Even though your Mac is not as susceptible to malware as a PC, it can still happen. Norton AntiVirus for Mac 12 is designed to protect your Mac from viruses, worms, Trojans and any other cyber threat that could find its way onto your computer. This Mac antivirus software provides such strong protection and flawless ease of use that we gave it our TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award.
Norton AntiVirus for Mac is designed to protect all of your valuable Mac programs that contain your personal data, including iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto and more. This Mac antivirus application shields your programs and your data from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, rootkits and other forms of malware. It also protects your computer from spyware, so you can rest assured knowing that you don’t have another set of eyes following all the tasks you perform on the computer.
In addition to protecting your Mac from viruses, worms and similar threats, this application also provides antivirus protection while browsing the web. This allows you to surf the internet safely and destroy any threat that creeps onto your device. This Mac antivirus software also offers protection for your email and instant messaging by scanning any suspicious attachment on your email or messaging system. Additionally, this security software offers network monitoring. It also has the capability to detect Windows viruses that may be attempting to attach themselves to your computer.
Your Mac antivirus software is only as good as the protection it offers. Without strong shields and the ability to easily destroy malicious threats and programs on your computer, it is simply taking up space. Norton AntiVirus for Mac uses a variety of protection technology to find those threats and destroy them before they cause any damage. This security software uses signature matching to detect viruses. Viruses leave a small trail of bits, and this software detects those bits and can then identify and remove the virus.
This Mac antivirus software also features real-time background scanning. The software hides silently in the background so you don’t even know it is there. It then scans the computer for any type of malicious program that may be lurking on the device. Additionally, Norton will quarantine any program or file that looks suspicious and prompt you to look at it. This allows you to check and see if the program is safe or if it truly is destructive.
But even with the different types of protection technology this application offers, it did not meet our full expectations. We were disappointed to see this application does not offer firewall protection.
One of the advantages to using Norton AntiVirus for Mac 12 is the large variety of features this application offers. There is an assortment of scanning tools available. You can choose to perform a quick scan, full scan or a custom scan. By performing a custom scan, you can choose the individual files and folders you want to scan, along with any external media devices that may be connected to your computer. You also have the power to exclude any files from the scan, which is ideal if you have files that would take a large amount of time to scan. You can pause or resume a scan and use the scheduler tool to set up recurring scans that run during times that work best for you.
If any threats are found on your computer, Norton will send you an alert or notification to make you aware. You can also view a history log that provides detailed information of each scan and any threats that were found. In addition, this application gives you the power to decide what to do if the application finds threats and allows you to set the action for those discovered infections. You can also adjust the level of protection.
Norton AntiVirus for Mac has a very simple and user-friendly interface. It is straightforward with only a few menus throughout the entire program so it is difficult to become lost while navigating throughout the application. On the main page, you can choose which type of scan you would like to perform. You can also decide whether you want different types of protection turned on such as virus protection, idle-time scans or vulnerability protection. There is also a status menu to view the status of the different tasks performed using the software.
This application provides automatic and manual updates. Updating your Mac antivirus software is crucial because the updates make it possible for the software to discover new and advanced viruses. The main menu shows you when the last update was performed.
If any problems, questions or concerns arise while downloading, installing or using this application, you can contact a technical help representative through email, phone or live chat. In addition, there is a user forum available on the Norton website that allows you to communicate with other software users to receive advice, feedback and answers to questions. There is also a knowledgebase available on the website that provides additional resources, along with a FAQs section to provide guidance on many of the most commonly occurring questions users have. You can also download the user manual that provides step-by-step assistance for many of the available tools and features.
Losing files, folders and personal data that was stored on your Mac can be a disheartening event. By keeping it well protected, you add that extra layer of protection, keeping your information safe and giving you a little peace of mind. Norton AntiVirus for Mac 12 is outstanding Mac antivirus software. It is capable of discovering a wide range of threats, including viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, rootkits and more. It provides technology that easily finds those malicious threats through virus signatures and real-time scans. However, we were disappointed this application does not offer firewall protection and does not use heuristics. But this application does offer a large feature set with excellent scanning features and tools. Overall, this Mac antivirus application is an excellent choice for keeping your data, folders and files safe and secure.
Pros
Norton AntiVirus for Mac offers full, quick and custom scanning features.
Cons
This Mac antivirus application does not offer firewall protection.
The large feature set, strong protection technology and easy-to-use interface makes Norton AntiVirus for Mac one of the best antivirus applications for Mac OS X.