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Norton 360 Advanced Review (2023): 11 Pros & 2 Cons
By Tibor Moes / Updated: April 2023 / Rating: 5 of 5
Norton 360 Advanced Review: Summary
Norton is ranked #1 out of 20 antivirus software.
Norton 360 Advanced is the best antivirus of 2023. It is the replacement for Norton 360 Premium, Norton’s most advanced security software. We highly recommend it.
Norton 360 Advanced and Premium offer the same security and privacy features. However, Advanced also includes Norton Identity Plus, which are identity theft protection features previously only available in the USA.
Norton 360 Advanced differs from its smaller brother, 360 Deluxe, in the amount of cloud storage (50 vs. 200 GB), the number of devices you can protect (5 vs. 10), and the identity protection features it offers (social media monitoring, stolen wallet protection, and identity restoration support).
Unless you live in the USA, where Norton sells LifeLock identity theft protection, Norton 360 Advanced is the most complete security software you can buy. It will protect your devices, privacy, and identity. It’s excellent.
Temporary: Save up to 60% at Norton 🔥
Pros:
- Perfect anti-malware: Only Norton achieved a 100% protection score in every anti-malware test since October 2016.
- Advanced password manager: Norton makes creating, storing, and entering unique passwords easy. It also supports biometric login.
- Fast and free VPN: Norton includes a VPN without a data limit for free. It’s fast, secure, private, works with Netflix, and allows torrenting.
- Excellent parental controls: Norton makes it easy to monitor and protect your children online, and to set screen time rules.
- Complete security on Windows: Anti-malware, unlimited and free VPN, password manager, firewall, web protection, parental controls, and more.
- Complete security on macOS: Anti-malware, unlimited and free VPN, password manager, firewall, web protection, parental controls, and more.
- Complete security on Android: Anti-malware, unlimited and free VPN, password manager, firewall, web protection, parental controls, and more.
- Privacy and identity protection on iOS: Unlimited and free VPN, web protection, SMS security, dark web monitoring, OS checker, and more.
- Intuitive yet advanced: Although Norton works perfectly on default settings, there are many advanced settings for security experts.
- 100% Virus protection promise: If you get infected by something that Norton can’t remove, you’ll get your money back.
- Identity theft protection: With 360 Advanced, Norton finally brings its identity theft protection from the USA to the rest of the world.
Cons:
- Multiple apps: Norton splits its core and advanced features into separate apps. Although it’s not confusing, it could be consolidated.
- VPN kill-switch works only on Windows: Norton’s VPN does not have a kill switch on Android, iOS, and Mac.
Norton’s price varies by region. Click the link below to see it in yours.
Ranking | #1 of out 20 🥇 |
Anti-malware | ✅ |
Anti-phishing | ✅ |
Firewall | ✅ |
Password Manager | ✅ |
Unlimited VPN | ✅ |
Operating systems | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
Discount | Save 60% on Norton |
Norton 360 Advanced Review 2023
Together with Norton 360 Deluxe, Norton 360 Advanced is the best antivirus software of 2023. Below we compare it to the other industry veterans Bitdefender, Kaspersky, McAfee, Panda, and Intego.
Click the links below to navigate this review:
- Norton for Windows Review
- Norton for Mac Review
- Norton for Android Review
- Norton for iOS Review
- Anti-Malware Test
- Password Manager Test
- Parental Controls Test
- VPN Test
- Identity Protection Test
- Company Profile
If you prefer to compare Norton Antivirus to other brands, read our comparisons of the best antivirus for Windows 11, macOS, Android, or iOS. And to compare Norton Secure VPN, have a look at our comparisons of the best VPN services and antivirus with a VPN.
Norton360 Advanced for Windows Review
Summary: Norton 360 Advanced is Norton’s most advanced antivirus software sold outside of the USA. It offers an impressive amount of security and privacy features, and brings valuable identity theft protection features to its global customer base. We highly recommend it.
Norton 360 Advanced for Windows
Norton 360 Advanced is the replacement for Norton 360 Premium. It includes the same protection features for your security and privacy, but adds a range of identity theft protection features. Outside of the USA, Norton 360 Advanced is its range-topping product.
