bathart14

Q: do i need norton security on my iMac

Do I need norton security on my iMac and if I need what's covered by that?

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013), iOS 8.1.3

Posted on Feb 20, 2015 7:17 PM

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Q: do i need norton security on my iMac

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  • by Kappy,Helpful

    Kappy Kappy Feb 20, 2015 7:18 PM in response to bathart14
    Level 10 (271,392 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 20, 2015 7:18 PM in response to bathart14

    No, you don't need it nor want it.

     

    Helpful Links Regarding Malware Problems

     

    If you are having an immediate problem with ads popping up see The Safe Mac » Adware Removal Guide and AdwareMedic.

     

    Open Safari, select Preferences from the Safari menu. Click on Extensions icon in the toolbar. Disable all Extensions. If this stops your problem, then re-enable them one by one until the problem returns. Now remove that extension as it is causing the problem.

     

    The following comes from user stevejobsfan0123. I have made minor changes to adapt to this presentation.

     

    Fix Some Browser Pop-ups That Take Over Safari.

     

    Common pop-ups include a message saying the government has seized your computer and you must pay to have it released (often called "Moneypak"), or a phony message saying that your computer has been infected, and you need to call a tech support number (sometimes claiming to be Apple) to get it resolved. First, understand that these pop-ups are not caused by a virus and your computer has not been affected. This "hijack" is limited to your web browser. Also understand that these messages are scams, so do not pay any money, call the listed number, or provide any personal information. This article will outline the solution to dismiss the pop-up.

     

    Quit Safari

     

    Usually, these pop-ups will not go away by either clicking "OK" or "Cancel." Furthermore, several menus in the menu bar may become disabled and show in gray, including the option to quit Safari. You will likely have to force quit Safari. To do this, press Command + option + esc, select Safari, and press Force Quit.

     

    Relaunch Safari

     

    If you relaunch Safari, the page will reopen. To prevent this from happening, hold down the 'Shift' key while opening Safari. This will prevent windows from the last time Safari was running from reopening.

     

    This will not work in all cases. The shift key must be held at the right time, and in some cases, even if done correctly, the window reappears. In these circumstances, after force quitting Safari, turn off Wi-Fi or disconnect Ethernet, depending on how you connect to the Internet. Then relaunch Safari normally. It will try to reload the malicious webpage, but without a connection, it won't be able to. Navigate away from that page by entering a different URL, i.e. www.apple.com, and trying to load it. Now you can reconnect to the Internet, and the page you entered will appear rather than the malicious one.

     

    An excellent link to read is Tom Reed's Mac Malware Guide.

    Also, visit The XLab FAQs and read Detecting and avoiding malware and spyware.

    See these Apple articles:

     

      Mac OS X Snow Leopard and malware detection

      OS X Lion- Protect your Mac from malware

      OS X Mountain Lion- Protect your Mac from malware

      OS X Mavericks- Protect your Mac from malware

      About file quarantine in OS X

     

    If you require anti-virus protection Thomas Reed recommends using ClamXAV. (Thank you to Thomas Reed for this recommendation.)

     

    From user Joe Bailey comes this equally useful advice:

     

    The facts are:

     

    1. There is no anti-malware software that can detect 100% of the malware out there.

    2. There is no anti-malware that can detect everything targeting the Mac.

    3. The very best way to prevent the most attacks is for you as the user to be aware that

         the most successful malware attacks rely on very sophisticated social engineering

         techniques preying on human avarice, ****, and fear.

    4. Internet popups saying the FBI, NSA, Microsoft, your ISP has detected malware on

        your computer is intended to entice you to install their malware thinking it is a

        protection against malware.

    5. Some of the anti-malware products on the market are worse than the malware

        from which they purport to protect you.

    6. Be cautious where you go on the internet.

    7. Only download anything from sites you know are safe.

    8. Avoid links you receive in email, always be suspicious even if you get something

        you think is from a friend, but you were not expecting.

    9. If there is any question in your mind, then assume it is malware.

  • by seventy one,

    seventy one seventy one Feb 21, 2015 1:55 AM in response to bathart14
    Level 6 (15,185 points)
    Peripherals
    Feb 21, 2015 1:55 AM in response to bathart14

    Small addition to Kappy's post.   Some companies offer Mcafee or Norton as free security with their  service (I thinkSky is one).   Before you buy, ask if you can opt out of taking that offer.   In most cases you can, and should do so.

  • by NortonSupport,

    NortonSupport NortonSupport Feb 23, 2015 7:11 AM in response to bathart14
    Level 1 (91 points)
    Feb 23, 2015 7:11 AM in response to bathart14

    Hi there !

     

    Norton Security on your mac adds an additional level of security to your computer and protects your computer from threats and viruses.

     

    Thanks!
    Abilash

    Norton Support

     

    <Link Edited By Host>

  • by Terence Devlin,

    Terence Devlin Terence Devlin Feb 22, 2015 11:05 PM in response to NortonSupport
    Level 10 (139,572 points)
    iLife
    Feb 22, 2015 11:05 PM in response to NortonSupport

    Norton products have a long long history of trashing OS X installations. You forgot to mention that.

  • by Donald Morgan,

    Donald Morgan Donald Morgan Feb 23, 2015 12:32 AM in response to bathart14
    Level 6 (12,783 points)
    Feb 23, 2015 12:32 AM in response to bathart14

    Bathart welcome to the discussions,

    The fact remains that Apple computers and there devises are made up of a completely different format than a PC. Thus meaning you don't want or need several of the products out there and have found to be detrimental to Apple products. OF COURSE THEY ALL SAY THEY ARE MAC COMPATIBLE BUT THE FACT REMAINS NORTON WILL CRASH YOUR MAC.

    The same holds true for most of them.

    GOOD LUCK

    DON

  • by seventy one,

    seventy one seventy one Feb 23, 2015 2:19 AM in response to NortonSupport
    Level 6 (15,185 points)
    Peripherals
    Feb 23, 2015 2:19 AM in response to NortonSupport

    We (that is, almost all of us helping on the forums) tend to believe there are no viruses currently running that affect Macs ... but ... if you know different and can point to a virus that affects Macs that Norton has found, please tell us.    I, personally, would much prefer to have the confidence to praise a supplier's product than to demean it.

  • by seventy one,

    seventy one seventy one Feb 24, 2015 12:47 AM in response to seventy one
    Level 6 (15,185 points)
    Peripherals
    Feb 24, 2015 12:47 AM in response to seventy one

    Yesterday I asked ...

     

    "We (that is, almost all of us helping on the forums) tend to believe there are no viruses currently running that affect Macs ... but ... if you know different and can point to a virus that affects Macs that Norton has found, please tell us."

     

    There's a suspicious silence from the Norton camp.

  • by petermac87,

    petermac87 petermac87 Feb 24, 2015 12:55 AM in response to NortonSupport
    Level 5 (7,402 points)
    Feb 24, 2015 12:55 AM in response to NortonSupport

    NortonSupport wrote:

     

    Hi there !

     

    Norton Security on your mac adds an additional level of security to your computer and protects your computer from threats and viruses.

     

    Thanks!
    Abilash

    Norton Support

     

    <Link Edited By Host>

    . Nortons is destructive to Macs. What Mac viruses has it reported? Almost Everybody here who has had Nortons installed has had severe problems which have more thaan Often been corrected by uninstalling the Nortons rubbish. There are enough free apps that will do that much damage without paying  Symentec.

     

    Cheers

     

    Pete