Norton 360 (2014)

Pros Excellent blocking of dangerous websites. Links to Identity Safe password manager and Norton Family parental control. Network Map monitors other Norton installations. Powerful, intelligent firewall. Accurate spam filtering. Startup manager. Comprehensive local/online backup system. PC tuneup. Minor impact on system performance.

Cons Some difficulty installing on malware-infested systems. Not compatible with some antivirus tests. Full-powered parental control requires separate purchase. Bottom Line Norton 360 (2014) takes all the protective power that's packed into Norton Internet Security (2014) and adds a comprehensive local/online backup system plus a collection of effective performance tuneup tools. It's an Editors' Choice security mega-suite.

By Neil J. Rubenking

Most security companies offer an entry-level antivirus program along with a more comprehensive security suite. Quite a few add what I call a "mega-suite" to the product line, with all of the suite's components plus bonus features like backup, system tuneup, and more. Norton 360 (2014) is Symantec's entry in this field, and it's a top-notch product. Note that "(2014)" isn't actually part of the name; Symantec dropped version and year numbers last year.

Norton Internet Security (2014) uses a predominantly grey background, while Norton 360's background is mostly white. Four large buttons represent four major product areas. Behind the security button you'll find all of Norton Internet Security's features. The Identity button relates to Norton's Identity Safe password manager tool. Backup and Tuneup round out the collection; these two are the major features that distinguish Norton 360 from Symantec's other suite.

The user interface as a whole is different from that of Norton Internet Security. You'll find a different layout on the Settings page, for one thing. A bank of checkboxes lets you toggle often-used features; you can click links to dig in for more fine-grained configuration. The new Tasks pane offers easy access to common tasks like launching a scan, running a backup, or invoking one of the tuneup tools.

Multi-Layered AntiVirus
In addition to its core antivirus protection, Norton AntiVirus (2014) offers phishing protection, password management, and other useful security features. Do please read my review of the entry-level antivirus. I'll summarize my findings here.

Symantec's policy is that a valid antivirus test must exercise the whole product, not just one component. They particularly don't approve of static tests that simply launch a scan and note the percentage of samples detected, and they're not willing to allocate resources just to passing tests. Norton came out OK in AV-Test's certification, but didn't pass the latest from AV-Comparatives. For help interpreting the lab results chart below, see How We Interpret Antivirus Lab Tests.

Norton 360 (2014) lab tests chart

My own malware removal test is as real-world as they come. I install the antivirus on twelve malware-riddled systems and challenge it to clean up the mess. Getting Norton installed required help from Norton Power Eraser, the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool, as well as a multi-hour remote-control session with tech support. Once in place, it managed a respectable 6.3 points in this test. Of all the products tested using the same malware collection, only AVG Internet Security 2014 and Bitdefender Total Security (2014) scored higher. The article How We Test Malware Removal offers full background on this test.

Norton 360 (2014) malware removal chart

Symantec's ideal malware blocking test would cover the whole process starting from the fateful moment when the threat first appeared on the system. Indeed, when I tried downloading from known malware-hosting sites Norton blocked them all. It didn't do quite as well with samples that were already present on the system, scoring 8.5 points for malware blocking. AVG and Ad-Aware Pro Security 10.5 share the top score for recent products, 9.4 points. Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security 2014 and McAfee Internet Security 2014 tied for second place with 9.2 points. For details on the way I perform this test, see How We Test Malware Blocking.

Norton 360 (2014) malware blocking chart

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Norton Internet Security (2014)

Pros Excellent blocking of malicious and fraudulent websites. Links to Identity Safe password manager and Norton Family parental control. Network Map monitors other Norton installations. Startup manager. Powerful, intelligent firewall. Accurate spam filtering. Minor impact on system performance.

Cons Some difficulty installing on malware-infested systems. Not compatible with some antivirus tests. Full-powered parental control requires separate purchase. Bottom Line All of the components in Norton Internet Security (2014) work well. The intelligent firewall and accurate antiphishing component especially stand out. Norton remains an Editors' Choice for security suites.

By Neil J. Rubenking

Back in days of yore, computer hobbyists would lovingly assemble a collection of best-in-breed security components, picking this company's antivirus, that company's firewall, and so on. But who has time for that these days? Modern users want one stop shopping, an all-in-one security suite that covers the whole gamut of security needs. Norton Internet Security (2014) ($79.99 per year direct for three licenses) is a perfect example—it does everything you need, and all of its components are effective.

Just looking at the main window, the only way to tell the difference between this product and Norton's standalone antivirus is by the window title. Both products feature big buttons to launch a scan or check for updates. Another button switches to the advanced view, which offers easy on/off control of security components as well as links to important features. If you prefer the advanced view, you can pin it in place as the default.

The main window also links to a variety of other Norton products and services. You can click to get a mobile security QR code, or download the free Norton Zone file sharing tool. Another click will take you to Norton's online management tool. If you have a Norton Backup account you can quickly connect with it. And you can link to Norton Family, the source of this suite's parental control protection.

