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I have had Norton 360 for 3 or 4 years now however I am feeling they are requiring too much access to everything on my computer.
After reading another thread that says to uninstall because of the valid reasons, and of which I am probably going to do, does that mean that the macOS system does not need an antivirus protector?
If it does, does Norton do the job and just not give so much permission to them?
iMac (2017 – 2020)
To add
There are no known Windows-like Viruses in the wild that self replicate and affect macOS, because of the underling UNIX Foundation and Permission Limitation.
The Operating System resides in a Sealed and Read Only Volume that cannot be opened by the User nor by Third Party Applications.
The Only thing this Antivirus software is protecting is the Bank Account of the Developers and for zero return to the User aside from the problems this software creates.
AntiVirus Developers purposefully Market their product to create a “ Fear Factor “. In so doing, creating a False Need for their Product.
The Built in Security is all that is required to protect the computer.
Protecting against malware in macOS
There is Adware & Malware which will affect the computer and is generally downloaded from “ Shady “ Websites or Developers who Inject this software into the download.
From a well written User Tip from @Kurt Lang
What is malware? - Apple Community
3rd party virus apps (Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, Intego, MacAfee, Norton, Kaspersky, ESET NOD32, Trusteer etc) and 3rd party "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up" apps (CleanMyMac, MacKeeper etc) produce obscure errors and are not needed. macOS takes care of those things by itself.
Here's my contribution to what you've already been told:
First, there is no reason to ever install or run any 3rd party "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus, VPN or security apps on your Mac. This documents describe what you need to know and do in order to protect your Mac: Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community and Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support.
There are no known viruses, i.e. self propagating, for Macs. There are, however, adware and malware which require the user to install although unwittingly most of the time thru sneaky links, etc.
Anti Virus developers try to group all types as viruses into their ad campaigns of fear. They do a poor job of the detecting and isolating the adware and malware. Since there are no viruses these apps use up a lot of system resources searching for what is non-existent and adversely affect system and app performance.
There is one app, Malwarebytes, which was developed by a long time contributor to these forums and a highly respected member of the computer security community, that is designed solely to seek out adware and known malware and remove it. The free version is more than adequate for most users.
Unless you're using a true VPN tunnel, such as between you and your employer's, school's or bank's servers, they provide false security from a privacy standpoint. Read these two articles: Public VPN's are anything but private and Security Risks: The Dangers of Using Free VPNs (eccu.edu)
Just some additional food for thought.
Thank you to the repliers. Very much appreciated.
Norton 360 for macOS Monterey 12.7.6
