Norton Internet Security is packed with custom technologies, bearing airy names such as Insight, Sonar and Pulse. To us these sound like body sprays, but they must be persuasive to some people.
These modules all contribute to the basic job of scanning files, websites and emails for viruses and scams. Insight draws on the experience of other users to work out whether an unrecognised file is likely to be dodgy; Sonar covers behavioural analysis, enabling the software to shut down threats that haven't been seen before; and Pulse downloads updates every 15 minutes or so, to protect you from new threats as quickly as possible.
It's certainly a combination that stops viruses: in our real-world malware test, Norton intercepted 98% of our threats – more than any rival save for clean-sweeper Norton Internet Security 2014. With default settings, though, it proved a talkative package: while less intrusive than McAfee's Internet Security 2014 and Trend Micro's Titanium Internet Security 2014, Norton generated enough unnecessary alerts to drag its overall protection rating down to 97%. Those who don't want to be bothered to have the option of engaging Silent Mode, which suppresses all alerts.
Along the bottom of the interface, you'll spy a series of links to numerous Norton-branded services, such as mobile protection and online backup, but most of these aren't part of the installed package. Some (such as the highly capable Norton Family parental-controls module) can be downloaded and used for free, while others require a separate subscription.
In short, Norton Internet Security offers decent protection without bogging down your system unreasonably. It isn't as laden with features as it first appears, however, and at current online prices it's an expensive suite, too. For these reasons, it doesn't receive a wholehearted recommendation this time, but if you see Norton Internet Security on special offer, it's a perfectly competent choice.
