Hi,
I’m running the paid version of Norton Mobile Security on an android phone (updated to 4.3). About a week ago, Norton crashed during a scan (I received the standard, “Unfortunately Norton Mobile has…” message.) I tried opening the app again and was able to run a second scan without issue.
Today, I went to a blog I’ve gone to in the past and Norton blocked it as a malicious site (details said virus and scam site). I stupidly clicked the link again, and Norton blocked it a second time. Feeling twitchy, I decided to run a scan (I have it also set to scan the SD card). Norton crashed. Tried again, it crashed again. After the third attempt, I restarted my phone. It seems to be scanning now (had one crash but two successfully completed scans with no risks detected). I’m just wondering if the fact that it was crashing is a concern?
A few other questions:
Is it typical for Norton Mobile Security to occasionally crash and is this indicative of a problem or threat? None of my friends have security programs on their phones so have no basis of comparison.
Are there any other mobile security apps (like AVG or malwarebytes) that can be run alongside Norton Mobile Security for a second opinion? I know running two real-time scanners on a computer is a bad idea, but not sure about on the phone.
Finally, how likely is it for an android phone to pick up a virus or malware? Is it possible to get infected just by visiting a website? (Sorry if this is a dumb or paranoid question. I’ve tried looking it up online and have read conflicting things.)
Any responses would be SO appreciated. I use my phone quite a lot for work, so tend to get worried/paranoid.
Hi Andmike,
Thank you so much for the prompt and thorough reply. Absolutely no worries: I know the forums are primarily used by other Norton users. :)
There were no crashes prior to the 4.3 update. I'm not sure how soon after the update the first crash occurred (I have it set up to do weekly scans, but they are sometimes postponed if the battery is low or the phone is off). It could be something with the SD card--I did notice that each time the app did crash, it was while it was scanning image files (just in case that was causing the issue, I went through the gallery and deleted any files I didn't need.)
Just restarted and tried scanning twice. Both completed without issue. I think I'll keep an eye out and try scans off and on during the next couple of days. If the odd crashes continue, I'll remove and uninstall as you suggest.
Potentially a silly question, but will a reinstall be effective if there are threats on the phone? On a user review of one of the AV programs on Google Play (I can't recall if it was on Norton or AVG), someone claimed that installing security software was only effective if the phone was completely new or had been restored to factory settings.
*nods* the extra resource usage that would occur while running two security programs is a concern. What I might do is wait to see if the crashes continue with Norton and then, if i'm uninstalling anyway, try one of the other apps for a short while just to compare (my preference, though, is probably to stay with Norton) or else install Malwarebytes with Norton but use it just as an on-demand scanner.
Thank you so much for the response! More than adequate--though I hope if others are having issues with the app crashing, they'll contribute as I am quite curious to know if this could be related to the update and if others are having the same issue.
I'm glad that helped roane.
As for
will a reinstall be effective if there are threats on the phone? On a user review of one of the AV programs on Google Play (I can't recall if it was on Norton or AVG), someone claimed that installing security software was only effective if the phone was completely new or had been restored to factory settings.
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Given the way that Android works there seems to be less of a worry than on say a PC. Again I do not think that it is likely to be a big issue for you but I cannot say that there is no risk. And I do not know why the unknown other person raised this unclear question about an uncertain other product - if you see what I mean. ;-)
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Hopefully your crash issues will not continue but my guess is that the most likely thing is that it is something to do with the SD card.
Bye the way if you are concerned about security on your phone, have you also considered installing Norton Halt (which is available here on Google Play and is free). This helps cover against a couple of phone specific attacks that even NMS does not cover. This is because of the dual phone/computer nature of the device.
All the best.
Hi,
I’m running the paid version of Norton Mobile Security on an android phone (updated to 4.3). About a week ago, Norton crashed during a scan (I received the standard, “Unfortunately Norton Mobile has…” message.) I tried opening the app again and was able to run a second scan without issue.
Today, I went to a blog I’ve gone to in the past and Norton blocked it as a malicious site (details said virus and scam site). I stupidly clicked the link again, and Norton blocked it a second time. Feeling twitchy, I decided to run a scan (I have it also set to scan the SD card). Norton crashed. Tried again, it crashed again. After the third attempt, I restarted my phone. It seems to be scanning now (had one crash but two successfully completed scans with no risks detected). I’m just wondering if the fact that it was crashing is a concern?
A few other questions:
Is it typical for Norton Mobile Security to occasionally crash and is this indicative of a problem or threat? None of my friends have security programs on their phones so have no basis of comparison.
Are there any other mobile security apps (like AVG or malwarebytes) that can be run alongside Norton Mobile Security for a second opinion? I know running two real-time scanners on a computer is a bad idea, but not sure about on the phone.
Finally, how likely is it for an android phone to pick up a virus or malware? Is it possible to get infected just by visiting a website? (Sorry if this is a dumb or paranoid question. I’ve tried looking it up online and have read conflicting things.)
Any responses would be SO appreciated. I use my phone quite a lot for work, so tend to get worried/paranoid.
Thanks so much, Andmike. 
I do have Norton Halt on the phone, as well.