This suite's antivirus protection is exactly the same as what you get in Norton AntiVirus (2014), and the two products share a number of other features. I'll summarize my findings here; you'll want to read the antivirus review for full details.

Shared Antivirus Protection
Getting Norton installed on my twelve malware-infested test systems was a mixed experience. The product solved a few problems on its own; help from Norton Power Eraser and the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool solved others. But two systems ended up unbootable after malware cleanup. Getting those back to normal took hours of remote-access diagnostics and repair by tech support.

As far as independent lab testing, Symantec rejects many current test methodologies, static detection testing in particular. Norton includes layer upon layer of protection; they feel an accurate test should rate all layers. In fact, Norton earned an excellent score in the latest test by AV-Test, which includes both static and dynamic elements. The chart below summarizes recent results. For more about the labs, see How We Interpret Antivirus Lab Tests.

Norton Internet Security (2014) lab tests chart

Norton also did well in my own hands-on malware removal test. It detected 81 percent of the samples and earned 6.3 points. Of products tested using my current malware collection, only AVG AntiVirus FREE 2014 and Bitdefender Internet Security (2014) have scored higher. The article How We Test Malware Removal explains how I conduct this test and score the results.

Norton Internet Security (2014) malware removal chart

My malware blocking test relies in part on a product's ability to recognize static malware samples; just the kind of test Norton doesn't like. I do launch all the samples that aren't killed on sight, but to exercise the full range of Norton protection I'd have to start from the beginning by downloading and launching each sample, and that's not a test I can repeat on demand. Norton's Web-based detection did block every current sample whose URL is still valid, which is a good sign. Overall, though, its score of 8.5 points for malware blocking isn't the best. AVG and Ad-Aware Free Antivirus+ 10.5 scored best among current products, with 9.4 points each. For details on my hands-on malware blocking test, see How We Test Malware Blocking.

Norton Internet Security (2014) malware blocking chart

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Norton AntiVirus (2014)

Pros New technology handles corrupted critical files. Installer remediates some potential problems. Very effective malicious URL blocking, exploit blocking, and antiphishing. Good malware cleanup scores. Remote monitoring via network map.

Cons Despite corrupted-file technology, scan disabled two infested test systems, requiring tech support intervention. Average malware blocking scores. Bottom Line Symantec focuses on protecting against malware at every level, and the latest Norton AntiVirus (2014) does more than ever to block real-world malware attacks. This focus costs it points in static antivirus testing, but the product is effective. I use it myself.

By Neil J. Rubenking

Early computer viruses under MS-DOS were simple things, chunks of code appended to executable COM files. Norton Antivirus was there, starting in 1990, working to wipe out these nasty infections. Norton AntiVirus (2014) continues to do the job, growing and evolving to face ever more complex types of malicious code.

Like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and a few others, Symantec has stopped using a year or version number for its Norton product line. I've appended "(2014)" for the simple purpose of distinguishing this product from earlier versions.

Big, touch-friendly buttons on the main window let you quickly launch a scan or check for updates. An info panel monitors CPU usage (overall and specifically by Norton). The product comes configured for the best balance between security and performance, so most users won't need to dig into the product's settings.

A New Technique
When I met with Symantec representatives prior to this review, they explained a truly impressive new feature that's been added to the current version. Sometimes malware infests essential Windows components, in effect taking them hostage. The antivirus can't quarantine the infected file without disabling Windows. The best solution would be to replace the file with a clean copy of the original, but licensing issues prevent doing so directly.

To clean up this kind of problem, the product first consults the immense Norton Insight database to locate the corresponding clean file, then runs a cloud-based comparison against the infected edition. It supplies the local Norton installation with a file that represents the difference between the two—in effect, a set of instructions for changing the corrupted file back to its clean equivalent. Once the clean file has been verified, the cleanup is complete.

I frequently run into big problems with antivirus products that get too aggressive and delete important Windows files. I'm really impressed with the cleverness of this technology.

Installation Ups and Downs
The installer for Norton AntiVirus checks for problems and, when possible, solves them. For example, on one test system it detected an illegitimate proxy installation and offered to remove it. Doing so saved it from a host of post-install connection troubles.

When malware has rendered a system unbootable, or when ransomware actively blocks access to the system, the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool offers two ways to save the day. You can run Norton Power Eraser, an aggressive malware-killing tool, or run an advanced recovery scan. This tool easily wiped out ransomware on one test system, allowing installation of the full product.

On the flip side, the new cleanup technology I described didn't prevent Norton from damaging two test systems to the point they would not boot. On one system, Norton's Auto-Protect flagged a number of files immediately after installation and requested a reboot to finish cleanup. After reboot, it went into an endless logon/logoff loop. The other system couldn't update, activate, or call on its built-in support. On advice from tech support I tried Norton Power Eraser, and when that didn't help, Norton Bootable Recovery Tool. This system ended up in the same kind of logon/logoff loop.

Getting these problems fixed required several hours of interaction with tech support, including remote-access diagnostics and repair, which was rather disappointing. Both systems did eventually get fixed, but it took a lot of work. I rate the installation experience at two stars.

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