It includes the following features:
- Device Security (which includes many features and settings)
- Cloud Backup
- Password Manager
- Parental Controls
- VPN
- Identity Theft Protection
As the Device Security and Cloud Backup features are unique to Windows 10 and 11, we will review those below. The other features are available on multiple operating systems and get their own dedicated sections.
Device Security
From within the main dashboard, you can update Norton and run a quick scan. Then, for the advanced security features, you can click “open.”
This gives you access to the classic Norton interface, which houses the advanced sections: Security, Advanced Security, Internet Security, Performance, and Settings.
Security
- Quick Scan: Examine the most critical parts of your PC.
- Full System Scan: Examine all files and apps on your computer.
- Custom Scan: Select folders, files, and drives to scan. Optionally, you can customize the scan by choosing whether to check compressed items and how to handle malware.
- Norton Power Eraser: Eliminate difficult-to-detect threats. This powerful tool is more aggressive and has a greater chance of false positives.
- Norton Insight: Get Trust Scores for files and apps based on their reputation and how many people in the Norton Community use them.
- Diagnostics Report: Find and fix problems relating to Windows, RAM, disk space, programs, and the network. For instance, you can discover programs that automatically launch on startup, even though you don’t use them frequently. Eliminating their auto-start speeds up your PC.
- LiveUpdate: Update Norton in real-time.
- History: Get a chronological report of all IT-related activities.
- SafeCam: Norton’s webcam protection allows you to choose which apps can access it.
Advanced Security
- Auto-Protect: Allow Norton to operate in the background. When you turn it off, SONAR and Download Intelligence are switched off.
- SONAR Protection: This is Norton’s heuristic analysis, which studies the behavior of apps in real-time to discover zero-day security risks.
- Smart Firewall: Norton’s two-way firewall monitors your PC’s network activities with other devices to block hackers and cyber threats.
- Intrusion Prevention: This feature scans your network activities for signatures of vulnerability exploits targeting Windows or programs.
- Email Protection: This feature offers malware protection for email attachments. It pro-actively configures your email settings.
- Browser Protection: This features targets malware that attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in popular web browsers, like Chrome or Edge.
- Download Intelligence: Scans files that you download in your browser and tells you whether they are safe.
Internet Security
- Norton Safe Search: Make Norton’s search engine (based on Ask.com) the default in Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.
- Norton Home Page: Update your browser’s homepage to Norton’s Safe Search (search.norton.com).
- Norton Password Manager: Add Norton’s password manager extension to your browser to create highly secure passwords for all your accounts.
- Norton Safe Web: Add Norton’s Safe Web extension to your browser to block unsafe websites.
- Link Guard: It is part of Safe Web and identities malicious links on Facebook, Twitter, and Webmail.
- Banking Protection: It is part of Safe Web and launches a secure browser when you visit your online bank or credit card company.
Performance
- Optimize Disk: Defragment your disk, consolidate free space, and speed up your PC. It only works if your disk is fragmented for more than 10%.
- File Cleanup: Remove temporary files from your PC and browser to speed up their performance.
- Startup Manager: View which programs launch when your start your PC and how many resources they use. Eliminate unnecessary ones.
- Graphs: View the CPU and Memory usages of the apps on your PC in real-time or historically.
Settings
- Antivirus Settings: Customize SONAR Protection, Rootkit and Stealth Items Scan, Heuristic Protection, Port Protection, Signature Detection Exclusion, Script Control, and more.
- Firewall settings: Customize 136 uncommon protocols, SSL Man-in-the-Middle Attack Detection, ARP and DNS Spoofing Detection, Program Control, and Traffic Rules.
- Other settings: Customize Antispam, Tasks Scheduling, Administrative, Backup, Exploit Prevention, and SafeCam.
Cloud Backup
Depending on the version of Norton Security that you bought, you’ll get a specific amount of secure cloud storage space. This ranges from 2 GB with Norton Antivirus Plus to 200 GB with Norton 360 Advanced.
Norton allows you to determine what, where, and when you backup:
- What: Choose the entire C drive, My Documents, or specific files and folders to backup.
- Where: By default, you will use Norton’s cloud storage as your backup. But you can also choose an alternative destination, like an external hard drive.
- When: Set an automatic (weekly or monthly) backup schedule, which starts when your computer is idle. Or backup your computer manually.
Is Norton 360 Advanced the best antivirus software for Windows?
