norton on macbook pro?

Question

norton on macbook pro?

Have macbookpro and running norton from xfinity. System runs very slowly, and monitoring my activity montior, it appears Norton is most likely the culprit.

I Also run parallels to allow for some windows based programs needed for work.

When I look at Norton logs, it intercepted numerous "trojans", etc and also blocks many phishing attempt. Worried what happens if I trun Norton off as these will not be caught or blocked. I am also stuck with using microsoft office for mac (work requirement).

Any thoughts?

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Feb 12, 2016 9:51 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Feb 12, 2016 9:52 AM in response to GivemebackmyPC

Remove Norton (correctly)

Reply

Answer 2

Feb 12, 2016 10:00 AM in response to Csound1

but what about all the "stuff" i see being block and /or intercetpted by norton in the logs? Won't I be vulnerable if I just remove it?

Reply

Answer 3

Csound1

Level 9

59,973 points

Feb 12, 2016 10:01 AM in response to GivemebackmyPC

Not as much as you are now. You asked for advice. Remove Norton, or not, it's up to you.

Reply

Answer 4

Feb 12, 2016 10:06 AM in response to GivemebackmyPC

Norton is one of the worst pieces of software you can install on your Mac.As Csound suggests uninstall it correctly.

Your Mac will not vulnerable if you uninstall. In fact it will be safer without it.

Reply

Answer 5

dwb

Level 7

32,920 points

Feb 12, 2016 10:45 AM in response to GivemebackmyPC

Many of us have been running our Macs on the Internet for years without the need for anti-malware software and have yet to see the first attack on our computers. Anti-malware software gives the user a false sense of security and given that we are the weakest link in the security chain a false sense of security is the last thing we need. By always questioning where I’m about to go, what I’m about to download, and whether I should believe the message I just got I am able to avoid getting caught in the malware web. If I weren’t careful because I believed I had software to keep me safe I’d actually wind up being less safe.

That said, among the worst programs you could install on your computer, Norton’s is among the worst. Get rid of it.

Reply

Answer 6

Klaus1

Level 9

52,749 points

Feb 12, 2016 11:38 AM in response to GivemebackmyPC

Norton Antivirus (made by Symantec) has a very long and illustrious reputation for mangling Mac OS X systems, sometimes to the point where a complete reinstall is necessary. Among other things, it installs kernel extensions which are known to cause kernel panics and system freezes; it contains known and documented bugs which can silently corrupt Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign files, destroy a user's ability to authenticate as an administrator, and (on PPC systems) can cause Classic to stop functioning; and Symantec has on at least two occasions now released flawed .dat file updates which erroneously report certain critical Mac OS X files as "viruses." (Deleting these "viruses" causes damage to the system that in some cases renders it unbootable.)

Norton has also been reported as damaging iPhone backups.

A major security flaw in Norton has also been noted:

http://www.macnn.com/articles/15/05/08/contentious.utility.ignored.apple.guideli nes.created.zero.day.exploit.128538/

Norton Removal Tool (Symantec Uninstaller):

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH103489&locale =en_US

Reply