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Norton 360 Caused MacBook Pro 16 to have major issues

L

ldenning

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 7, 2003
69
33
My new Macbook Pro 16 started shutting itself down after getting super hot and the fans going full blast whenever I tried to reboot it. I recently installed Norton 360 on it. I had only cold booted with it and had no problems. After experimenting with it for several hours, I could only cold boot from a full shutdown and never do a warm reboot. The warm reboot shutdown happened about 4 times in a row. Finally, I loaded Activity Monitor and it showed Norton pushing the processor to like 297% use as all of the applications were loading (during a cold boot).
I immediately uninstalled Norton completely, and rebooting has gone back to normal, no super heating and no crashes.

Just a warning to folks out there. I have used BitDefender and never had a problem like that, though it's Safe Files feature has gotten too aggressive in stopping some legitimate apps from running.
 
Get rid of Norton and try again.
If necessary, erase the entire internal drive and start over.

You DO NOT NEED "virus protection" on a Mac (unless you regularly exchange Windows docs with other users, who might send you an infected file).
 
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ldenning said:
My new Macbook Pro 16 started shutting itself down after getting super hot and the fans going full blast whenever I tried to reboot it. I recently installed Norton 360 on it. I had only cold booted with it and had no problems. After experimenting with it for several hours, I could only cold boot from a full shutdown and never do a warm reboot. The warm reboot shutdown happened about 4 times in a row. Finally, I loaded Activity Monitor and it showed Norton pushing the processor to like 297% use as all of the applications were loading (during a cold boot).
I immediately uninstalled Norton completely, and rebooting has gone back to normal, no super heating and no crashes.

Just a warning to folks out there. I have used BitDefender and never had a problem like that, though it's Safe Files feature has gotten too aggressive in stopping some legitimate apps from running.
Click to expand...
Rip that sucker out.
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Fishrrman said:
Get rid of Norton and try again.
If necessary, erase the entire internal drive and start over.

You DO NOT NEED "virus protection" on a Mac (unless you regularly exchange Windows docs with other users, who might send you an infected file).
Click to expand...
I feel like "virus" protection is a thing of the early to mid 2010's. I think Windows and Mac are secure enough that virus protection is not needed...by anyone.

Phishing and ransomware seem to be a bigger issue.
 
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Good article on how Mac handles malware etc. Worth a read..

www.macworld.co.uk

Do Macs need antivirus software?

Wondering if you need antivirus for Mac? Macs can get viruses and there are protections in macOS to keep you safe - but it's wise to extend the protection.
www.macworld.co.uk www.macworld.co.uk
 
nortonandreev said:
"Horrible" is very abstract, what is horrible for you might be perfectly fine for someone else.
Click to expand...

Actually, Norton products have a very bad reputation. Symantec have made some spectacularly stupid decisions recently and are now being pressed by shareholders to take serious steps - including getting rid of the entire consumer side of the business.

Meanwhile Broadcom has made a $10.7bn deal for its Enterprise assets.

I'd be shocked myself if Symantec is even around this time next year...
 
maflynn said:
Actually it is horrible, its buggy, it slows down your computer it misses many of the malware. It basically fails to do anything that you want it too, and actually makes your computer worse.
Click to expand...
That is extremely biased and is exactly the opposite of what all reviews are showing. I don't use antivirus on Mac, however Norton has always been running great for me on Windows.
 
nortonandreev said:
Norton's bad reputation comes from pre-2008 times, which is 12 years ago. I'm sure you haven't used any of their products lately, if that's your opinion.
Click to expand...

Oh but I have. We used them at work for years. When they were not slowing down computers, they were ignoring threats. Upgrades were a veritable nightmare with the database constantly getting screwed up and needing rebuilds as a result.

Symantec was single handedly responsible for destroying our BizTalk server back in the day. An upgrade messed with BizTalk so badly we couldn't get it going again.

We switched to Sophos recently and it uncovered heaps of malware that Symantec totally ignored.

Don't assume folk haven't used something recently because they speak bad of it.
 
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ldenning said:
My new Macbook Pro 16 started shutting itself down after getting super hot and the fans going full blast whenever I tried to reboot it. I recently installed Norton 360 on it. I had only cold booted with it and had no problems. After experimenting with it for several hours, I could only cold boot from a full shutdown and never do a warm reboot. The warm reboot shutdown happened about 4 times in a row. Finally, I loaded Activity Monitor and it showed Norton pushing the processor to like 297% use as all of the applications were loading (during a cold boot).
I immediately uninstalled Norton completely, and rebooting has gone back to normal, no super heating and no crashes.

Just a warning to folks out there. I have used BitDefender and never had a problem like that, though it's Safe Files feature has gotten too aggressive in stopping some legitimate apps from running.
Click to expand...

I use ESET. Stopped using Norton products over a decade ago. Last I used was Symantec Enterprise Protection which I found better than Norton. Remove Norton and see if it helps. If not, just reinstall fresh and that will take care of it. Do not go by the general perception that Macs do not need antivirus solutions. They may not need for you personally, but if you use your computer for business purposes, you might do better to just use a lightweight solution to ensure you do not send out anything to your clients unwittingly.
 
While Mac's certainly aren't immune to malware / viruses the likely hood of being infected is very low as there are few that exist. If you're a Malware / Virus coder, why would you waste your time coding a virus for a small market. Who runs Windows? Hospitals, Governments, Big Businesses, etc... so that's who they are after, and besides Mac's are not easier to code Malware for, it's seriously not worth their time from a purely numbers perspective.