Yes, we believe it is. With Norton 360 Deluxe, which is slightly cheaper but misses a few identity protection features, Norton 360 Advance is the best security software you can buy for your Windows PC.
Norton 360 Advanced for Mac Review
Summary: Norton is the best antivirus for macOS. By combining anti-malware with a firewall, unlimited VPN, parental controls, password manager and identity theft protection, it’s in a league of its own. No other brand offers such complete protection for Apple’s operating system.
Norton 360 Advanced for Mac
Most antivirus programs for Mac are watered-down versions of their siblings for Windows. Considering the fewer malware threats on macOS, that is understandable. Still, your Macbook isn’t immune to malware. And your privacy and identity aren’t immune to hackers and criminals.
We, therefore, appreciate the comprehensive security suite that Norton has built for Mac. It is significantly more advanced than most competitors and our favorite antivirus software for iMacs and Macbooks. It includes:
- Device Security (which includes many features and settings)
- Password Manager
- Parental Controls
- VPN
- Identity Theft Protection
Below we’ll discuss the Device Security elements, which are unique to macOS. The other features have their own section in this review.
Device Security
As on Windows, you can run a LiveUpdate and Quick Scan straight from the dashboard. In addition, you can click “open” to access the classical Norton interface with the advanced features.
Features
- Add Devices: Send a link to another device via email or text so that you can download Norton antivirus software on it as well. Alternatively, you can scan the QR code with your phone to open the app store.
- Scan: Run a quick scan, full system scan, or file scan to check the sections of your Mac that you’re most worried about.
- Live Update: Update Norton’s security features and malware database to ensure you’re fully protected.
- Clean: Eliminate duplicate, temporary or similar files that clutter and slow down your Mac.
Settings:
- Protect My Mac: Specify folders that you want to include or exclude from future scans of your Mac.
- Norton Smart Firewall: Choose which applications to block, the level of vulnerability protection, and location awareness.
- Safe Web: Install Norton’s browser extension in Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to block websites known for phishing attacks and malware.
- Activity: Get a summary of all security-related events on your Mac, such as updates, scans, threat detection, and firewall blocks.
- Product Settings: (De-)Activate Silent Mode, Automatic Upgrades, Norton Community Watch, or Error Management.
Is Norton 360 Advanced the best antivirus software for macOS?
Together with Intego, we believe Norton 360 is the best antivirus for Mac. Although Intego offers a more playful approach to security, with its “washing machine” feature and visual layout to the firewall, Norton 360 is more complete.
Norton 360 is the only antivirus for Mac to combine anti-malware with an unlimited VPN, firewall, password manager, parental controls, and identity theft protection.
In short: Norton offers the best antivirus protection for macOS.
Norton 360 for Android Review
Summary: Norton 360 is the best antivirus app that you can buy your mobile devices. Although it doesn’t have anti-theft tools and splits its features over multiple apps, the protection it offers is excellent. No other app combines anti-malware, web protection, password management, identity theft protection and an unlimited VPN in the way that Norton does.
Norton 360 for Android
There are two versions of Norton’s Antivirus for Android:
- Norton Mobile Security for Android
- Norton 360 for Android
Norton Mobile Security does not include the password manager or the option to select a VPN server. Norton 360 does have both those options.
When you buy Norton 360 Advanced, you get access to Norton 360. So you’ll get the most advanced protection for your Android devices, which includes the following sections:
- Security
- Privacy
- Identity
We’ll explore the features of each.
Security
The big yellow button at the top of the app allows you to scan your phone for malware. Below it, there are five menu items with security features:
- App Security: Set up the App Advisor, which informs you on the safety of apps in the Google Play Store. It also scans the apps on your phone for privacy risks, suspicious behavior, and intrusive ads.
- Internet Security: Install the Safe Web browser extension to block dangerous websites. You can also add Norton’s secure search engine, Safe Search, to your notification and home screen.
- Wi-Fi Security: Scan your Wi-Fi network’s encryption and password strength. There is also a direct link to the VPN if the Wi-Fi network has poor security standards.
- Device Security: Scan your device for security risks, such as KRACK vulnerabilities, untrusted certificates, rooted devices, USB debugging, and whether the lock screen and fingerprint scanner are in use.
- SMS Security: Check your text messages for phishing links.
