*NEW!*
Norton Internet Security 2010
Norton Internet Security 2010 performed considerably better than the 2009 Internet security suite, performing relatively well overall.
We're glad to see Norton making an effort to improve their resource footprint from previous versions. And we're glad to see they havent lost focus on overall PC protection.
While there were only a couple of stellar areas, there were also none that were awful either. All-in-all everything was fairly average.
IMPROVED FEATURES
Decent real-time protection
Better resource usage
Thorough Parental Controls
That's not to say Norton still isn't a contender in the antivirus and Internet security field.
Rather, it's just that they've often let their software become bloated with excessive features and only average protection, and their previously clean, solid reputation has gotten a bit solid because of it.
A few areas that did get our attention were the expanded Parental Controls and their experiment with "Pulse Updates."
For most, Parental Controls aren't what you'd expect or even need with an Internet Security suite, but some parents will be glad to have it.
It's better than no parental controls, and it's an interesting inclusion.
As for Pulse updates, Norton's attempting to stay on the cutting edge of virus definitions, and even though it's not perfectly refined, we still give them credit for innovation.
Norton Internet Security 2010 Features
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- Real-time Protection
Protects your computer in real-time against spyware, viruses, adware, and other malware. You get the peace of mind that your PC is being protected at all times.
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- Antispyware and Anti-Adware
Keeps spyware and adware away from your PC. Finds, cleans, and destroys spyware already installed on your computer.
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- Email Protection
Keeps your inbox safe from malicious viruses that travel through email. Scans incoming and outgoing messages for dangerous software and links.
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- Instant Messaging Protection
Scans and blocks malicious file transfers that come through your IM conversations. Helps to keep your conversations free from suspicious intruders.
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- Anti-phishing
Identifies phishing websites that try to steal your personal or sensitive information. Helps protect against credit card and identity theft.
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- Parental Controls
Keeps children safe online by monitoring and blocking inappropriate websites. Helps parents limit the time kids spend on the computer.
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- Firewall
Blocks unwanted programs from accessing your computer. Your first line of defense against the outside world.
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- Anti-spam
Helps filter out junk email from your inbox.
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- Identity Protection
Keeps your identity safe from thieves and prying eyes.
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- Safe Search
Helps to identify unsafe websites in search results.
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- Network Security Map
Keeps an eye on all network activity. Helps to identify hidden threats.
Norton Internet Security Suite 2010 Assessment
Here we've listed a breakdown of each category we've tested for Norton Internet Security 2010. Each category was given a percentage rating based on those tests.
Antivirus Installation: 92%
Installation was easy with no major issues. On broadband, it only took about 3 minutes to download the "instant download" version.
A standard installation wizard will guide you through the process. Enter your license key, and you're done.
New definitions are downloaded quickly and automatically to get your software up to speed fast.
Total download and installation time was about 6 minutes.
Un-installation: 90%
If you need or choose to uninstall the software, Norton makes it easy with a fast and relatively clean un-install.
The software will ask you if you plan on re-installing Norton in the near future and will save your settings if you plan on doing so. If not, you can uninstall the software just the same via the ADD/REMOVE Programs section in Windows, or through their self uninstall.
The Parental Controls feature needs to be separately uninstalled.
After which, you'll need to reboot to complete uninstallation.
We found a few harmless registry keys were left behind, leaving not quite as clean of an uninstall as we'd like to see, but not too bad.
Total uninstall time was about 4 minutes.
User Interface: 85%
The user interface is easy enough for beginning users, and in-depth enough for advanced users.
While there's a lot of territory to cover in the user interface, the average user can rely on the default settings and still feel protected.
As for the options and settings, there are a lot, so the number of setting options may be daunting for some users.
There are help links and information links prevalent throughout.
On one hand this provides all the information anyone will ever need to properly customize Norton's user interface; on the other hand, the depth of links and help pages can be frustrating and complicated for those that don't want to spend a few hours getting through all the information.
There's plenty for everyone, but be ready to dig in.
Real-time Protection: 93%
Norton's real-time antivirus protection was very fast compared to most. It responded very well to our tests and did not let the majority of malicious virus files be transferred to the computer.
Real-time protection blocked 85% of virus and other malware samples we tested against it.
Memory usage during real-time protection was average at about 16MB during idle running. Norton also includes a performance meter on the main control panel that tracks current as well as lifetime CPU and Memory usage.
We salute them for this, as it seems to show Norton is again serious about improving their load on the system.
Manual Scan: 85%
A full-system scan removed about 85% of all malware we tested against Norton antivirus.
This even included malicious files that were located on the computer but had not yet infected the system.
Norton uses a new feature this year with their Insight Technology.
It uses virus definitions that are located on the web instead of only from their database. In theory, this would make fighting viruses more fast and efficient.
However, this feature only works when doing a quick scan. Full scans and email scanning for example do not yet use this technology.
It'll be interesting to see if Norton fully utilizes this technology next year.
The full-system, manual scan only took about 50 minutes on our test machines.
