As @majorbuzz says, release 25.4 has still not fixed the UDP (17) Security History issue. With each update since the issue was first reported (25.2, 25.3 and now 25.4) I have tried re-enabling netbios in the network adapter WINS settings and each time the Security History has immediately been swamped with multiple UDP (17) reports. So I continued to run with netbios disabled. It seems that nothing is getting fixed in the updates.
Other new annoyances have appeared with the newer versions. One is Norton telling me my network is compromised each time I boot up, simply because I my have network set to Private rather than Public. It needs to be Private so I can discover other devices on the local network.
Another is the 30 day report appearing not every 30 days but every day. The content of that report is rubbish. I run a Quick Scan at 1800 every day so the count of Quick Scans reported should always be 30. But Iâve seen figures anywhere between 7 and 30 - itâs currently saying 28. Also says Iâve run 0 scheduled scans. How is that so when the Quick Scans itâs reported are scheduled, as Quick Scan no longer runs automatically as it did with v22, and I also have a Full Scan scheduled to run every Sunday. The nonsense is completed by the report then having a warning saying âNo scans have been run in the past 30 daysâ. Itâs all total junk.
A further linked annoyance is that the Norton Safe Web browser extension no longer adds the safety markers to results on search engines (Google, Bing, etc), only on Norton Safe Search. Thatâs not a bug, itâs a deliberate move to promote use of Safe Search.
Much earlier in this thread (post #145), @Soulasylum made the point that Norton are very unlikely to reintroduce the levels of control of the Norton product that users had up to v22. I think itâs also the case that information offered to users is never going to match what was available in v22 and earlier. The Security History entries are now pretty skeletal. For example, Live Update security history no longer indicates which definitions have been updated, just that the update was successful. Similarly, up to v22, the scan result entries gave a breakdown of files, registry items, start up items, etc that had been scanned and counts of trusted files that had been skipped - now itâs just folders and files.
For me the biggest loss is that there is no longer a Background Tasks sub-menu under Admin settings. Iâve had a support case running with Norton level 2 support since June of last year. that started after I saw in v22âs Background Tasks screen that Product Maintenance was always failing to complete. I found that was because there were problems accessing the stats.norton.com server. With the help of my ISP, I found that was due to stats.norton.com now being hosted by Microsoft Azure cloud services, with access to the Azure endpoints controlled by Azure Traffic Manager, and that the Traffic Manager nameservers did not refresh downstream DNS servers correctly if accessed via IPv6. (The full details are in this thread that I started last August: Stats.norton.com DNS/nameserver IPv6 issue)
Despite me urging Norton support to raise a case with Traffic Manager support multiple times, they have refused to do so, saying on one occasion âNorton engineers do not involve third party engineers in fixing problems.â Why - when this issue is caused by the third party, not by Norton?
After one of the recent Norton updates, I received an email from support asking if that had resolved the issue. That raises two questions:
How the hell could it when the issue is not due to the Norton product - itâs due Traffic Manager nameservers.
How could I tell as there is no longer a Background Tasks screen where I can check what tasks are running correctly. (Earlier versions had a file - DiStrPtr.dat - in Nortonâs ProgramData that grew significantly in size if Product Maintenance was not completing correctly but that file no longer exists in v24 and v25.)
That prompts two further questions: does the Norton product still have a Product Maintenance task and, if so, does it still need to access stats.norton.com. Thereâs no easy way of knowing.
Several contributors to this thread have said that they have cancelled, or are considering cancelling, their Norton subscriptions. Iâm beginning to think the same way. Not sure what the subscription costs are elsewhere in the world but here in the UK itâs around 80 pounds sterling per year (about 105 US dollars). That was reasonable for the excellent product that Norton was up to and including v22. But Iâm not convinced itâs worth paying that for the current heap of junk that Norton has become.
Everyone: The tracking thread for older version 24.xx will be linked here and I have suggested closing that thread since the issues in that version manifested into this current version. Posting the link from the older thread here for dexterity:
Have now received update to 25.5.10141. The UDP (17) security history problem is still not fixed. I tried re-enabling NetBIOS in my network adapter WINS settings and the Security History was immediately swamped with multiple UDP (17) reports. So NetBIOS now disabled again.
Will this issue ever be fixed?