Privacy
- VPN: Encrypt your internet connection and hide your IP address to become anonymous online and secure on public Wi-Fi networks.
- Ad Tracker Blocking: Remove common trackers from your device to stop advertisers from following you across the internet.
Identity
When opening this feature, you’ll be guided to a separate app called LifeLock Identity. Here, you can instruct Norton to search the dark web for your Address, Insurance Information, Email Address, Driver’s License, Bank Accounts, Phone Numbers, and Credit Cards.
If you don’t want to install a separate app for the Dark Web Monitoring feature, you can also access them online at my.norton.com.
Is Norton 360 the best antivirus app for Android?
Yes, Norton is the best antivirus for Android, thanks to its combination of anti-malware, web protection, unlimited VPN, password manager, identity theft protection, and anti-tracking.
However, it’s not perfect. For example, we miss the anti-theft tools which its competitors still offer. And we find it cumbersome that the anti-malware, password manager, and identity theft protection have separate apps.
That said, the inclusion of the unlimited VPN makes up for these drawbacks. So we highly recommend Norton on Android too.
Norton 360 for iOS Review
Summary: Norton 360 offers an unlimited VPN, web protection, password manager, and identity theft protection for iOS. That is all you need on iOS. Norton is the best security for your iPhone.
Anti-Malware for iOS doesn’t exist
There is no anti-malware for iOS. Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS, is a tightly controlled ecosystem with very few malicious apps. On top of that, each app is housed in a closed environment from which it can’t damage or infect the device. That makes the risk of malware much smaller.
It also means that antivirus apps live in a closed environment from which they can’t scan the rest of the device. So there is no anti-malware scan on iOS. Instead, focus on online privacy and identity theft protection features for your iPhone or iPad.
Norton 360 for iOS
There are two versions of Norton’s Antivirus for iOS:
- Norton Mobile Security for iOS
- Norton 360 for iOS
Norton Mobile Security does not include the password manager or the option to select a VPN server. However, Norton 360 does have both options.
When you buy Norton 360 Advanced, you get access to Norton 360. So you’ll get the most advanced protection for your iPhone and iPad, which includes the following features:
- Wi-Fi Security: Scan your Wi-Fi network’s encryption and password strength. You can also let Norton scan the Wi-Fi list before you connect.
- Device Security: Scan whether your operating system is updated to the latest version, which frequently includes security patches.
- Web Protection: Use Norton’s VPN technology to automatically scan for dangerous websites. It will block any before you visit them.
- Identity: Let Norton search the dark web for your data, like Email Addresses, Credit Card Details, Bank Accounts, and more.
- VPN: Activate the VPN to become anonymous online and secure on public Wi-Fi networks, even if they have poor security.
- SMS Security: Let Norton scan your text messages to see if any cybercriminals attempt to steal your data via phishing links.
Is Norton 360 the best security app for iOS?
Yes, it is. Although anti-malware does not exist on iOS, you should still protect your privacy and sensitive data. And Norton allows you to do that. It combines an unlimited VPN with web protection and identity theft protection. On iOS, that’s all you need.
- Norton 100%
- Bitdefender 99%
- Kaspersky 99%
- Avira 98%
- AVG 98%
- Avast 98%
- McAfee 96%
- BullGuard 96%
- Windows Defender 95%
- TotalAV 81%
Norton 360 – Anti-Malware Test
Summary: Norton is the only antivirus brand that has scored 100% in every protection test since October 2016, when the tests for Windows 10 began. That means that Norton detected every malware file for the last 6 years. Very impressive.
What are malware and anti-malware?
The core feature of any antivirus program is malware detection and removal. Malware is not a single software type but a whole range, including adware, spyware, ransomware, trojans, viruses, keyloggers, adware, scareware, and many more.
Anti-malware searches for these via two methods:
- Virus-signature detection, where the antivirus compares potentially dangerous files with known malware files.
- Heuristic analysis, also known as behavioral analysis, monitors the behavior or programs for suspicious conduct.
The latter one, heuristic analysis, is the modern version. It relies on big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to spot its prey. Once a file is flagged as malicious, it is moved to a safe environment (called a sandbox), where it can be securely studied.
How good is Norton’s anti-malware?
Next to our own anti-malware tests, we also study those by the independent test labs AV-Test, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. Our preferred lab is AV-Test.