Resource Usage: 85%
CPU usage stayed low under 5% and only spiked to 25% when removing malicious virus files during real-time protection. Memory usage was approximately 16MB.
CPU nearly maxed out during a full system scan at 90%. Memory usage for a full system scan was about 130MB.
While real-time protection resource usage was low and acceptable, full system scan resource usage was far too high at around 90%.
This uneven balance is a bit concerning if you're trying to use your PC while the system is being scanned.
Spyware/Adware Protection: 79%
Only 60% of the spyware we tested was removed. However, most of the more viscous spyware were all successfully removed.
The items that weren't removed were programs that had a legitimate value but also behaved like spyware. Only 25% of all antivirus programs that we tested removed these items.
Norton's success rate for removing pre-existing spyware was average. About 60% of spyware was found and either quarantined or removed.
Regrettably, the remaining spyware that Norton wasn't able to remove replicated itself each time.
Norton needs to improve their antispyware feature.
Pre-infected Machine: 75%
We pre-infected our testing computer with viruses, spyware, and malware, then we installed Norton antivirus to see how it would perform.
Any malicious files that were dormant were successfully removed. However, we were surprised that any malicious programs that were running were not removed. These files could only be removed when we ran a manual scan.
About 85% of all viruses, spyware, and malware were removed from our pre-infected machine. Not bad, but Norton should do much better.
Email Protection: 80%
Norton had average email antivirus and malware protection. Outlook and Outlook Express are supported as well as POP and SMTP clients.
The software scans any file that transfers to your computer whether it comes via email, or other internet connection. So, the end result is that all files are scanned when they reach the computer anyway.
Incoming and outgoing email is scanned and each can be disabled if necessary.
Webmail is not directly supported, but threatening files are scanned as part of the whole system protection.
All malware that we tested was either blocked or correctly identified if it did get through the filters.
Anti-spam: 60%
The anti-spam feature scored very low for us. Outlook's own spam filter did a better job at detecting and catching spam than Norton's spam filter did. Not a very good result.
Outlook and Outlook Express are the only email clients that will work with Norton's spam-filter. A toolbar will install that allows you to manually classify email as spam or not. This is meant to train the system to better filter spam, but we didn't find this to be very effective at all.
Firewall: 75%
Norton Internet Security Suite 2010
Firewall Scores
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Firewall Performance
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| Inbound Blocking |
80 |
| Outbound Blocking |
80 |
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Other Firewall Ratings
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| Firewall Ease-of-Use |
70 |
| Configuration Flexibility |
70 |
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The default settings for this firewall were very unimpressive. At this setting, no alerts are given for any suspicious files (even though they were blocked).
The only way to view activity at this level is to check the "View recent history" from the task bar. We'd like any easier way to know what's going on.
Changing the settings to "Advanced Events Monitoring" performed much better.
The firewall will ask you about every program, then make a rule based on your answer. While this was much more informative, the end result is a very annoying firewall asking you for permission for every step.
In a nut shell, the default settings were not nearly informative enough, and the advanced settings were too informative. Unfortunately, there was no middle setting.
Overall, the firewall did a good job at blocking viruses and malicious attacks, but the usability leaves much to be desired.
Parental Controls: 88%
Overall, Norton's Internet Security includes one of the few Parental Controls feature that actually does an adequate job.
Norton allows installation on 3 computers.
All options in the Parental Controls section allows you to either block the action, just log the action, or give the user a warning and text box that allows the child to submit a reason for taking that action.
Norton has taken a different approach to Parental Control in that they choose to be less intrusive and more transparent than some other software (hoping that the child/parent relationship will be better due to more transparency rather than the "Big Brother" approach).
There's no password grabbing, no keystroke logging (however, chat and web-searches are captured). There's also no stealth mode.
The user will know that they are being monitored at all times.
The parent can change any setting remotely, and the parent can be notified by email of any and all infractions.
Parental controls are not installed by default, so you'll need to install them to use them. Features include:
- Settings for each individual user and computer.
- Blocking and warning about websites visited.
- Monitoring search terms and turning on Safe Search.
- Instant Message logging. Blocking certain IM contacts until they are approved by the parent.
- Account lists of each social site your child belongs to. Lists the name and age they are using along with the number of visits and date of last visit.
- Time scheduler. Schedule how many hours per day a user can be on the computer as well as specific time slots for use. An automatic logout will occur if the child has gone over the allotted time.
IM Protection: 94%
Instant Messaging (IM) protection responded very well to our tests. Any malicious files attempting to transfer through IM were successfully blocked.
Works with MSN, Yahoo, AIM, and Trillian.
Norton Internet Security will automatically detected and protect your IM clients by default.
Anti-phishing: 85%
Norton's anti-phishing feature was average, and should have performed better. Only about half of the know phishing websites were successfully blocked.
Norton installs a "safe search" toolbar in Internet Explorer which does all your searching through www.ask.com. The results can be filtered to remove unsafe websites.