The new version has introduced another annoyance. Roughly every 24 hours I now get a high-priority âWiFi vulnerabilities detectedâ security history entry. But the history entry gives zero details of what the supposed vulnerability is. Is it something to do with the wifi setup on my PC - unlikely as I have the PCâs wifi disabled as I use a wired connection to my router, or is it an issue with my network configuration on the router. The log entry gives no clue.
The product is becoming ever more useless with each new release.
Its not the WiFi setup within your router nor your Norton installation. My view is its either intentional or the end result of sloppy coding. Your router logs should show there are UDP 17 issues the same as Norton claims for that to be valid. I would check nevertheless just for the peace of mind of things. My current daily duster PC doesnât have WiFi capability so I donât see those notifications.
@kencl The issue with UDP 17 still lies with Norton and its Avast engine to be honest. One thing of note is, even on my 22.24.8.36 installs, an Avast folder continues to be created randomly, even with live updates disabled. For that to be happening there has to be a backdoor built in to accomplish that. Also am finding the file below with yesterdays date with âuserdata.cabâ. Again, how is this file being generated? Not seeing this before, why now is my question.
Edited: I smell a red herring here, if one more forced update takes place Norton comes off all my devices no matter what the version is. Will remain that way until such time this issue is resolved and with a boatload of transparency.
@SoulAsylum: Just checked that userdata.cab file on my PC. It hasnât changed since December 10th last year so I guess it hasnât been touched since my v22 installation was replaced by v24 and now v25.
Iâve started moving towards quitting Norton - today I exported all my Norton Password Manager data, ready for loading into an alternative product.
Options Iâm considering are Bitdefender, Malwarebytes Plus and Trend Micro (my previous Dell PC came pre-loaded with that but I replaced it with Norton)
Up to and including v22 I would never have considered moving away from Norton but things have changedâŚ
@SoulAsylum My userdata.cab is dated 6/2/2025 and I am back on v22.24.8.36 with LU disabled. I manually update the definitions every day including today 6/3/2025.
Thanks guys. I havenât seen that file before today so your feedback is awesome. When the Avast folder reappears I will post a SS of that here as well.
@kencl Why donât you revert back to v22 until the dust settles? I recommend that.
Is v22 the last Symantec version or just an earlier Avast version?
Been a Norton customer for over 20 years and un-installed when the new version wouldnt even remember my wifi.
Is it possible to still use the Symantec version ie block it from updating to Avast but still get new virus definition updates?
@Yoghurt Version 22.24.8.36 was the last release prior to the Avast engine release for version 24.xx . There is a way to revert, disable live updates and get virus definitions updates daily. Here is how that is accomplished if you so chose:
Revert to version 22.24.8.36:
Here is how to revert and stay on that version while keeping your antivirus definitions current:
You need to completely remove the current 24.xx /25.xx version with the tool linked below. Once done manually locate and remove all remnant folders with the names Norton, Symantec and Avast and reboot the machine.
Use the intelligent updater site to keep virus definitions current:
Intelligent Updater: Download these definitions daily to stay current Security Center Download Detail
The familiar Avast folder reappeared again sometime yesterday while I was away, as well as the userdata.cab file that was removed. Both were removed again this morning.
@SoulAsylum: I have that Avast folder on my PC - itâs been there since 3rd November 2023. It contains one file - datascan.json - which was also created on 3rd November 2023 and last modified 8th December 2024. I opened the file with Notepad and it appears to be some sort of file by file report resulting from a full scan. That ties in with my normal full scan schedule as I run a full scan every Sunday. 8th December last year was a Sunday.
As Iâve never had any other AVAST software on this PC, does this indicate that there were hints of AVAST in Norton as far back as 2023?
Re your suggestion that I revert back to v22 âuntil the dust settlesâ, Iâve considered that but as Iâm now running Norton on only one device.that would mean I would not be able to monitor any further v25 developments and contribute to this thread. Also Iâm not convinced that the dust will settle any time soon and, even if all the currently reported issues are resolved, Norton will still be just a shadow of its former self, with limited configurability and only skeletal diagnostic info available to users.
I would be more confident if I saw any evidence of this forum content being monitored by Norton, as was the case with the old forum before last years major revamp. The post announcing the release of 25.5 states that the initial release will be limited and the forum will be monitored for feedback. But I have yet to see any response from a Norton administrator on any thread on the forum since the revamp.