To get our anti-malware protection score, we average all their protection test results since October 2016, which is when their tests for Windows 10 started.
Norton is the only antivirus brand to have scored 100% in every single test. This puts it ahead of other industry titans, like Bitdefender, Kaspersky, McAfee, Avast, and Avira.
Conclusion
Norton’s anti-malware is the best in the industry. You can rest assured that Norton will keep your devices safe from malware.
Norton 360 – Password Manager Test
Summary: Norton’s Password Manager won’t win any design prizes, but it works excellently. Creating, storing, and auto-filling passwords is a breeze. Your passwords are automatically synced across all your devices. And you can use your phone’s biometrics scanners (fingerprint and facial recognition) to log in to your vault, both on your phone and your laptop. In short: It’s an outstanding password manager.
What is a Password Manager?
Most people re-use the same password and email for all of their accounts. That is dangerous. Because if one account gets hacked, all accounts are automatically accessible to the hacker.
Instead, you should use a unique and secure password for each account. For instance, a password like yx&@i3KjSh$HipoSh#k8. Of course, such passwords are complicated to remember and type. Luckily, a password manager can help:
- First, it can generate and store unique passwords.
- It can enter those passwords automatically when you log in.
- Finally, it can sync those passwords on all your devices.
We believe a password manager is one of the most overlooked yet essential features in one’s cybersecurity arsenal.
How good is Norton’s Password Manager?
Norton’s password manager is excellent, even when comparing it to the best standalone password manager, Dashlane.
- Norton’s password manager uses the most secure encryption standard, 256-bit AES encryption, in combination with a zero-knowledge protocol. This means that no one can access your passwords but you.
- It supports the most popular browsers, including Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple’s Safari,
- It allows you to use the biometric scanners of your phone, like the fingerprint scanner or facial recognition, to log in to the password vault on any device. Even Dashlane doesn’t offer this feature.
It isn’t perfect, however. We prefer the sleeker look of Dashlane. And Dashlane’s browser extensions have a handy password generator built-in, which Norton doesn’t.
Conclusion
Norton’s password manager is excellent. We don’t see any reason to pay for a standalone password manager when Norton includes such a fantastic product for free.
Norton 360 – Parental Controls Test
Summary: Norton’s Parental Controls, called Norton Family, allow you to monitor what your kids see and do online. On top of that, it will enable you to block specific apps and websites, and set screentime limits. Unfortunately, some browsers, like DuckDuckGo, can circumvent restrictions. But overall, Norton Family is the best Parental Controls app we tested, followed closely by Kaspersky.
What are Parental Controls?
Parental controls allow you to monitor your children’s digital lives and set protective boundaries. For example, they will enable you to set screen time rules, block websites and apps, and see what websites and apps your kids use.
You can do all of this remotely via de web app, using preset categories, like Gambling and Adult Entertainment. So you don’t have to touch your child’s device to update the settings.
How good are Norton’s Parental Controls?
During our test, Norton’s monitoring was accurate. With a slight delay of 20 minutes, the admin showed the web pages we visited, the apps we downloaded, which terms we had searched for on Google, and how much time we had spent on Netflix.
Next, we added several websites and apps to a blocked list, after which we attempted to visit them on our test device. The websites and apps were correctly blocked. However, the websites were only blocked in the Google Chrome browser, not in the DuckDuckGo browser.
This is a common problem with many parental controls. They work with mainstream browsers but not with niche ones. So if your kid is particularly crafty, make sure to put the niche browsers on the blocked app list.
Finally, we tested the screentime limits, which we set to 30 minutes daily. After we spent 30 minutes browsing on our test phone, Norton Family blocked all apps and informed us of reaching the limit.
Conclusion
Norton Family is better than most parental controls. Monitoring is delayed but accurate. Filters are good but not perfect. And the screentime rules work as advertised.
Although not perfect, Norton Family remains better than the parental control apps we tested by Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and McAfee.
Norton 360 – VPN Test
Summary: Norton Secure VPN is fast, secure, private (no logs), works with Netflix, and allows you to download torrents on specific servers. Its server network is limited to 31 countries but covers all continents. However, it does not work in China. For most users, it will be more than good enough. For privacy wonks, it will lack some of the advanced features offered by standalone VPN like SurfShark.
