Everyone knows who/what Norton antivirus is, or should by now. that’s the program you end up uninstalling within 20 minutes from setting up your computer, only to call me a month later because you’ve been infected with all the things. and I mean I get it. Norton sucks, so I’ll probably help you uninstall it–but in my case, I’m installing something else in its place and you don’t get to say no, because I don’t want that phone call.
what you may not know is Norton’s been getting kind of a little desperate in recent years. I mean, when your software’s known more for making a system unstable than detecting/preventing infections, that happens. So Norton does what most desperate companies do–jump on the nearest bandwagon what looks like it might be going somewhere. That nearest bandwagon? Crypto, apparently.
Most people have probably at least heard the word cryptocurrency, even if they haven’t the slightest idea what the hell it is–I mean, it’s been in the news on and off for a few years. For those of you who live under a rock, let me educate you.
A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, which makes it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized networks based on blockchain technology—a distributed ledger enforced by a disparate network of computers. A defining feature of cryptocurrencies is that they are generally not issued by any central authority, rendering them theoretically immune to government interference or manipulation.
Which, roughly translated, means crypto is that thing you buy when you’re mad at the government for no good reason and still want to play in the stock market.
And because Norton wants to stay relevant, Crypto is apparently its next best thing.
Norton Crypto is a feature made available in Norton 360 which you can utilize for mining cryptocurrency when your PC is idle. Currently, Norton Crypto is limited to users with devices that meet the required system requirements.
Yep, sounds trustworthy. But at least now you know Norton won’t just be consuming your system resources while you’re using it.
PS: I’m still uninstalling it from every computer I’m allowed anywhere near. You may think crypto’s the best thing since sliced bread (we will agree to disagree), but Norton is still objectively terrible. A Norton program that offers to mine crypto for you? I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
2 responses to “Norton Crypto? How about Norton No-No?”
How long until they start trying to take a cut of any earnings you might make?
This Crypto stuff seems like such a scam to me. Sure it’s decentralized, but somebody still has to manage the exchanges. If that person ever runs off or dies and takes the passwords with him, poof.
Pretty immediately, by the looks of it.