So, as long as you're careful, I wouldn't waste a penny on Anti-Malware / Virus bloatware for your Mac, regardless the software vendor.

When it comes to Windows, we all know it's the main target. This being said, I have never run Anti-Virus software, and I've only been infected "maybe" twice in 20 years. Then again I also work in IT. Follow the common sense, don't click on unknown links, don't open unknown attachments, use a VM if you don't trust something you need to open... that's why Windows 10 has the built in Sandbox feature now, use it to your advantage!
Windows 10 and the Windows Defender is actually pretty good, very good, so I don't know why more people don't just rely on that. Remember... Microsoft owns Windows 10, so they have Windows Defender tweaked to OS internals. AV companies don't get that luxury. Microsoft isn't giving AV vendors access to the source code to better their AV to prevent attacks... so really, your best bet IS Windows Defender.

But anyways... if you want that peace of mind, I guess go with whatever floats your boat, they are all pretty much the same.

btw... for those who aren't aware... the Firewall in OSX is turned off by default, so get that turned on asap. While you're in there, go into the "Firewall Options" and turn on "Stealth Mode".
 
bsamcash said:
No antivirus/anti-malware is needed. Everything you need is in the security preference pane and in your head.
Click to expand...

If someone has to ask, then IMHO they do need an anti-malware type solution, and no-one should be saying otherwise.

If you're firmly in control and know exactly what you're personally doing, then go right ahead and go without.

However it's a total myth that Macs are somehow immune to malware. Even with Catalina, it's still a risk.
 
darkmatter343 said:
While Mac's certainly aren't immune to malware / viruses the likely hood of being infected is very low as there are few that exist. If you're a Malware / Virus coder, why would you waste your time coding a virus for a small market. Who runs Windows? Hospitals, Governments, Big Businesses, etc... so that's who they are after, and besides Mac's are not easier to code Malware for, it's seriously not worth their time from a purely numbers perspective.

So, as long as you're careful, I wouldn't waste a penny on Anti-Malware / Virus bloatware for your Mac, regardless the software vendor.

When it comes to Windows, we all know it's the main target. This being said, I have never run Anti-Virus software, and I've only been infected "maybe" twice in 20 years. Then again I also work in IT. Follow the common sense, don't click on unknown links, don't open unknown attachments, use a VM if you don't trust something you need to open... that's why Windows 10 has the built in Sandbox feature now, use it to your advantage!
Windows 10 and the Windows Defender is actually pretty good, very good, so I don't know why more people don't just rely on that. Remember... Microsoft owns Windows 10, so they have Windows Defender tweaked to OS internals. AV companies don't get that luxury. Microsoft isn't giving AV vendors access to the source code to better their AV to prevent attacks... so really, your best bet IS Windows Defender.

But anyways... if you want that peace of mind, I guess go with whatever floats your boat, they are all pretty much the same.

btw... for those who aren't aware... the Firewall in OSX is turned off by default, so get that turned on asap. While you're in there, go into the "Firewall Options" and turn on "Stealth Mode".
Click to expand...
I think the main reason we don't see many viruses these days is because there isn't any money in it. The goal these days is to gain something that has monetary value and that means data. The goal of a virus is to render a system unusable, but keeping a computer up and running is beneficial if one hopes to benefit from an ongoing stream of valuable data.

I also believe it would benefit the general public to learn the difference between "virus" and "malware" - the fact that some fake browser popups warn the user of a "Trojan Virus infection" is sad - trojans and viruses are two different forms of malware with different goals and payloads. It is also sad that some reputable online news sites begin a news article with "Should you use anti-virus software?" and then go on to list other forms of malware to support their statement advocating anti-virus apps. This is a case where proper terminology would lend to credibility.
 
revmacian said:
I think the main reason we don't see many viruses these days is because there isn't any money in it. The goal these days is to gain something that has monetary value and that means data. The goal of a virus is to render a system unusable, but keeping a computer up and running is beneficial if one hopes to benefit from an ongoing stream of valuable data.

I also believe it would benefit the general public to learn the difference between "virus" and "malware" - the fact that some fake browser popups warn the user of a "Trojan Virus infection" is sad - trojans and viruses are two different forms of malware with different goals and payloads. It is also sad that some reputable online news sites begin a news article with "Should you use anti-virus software?" and then go on to list other forms of malware to support their statement advocating anti-virus apps. This is a case where proper terminology would lend to credibility.
Click to expand...

Yeah for sure, completely agree. There's need to be more education for the public, everything get's lumped under the "I have a Virus".

And yeah, certainly a virus in it's true definition isn't really a money maker. As you mentioned, money today is in controlling the data, Ransomware etc. Although again, thankfully, not many Ransomware attacks happen towards MacOS due to the fact they are exploiting vulnerabilities within Windows, since the large market share is favorable towards their number of infections.
 
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darkmatter343 said:
Yeah for sure, completely agree. There's need to be more education for the public, everything get's lumped under the "I have a Virus".

And yeah, certainly a virus in it's true definition isn't really a money maker. As you mentioned, money today is in controlling the data, Ransomware etc. Although again, thankfully, not many Ransomware attacks happen towards MacOS due to the fact they are exploiting vulnerabilities within Windows, since the large market share is favorable towards their number of infections.
Click to expand...
We must also remember that macOS actually has an anti-infection system installed by default - XProtect.. and its definitions are regularly updated.
 
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