What is a VPN?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts your internet connection and hides your IP address. This has multiple advantages:
- You’ll be anonymous online. Advertisers can track what sites you visit.
- You can watch foreign TV shows. You can unblock foreign Netflix shows.
- You can safely use public Wi-Fi networks. Hackers can see what you do.
- You can avoid censorship. You can circumvent government limitations.
This added privacy is achieved by routing your internet traffic through an encrypted connection (called a VPN tunnel) to a VPN server. There is no downside to a VPN connection, except for a minor speed penalty. Fast VPN usually decrease your internet speed by about 10 to 15%.
How good is Norton’s Secure VPN?
Speed: In our test, using speedtest.net, Norton slowed our 300 Mbps connection down by 8,9% on a local connection and 12,3% on an intercontinental connection. That is in line with most fast VPN.
Encryption: Norton uses the OpenVPN protocol and AES-256 encryption standard. Although these are considered industry-leading, some users might miss the even newer WireGuard protocol.
Security Features: Norton doesn’t feature ultra-advanced privacy features like Onion over VPN, but offers more than enough to satisfy most users.
- Auto-Connect: Automatically connect the VPN when the computer starts or wakes from sleep mode.
- Auto VPN: Automatically engage the VPN when you connect to unsecured or compromised Wi-Fi networks.
- Kill Switch: Automatically block the internet connection if the VPN unexpectedly disconnects.
- Ad Tracker Blocking: Stop advertisers from tracking and targeting you online.
- Split Tunnel: Determine which apps to exclude from the VPN connection.
All of these features are available on Windows, but not yet on other operating systems:
- On macOS, there is only the Ad-Tracker Blocking
- On Android and iOS, there are the Auto VPN and Ad-Tracker Blocking.
Privacy: Norton’s privacy policy clearly states that it “does not log information about where you browse on the Internet.” So you are anonymous online when using Norton’s VPN.
Data Leaks: Our IP addresses remained hidden in our tests with browserleaks.com. So Norton does not leak any information.
Servers: Norton’s VPN has servers in 31 countries. That pales in comparison with other VPN, like CyberGhost, which have servers in 91 countries. However, as Norton has servers on every continent, every user should be able to find a server relatively close by.
Streaming: Norton works with the most popular streaming services, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus.
Torrenting: Norton allows the downloading of torrents on servers in specific regions. If you are connected to an area where it is not permitted, Norton will ask you to switch to a region where downloading via P2P networks is allowed. On Windows and Android, you can select a “torrent-optimized region” in the region drop-down list.
Censorship: Norton does not have advanced obfuscation technology to hide the fact that you’re using a VPN. This can mean that highly censored countries, like China and the UAE, can block your VPN traffic.
Conclusion:
Norton’s VPN is excellent. It’s included for free with all Norton products (except Antivirus Plus) and has no data limit. It might not be as advanced or versatile as some stand-alone VPNs, like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, but it will satisfy 99% of all users.
Norton 360 – Identity Protection Test
Summary: Norton is bringing more of its identity theft protection features to customers outside of the United States. Outside of the dark web monitoring it already offered, it now also includes social media monitoring, stolen wallet protection and identity restoration support. Norton offers the best identity theft protection of all antivirus brands.
What is Identity Theft Protection?
Identity theft occurs when a cybercriminal assumes your identity, and opens bank accounts, or applies for loans in your name. It usually leaves the victim with financial debt and a lot of stress.
Identity theft protection works in several ways:
- Monitoring and alerts: The provider monitors the usage of your personal data, like your ID and social security number, and alerts you when potential threats arise. For instance, when someone takes out a loan in your name.
- Restoration: If your identity is stolen, a restoration specialist will make sure to resolve your case. The specialist will know who to talk to and what forms to send. They fast-track the problem-solving.
- Insurance: Identity theft insurance includes coverage of up to $ 1 million for personal expenses, lawyers and experts to resolve your case. So that you don’t get stuck with the costs of fixing the identity theft.
How good is Norton’s Identity Theft Protection?
In the United States, where it offers Norton LifeLock Identity Theft Protection, it is one of the best services available. There, Norton provides the complete package, including monitoring, restoration, and insurance.