Understood, reverting was just suggestive in the event you had that in mind. I too have one device with version 25.xx on it which really does need to be online more. Time just hasnât been on my side lately in that arena lol.
Iâm in agreement that the dust isnât going to settle anytime soon 100%. What we are experiencing is what happens when a company buys out all its competition then has to make a profit to recover from it. Avast is trash and always has been from where I sit. It has improved over the years but not to the point Norton should be dumping their branded engine and using Avastâs engine. Three update releases havenât solved the backup issues yet and we are 9 months into the new releases.
Need feedback from all of you here before making a decision today. Iâve not had the extra time to deal with using a laptop that has version 25.xx installed, and it needs updating. My question is to the general community here in this thread - In your opinion is 25.xx stable enough to update my daily duster onto that version again? I really do need to make the best of my spare time going forward, having my daily duster on 25.xx would help immensely.
I am seeing some improvements myself but not able to have a physical look at what everyone else is seeing. Hoping to get some good feedback here.
Edited - I am also keeping in mind the recent Microsoft âmicro-codeâ updates which affect CPU performance. The older the CPU the worse the performance hit will be. But, it also affects the latest generation of CPU from Intel, not so much with AMD.
My specs - This is the lowest end PC that I use. Everything else is AMD Ryzen 5 or higher and Intel 11th Generation and higher.
En ce qui me concerne, sur mon pc dont la configuration est la suivante :
Carte mère ASUS ROG STRIX B550 F Gaming (dernier BIOS officiel 3621)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Corsair Vengeance LPX Black DDR4 2 x 8 Go 3600 MHz CAS 18
GeForce RTX 3050 Dual (LHR)
1x Crucial P5 Plus - 1 To (OS Système)
1x Seagate BarraCuda - 6 To - 256 Mo (Data)
Norton 360 Advanced (version 25.5.10141.934)
Je dois reconnaĂŽtre que cette dernière version est relativement stable et peu gourmande en terme de ressources y compris lors dâune analyse complète
Voici Ă titre indicatif deux captures dâĂŠcrans prises il y a quelques minutes.
Those are excellent specs and far better hardware than my daily duster lol. I have two gaming rigs that have only Defender running on them. Zero issues and Norton wonât ever be installed on them for multiple reasons. My laptops, I actually have 4 of which 3 are mine. The other belongs to another household member. They use Defender as well.
My main laptop has these specs, and has version 25.xx on it: AI generated for the model. Its even running very hot, 170 f at boot with the last updated version 25.xx installed. That version is probably at least 3 releases prior to the current one.
AI Overview
[image]
The HP 17-CN1053CL is a 17.3-inch laptop with a 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1155G7 processor, 12GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, and a 1TB HDD. It features a Full HD IPS anti-glare display, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and runs on Windows 11 Home. It also includes a backlit keyboard, a 720p HD webcam, and Wi-Fi 5.
Hereâs a more detailed breakdown:
Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1155G7
RAM: 32GB DDR4-3200MHz (2x16 GB) *Self upgraded after warranty expired
Storage: 2TB M2 PCIe SSD, upgraded after warranty expired
Je vous informe que jâai bien rĂŠalisĂŠ la courte vidĂŠo que jâavais annoncĂŠe huit jours plus tĂ´t. Mais pour une raison que jâignore, le format mp4 nâest pas supportĂŠ par la communautĂŠ Norton.
Par consĂŠquent pour lâinstant, je ne peux pas la poster ici.
Dès que jâaurais un peu de temps, je tenterai de la convertir dans un format supportĂŠ pour la partager avec vous.
Veuillez mâexcuser pour ce contre-temps imprĂŠvu.
Wanted to post a personal usage update for version 25.xx. I am using it on one device running Windows 11 24H2 currently the device I am on. Thus far I have NOT tested the VPN and the backup features. Basically allowing the laptop to run so I can determine how CPU over usages have changed and the basics of the install are working. I can report, this version HAS indeed undergone some âunder the hoodâ changes in respect to usage of system resources, all positives. Opera GX appears to be the memory hog as I have the laptop configured at the present time and I need to tailor the system a bit more. No annoying sell ups thus far, but I am sure theyâre coming since its baked into the products now. I will just have to deal with it as I see it.
So overall !! Nice improvements Norton. Hoping backup works correctly and VPN when I have time to thoroughly test.
