Norton Internet Security 2011

Norton Internet Security 2011 |129.9 MB

Norton is well known for their computer protection and security software on the market, and has protected computers and families for years. The 2011 version of Norton Internet Security goes even further to make your online experience safe and secure, and does so without being an annoyance or resource hog. Symantec, Norton’s manufacturer, has packed award-winning antispyware and antivirus features into an attractive, user-friendly package. Norton Internet Security 2011 is a great option for someone who wants maximum security with little hassle. The all-in-one internet security suite features all the essential layers of protection, and several additional features that not only improve security, but make the software easier to use. Norton Internet Security is effective, efficient, and easy to use.

Norton Internet Security continues to incorporate major improvements and innovations into their (already competitive) internet security software. Beyond the multi-layered virus and spyware protection afforded by their award-winning anti-virus programming, the internet security suite adds more protection against cybercrime and identity theft as well as tools to help parents control their kids’ online behavior and security. Dangerous websites are identified to help protect your identity and finances as well as blocking most phishing attempts.

In short, Norton’s internet security software covers all of your bases when it comes to security, and won’t slow you down. Combining all the right features with innovative protection from new threats, Norton Internet Security is certainly one of the best internet security suites.

Antispyware:

Norton Internet Security performed well in the anti-spyware tests we performed. We were impressed with the phishing filter, which integrates with both Internet Explorer and Firefox. All in all, the spyware scanning and prevention features included in the package worked well and kept our surfing experience pleasant and spyware free.

More than just blocking spyware, Norton is fully equipped to help you avoid malicious websites altogether. The Norton Safe Web utility is a link scanner plug-in that provides color-coded security ratings right on the search results from popular search engines. These ratings are fairly unobtrusive, and provide proactive protection from malicious websites before you even click on them. Recognizing the explosion of the use of social media networks, Norton Safe Web now works with Facebook, and scans links that you or your friends post.

Norton Internet Security includes protection from all sorts of online (and offline) security threats, and is fully equipped with antiphishing, antispam, antirootkit and more. The internet security software is also effective in finding vulnerabilities and security holes in applications installed on the computer that cybercriminals might exploit.

Antivirus:

Norton Antivirus passed all our tests and is ISCA, VB 100% and W.C.L Level 1 and 2 certified. If the above sentence makes no sense to you, just take it all as a spectacular compliment to Norton Internet Security. These certifications are difficult to obtain and demonstrate a real commitment by Symantec to keep working hard to offer one of the best products in the field.

Norton Internet Security found and removed all of the virus infected files we planted on our test system prior to installation. The realtime scanner also caught all of the newly introduced viruses. For a bit of fun, we took our testing a bit further by compiling several viruses directly on the test system. Norton Internet Security caught and stopped all of our tests without even flinching.

Norton Internet Security utilizes advanced heuristics to proactively protect from new threat variants that haven’t even been discovered yet. Their proprietary SONAR 3 behavioral technology detects new threats by how they act. The internet security suite also features several “Insight” technologies, including File Insight and Download Insight. These technologies take advantage of Norton’s huge database to let you know more about any file (good and bad) on your computer or that you’re going to download. You can see how many users there are, where the file came from, how long they’ve been around and whether or not Norton has verified it as a safe download. If the Norton Reputation is pretty new and unverified on a video coded from a video supposedly sent by “a friend,” you might want to reconsider before you download it.

Firewall:

Norton has really put some work into their firewall in its newest release. The default configuration is powerful, but doesn't cripple your computer experience. For those out there who have a need for custom firewall rules, Norton has a section dedicated to setting them up that is not only easy to use, but understandable enough to be useful. There is also an option within the program to reset the firewall to its default settings in the event that your advanced rules don't work exactly as planned. The two-way firewall is flexible, and effective at keeping hackers out and your personal information in. The internet security suite also includes network mapping and monitoring to help you manage your dynamic home network and keep an eye on potential intruders.

Other Security/Features:

The internet security software includes an Identity Safe feature that helps keep your usernames and passwords secure. Identity Safe is a central database that encrypts your usernames and passwords, keeping them safe from illegitimate websites. These passwords can be safely accessed and used for auto form filling from any computer that has the Norton software installed, by maintaining a copy of Norton Identity Safe On-The-Go on a USB drive. Identity Safe also includes a list of online shopping and bank websites that your transactions are matched against. If the site you are purchasing something from is not listed, it will warn you to make sure you double check that you are at the right place doing the right thing.

Norton Internet Security also includes useful parental controls with the OnlineFamily.Norton internet filtering application. Norton’s parental controls can be used to not only monitor what your kids are doing online, but can also be used to filter objectionably content and limit web access with time restrictions or allowances.

Ease of Use:

This is an internet security software that you can install on your computer and forget about it if you choose. As soon as you install Norton Internet Security suites, all of the security features are preset to defaults, so you never have to touch, tweak or adjust the program again. On the other hand, Symantec includes the ability to customize many aspects of the program, if you like. Norton Internet Security is designed to run automatically, running scans when the system is idle and performing update in the background, so you don’t have to constantly monitor the software. But for those who want more hands-on control and flexibility, Norton Internet Security is also very user friendly.

The interface is easy to navigate with well-labeled buttons. Additionally, all options have a detailed description of what they do. Setup is simple, and installation was amazingly quick. We didn't have any problems during the installation and setup process. The first update may take a little while to get everything up to date, but subsequent updates are pretty much unnoticeable. Norton uses a process called Pulse Updates which are essentially micro-updates that can occur as frequently as every five to fifteen minutes. The result is that virus definitions are always current and there’s virtually no impact on computer performance.

Help & Support:

Symantec offers a wide range of customer support options for the internet security suite. The self-help options are extensive and the Symantec website has support options ranging from a knowledge base to live chat. The publisher offers 24/7 toll-free telephone, email and chat support throughout the subscription period.

New this year, Norton also has a couple of free utilities that are specifically designed to help if/when you get in any serious malware trouble. The Norton Bootable Recovery Tool (NBRT) lets you create a bootable recovery disk designed for completely crashed computers, and Norton Power Eraser is a potent application that removes deeply rooted threats (particularly fake antivirus software). Learn more about Norton Power Eraser and Norton Bootable Recovery Tool.

Summary:

Norton Internet Security 2011 |

Norton Internet Security 2011 is a rock-solid internet security suite that will keep your system running smooth and clean. It performed well in our tests (as well as other third-party tests), and includes a number of unique advanced security features. Symantec offers great online support options to help with any issues you may have, and continually updates their software to keep it ahead of the curve. Live support options are excellent. As good as the product is among other internet security suites reviewed, we have some reservations about the problems we encountered when uninstalling it.

While Norton has had problems with slowdown in the past, they’ve turned that problem upside-down, now performing among the best internet security software. Norton Internet Security is an overall great product that we certainly recommend as one of the best internet security suites. With all the right features and high marks in performance as well as protection, the internet security software is great option for online security and more.

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