Outside of the United States, Norton has just begun to roll out the identity theft protection features with Norton 360 Advanced. You can consider it a light version of LifeLock. It includes the following features:
- Dark Web Monitoring: Norton will discover whether cybercriminals are trading your personal information on the dark web. It can search for your driver’s license number, mother’s maiden name, insurance ID number, home address, email address, phone number, bank accounts, credit card numbers, and even your gamer tag.
- Social Media Monitoring: Norton will monitor whether suspicious activities happen on your social media accounts, indicating that they are hacked. On top of that, Norton will protect you from phishing links and scams that hackers might send to you via social media.
- Stolen Wallet Protection: If your wallet gets stolen, Norton will help you cancel and replace all your essential cards, including your credit cards, driver’s license, insurance cards, and social security cards.
- Identity Restoration Support: A restoration specialist will help you through the entire restoration process. As these are experts in their fields, they will know how to resolve all issues surrounding identity theft.
Key features that are not yet offered outside of the United States are:
- LifeLock Identity Alert System: Norton will monitor your data and notify you if your personal data might be used in a crime.
- Million Dollar Protection Package: Norton will cover your personal expenses and legal fees up to $ 1 million.
- Credit Monitoring: Norton will monitor your credit score at the leading credit bureaus to detect changes in your credit file early on.
- SSN & Credit Alerts: Norton will monitor whether identity thieves apply for new credit cards, contracts, and loans in your name.
- ID Verification Monitoring: Norton will monitor whether companies are attempting to verify your identity when a thief uses your personal data.
Conclusion:
We are happy that Norton is bringing its identity theft protection features to a global audience. Until now, only dark web monitoring was available to customers outside the US.
The identity restoration support is a major step in the right direction. We hope that Norton will continue to expand its offering.
NortonLifeLock’s Company Profile
NortonLifeLock Inc is one of the largest cybersecurity companies in the world. It protects over 500 million users across all its brands, which include Avira and BullGuard, and potentially Avast and AVG soon as well.
Until November 2019, it was called Norton by Symantec. But since the sale of its enterprise software and the Symantec brand to Broadcom, it is called NortonLifeLock and exclusively focuses on consumers and small businesses.
Today is a publicly traded company (ticker NLOK) that is part of the S&P 500 stock-market index (an index representing the 500 largest companies in the United States).
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the most frequently asked questions about Norton.
What is Norton 360 Advanced?
Norton 360 Advanced is the replacement for Norton 360 Premium. It is the most advanced security software that Norton sells outside of the USA. It includes device security, online privacy, and identity theft protection. Read more about Norton 360 Advanced in our full review.
What new features does Norton 360 Advanced offer?
Norton 360 Advanced introduces several identity theft protection features to customers outside of the United States. These include social media monitoring, stolen wallet protection, and identity restoration support. Read more about them in our full review.
Who owns Norton?
Norton 360 is owned by NortonLifeLock. A publicly traded company on the NASDAQ stock exchange (ticker NLOK). It was founded in 1982 and is currently headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Its majority shareholders are the Capital Group, Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street Global Advisors, and Fidelity.
Is Norton 360 a good antivirus program?
Yes. Norton 360 was the only antivirus to score a perfect result in every protection test for Windows 10 by AV-Test, an independent anti-malware test lab. And Norton 360 is much more than that. It also includes password protection, a VPN, parental controls, and more.
Is Norton 360 worth it?
Yes. Norton 360 is the most comprehensive security suite on the market. By including antivirus, VPN, password manager, parental controls, and cloud backup in one tool, it is not just affordable; it is a bargain.
Does Norton 360 work on Mac?
Yes. Norton 360 antivirus for Mac includes antivirus protection, a VPN, and a password manager. And via your web browser, you can also access dark web monitoring and parental controls.
Is Norton 360 free?
No. Norton 360 antivirus is not for free. Although there are some reasonably good free antivirus software, these do not come close to the level of protection offered by Norton. As they say, you get what you pay for.
About the author

Author: Tibor Moes
Founder & Chief Editor at SoftwareLab
Tibor is a Dutch engineer and entrepreneur. He has tested security software since 2014.
Over the years, he has tested most of the best antivirus software for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, as well as many VPN providers.
He uses Norton to protect his devices, CyberGhost for his privacy, and Dashlane for his passwords.
This website is hosted on a Digital Ocean server via Cloudways and is built with DIVI on WordPress.