It also validates the search results and presents each with an icon that can be moused over for detailed info.
The anti-phishing will be installed and active regardless if the toolbar is used or not.
Overall, a bit clumsy and only partially effective.
Antivirus Definition Updates: 97%
Definition updates happen every 3-15 minutes. Norton uses what they call "Pulse updates" every few minutes, and larger updates several times a day.
These Pulse updates are intended to be a faster, warning of threats that "may" be harmful but haven't been officially analyzed.
According to their website, the pulse updates are tested but may not be as reliable as the full updates. The full updates include the Pulse updates after they've gone through the complete quality assurance filter.
Customer Support: 87%
Norton Internet Security Suite 2010
Premium Support Pricing1,2 |
| Service |
Price |
| Virus & Spyware Removal |
$99.99 |
| PC Power Boost Service |
$69.99 |
| Expert Installation Service |
$39.99 |
1 Pricing current as of the writing of this review and subject to change by the antivirus manufacturer without notice.
2 Premium support is available 24 x 7. |
You can access help pages and tutorials from the Control Panel directly. However, the tutorials are limited in scope.
For further assistance, you can use the "Get support" link which will run a self-diagnosis. After the diagnosis, you'll be able to contact Norton via phone, chat, or email 24/7.
The direct technical support options are easy to find, but not well presented until a few steps are taken. Phone, email, and chat support are all free.
Premium service charges apply only if you need Norton to take more drastic measures to remove a virus or perform an installation.
Overall, Norton's customer service is adequate, but we'd like to see easier access to email and phone numbers.
Norton Internet Security Suite 2010
Review Conclusions
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Norton Internet Security Suite 2010 Scores
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Antivirus
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$59.99
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| Overall Internet Security Protection |
84 |
| Real-time Security Protection |
93 |
| Manual Antivirus Scanning |
85 |
| Resource Utlization |
85 |
| Virus Removal (Pre-infected Machine) |
75 |
| Antivirus Definition Updates |
97 |
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Additional Internet Security Features
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| Spyware/Adware Protection |
79 |
| Email Protection |
80 |
| Anti-Spam Protection |
60 |
| Firewall Software |
75 |
| Parental Controls Software |
88 |
| IM/Instant Message Protection |
94 |
| Anti-Phishing Protection |
85 |
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Other Software Ratings
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| Installation |
92 |
| Un-installation |
90 |
| User Interface |
85 |
| Customer Technical Support |
87 |
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Norton Internet Security 2010 fared well for us this year. While they didn't improve much from last year, at least they didn't slip backwards.
Core antivirus and antispyware protection was average to good during our tests, but needs to be much more robust in future versions.
- Better resource usage
- Average overall antivirus protection
- Poor spyware and adware protection
- Expanded Parental Controls
- Poor anti-spam
- Thorough user interface
- Poor firewall management
Their weakest and most important feature was Norton's firewall.
It did well with actual protection, but as far as usability is concerned, there's much to be desired.
You either get a very basic firewall with little to no alerts, or you get a very advance firewall with too many alerts.
Norton needs to rethink their firewall management options.
We admired the Parental Controls expansion, and the efforts to deliver up-to-the second Pulse updates, but their core antivirus, antispyware, and malware protection is what's ultimately the most important.
We'd like to see Norton focus more on the core features and less on the frills in the future. However, Norton Internet Security 2010 is still a solid PC protection suite even if it's not as robust as we'd like to see it.
Norton Internet Security Suite 2010
XP System Requirements
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Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher.
Mozilla Firefox 3 or higher
CD-ROM drive (NOT required for installation via the Internet)
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| Software
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Microsoft Windows XP Professional
(Service Pack 2 - 32-bit only)
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
(Service Pack 2 - 32-bit only)
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| Processor/CPU
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Intel Pentium processor 300 MHz or faster
(or compatible)
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| System Memory/RAM
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256 MB
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| Free Disk Space
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300 MB
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| Email
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- All POP3 and SMTP supported clients
- Microsoft Outlook 2002 or later
- Microsoft Outlook Express 6 or later
- Windows Mail
- (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and other webmail not supported)
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| Instant Messaging
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- Yahoo! Messenger
- MSN Messenger
- Trillian
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
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Norton Internet Security Suite 2010
Windows 7 / Vista System Requirements
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Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher.
Mozilla Firefox 3 or higher
CD-ROM drive (NOT required for installation via the Internet)
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Software
(32/64 bit)
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Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Microsoft Windows Vista Business
Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise
Windows 7
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| Processor/CPU
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Intel Pentium processor 300 MHz or faster
32 bit (x86)/64 bit (x64)[or compatible]
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| System Memory/RAM
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256 MB
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| Free Disk Space
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300 MB
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| Email
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- All POP3 and SMTP supported clients
- Microsoft Outlook 2002 or later
- Microsoft Outlook Express 6 or later
- Windows Mail
- (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and other webmail not supported)
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| Instant Messaging
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- Yahoo! Messenger
- MSN Messenger
- Trillian
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
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