A "computer consultant" is pushing me to replace Norton 360 for Windows with Malwarebytes. Their reason for the aggressive sales pitch is their claim that many of their clients tell them that Norton "has put viruses on their computers." This sounds like a bit of hyperbole/scare tactics to advance an agenda. Maybe I'm just too suspicious, but I would like to research anecdotal evidence for this claim.
I would love to hear the experience of anyone in this Community who has had viruses/malware appear on their computer as a result of having Norton Lifelock/Utilities Ultimate/other Norton services installed. Thanks.
I would love to hear the experience of anyone in this Community who has had viruses/malware appear on their computer as a result of having Norton Lifelock/Utilities Ultimate/other Norton services installed.
You put computer consultant in quotation marks. Is this just a friend that helps others with computer problems, or an actual computer technician?
An AV product cannot put a virus on a computer, but sometimes it may not detect one of the tens of thousands of new infections that are released in the wild every single day. Until the AV product developers experience that new malware they cannot create the definition file to fight it.
There are also different types of malware. Some only cause browser redirects for ad purposes, usually by Possibly Unwanted Programs. While they are annoying, they do not cause damage to your system. Some people actually want the 'Features' offered by these programs. They are usually downloaded alongside a legitimate download when you do not uncheck the option for the additional download.
Norton products concentrate on malware that can damage your system, that is why some PUPs are not detected. Malwarebytes does detect more of these PUPs, which is why it is suggested here as a second opinion on demand scanner.