the advice and get seriously injured or worse don’t expect a lot of empathy.

That is pretty easy, when I get those warnings on my I use common sense and DO NOT continue onto those sites.

I throw caution to the wind and load them anyway. If they solicit information I'll happily provide disinformation.

Most of the time they've already been taken down by the hosting company, spoiling the fun.