Symantec Endpoint Security Protection review for home use! - Andrew3000 personal feedback - standard unmanaged client

Product name
Symatec Endpoint Protection 14.2 - Client on PC (standard unmanaged client)
Installation (rating)
5.00 star(s)
User interface (rating)
4.00 star(s)
Accessibility notes
Well, being a product primarily addressed to the use endpoint so the UI is not simple but at the same time not too complex. Don’t expect a modern interface, the UI style is old (the first time the UI can be tricky but don't worry It will be easy to learn everything).
Performance (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Core Protection (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Proactive protection (rating)
5.00 star(s)
Additional Protection notes
As you can see here: https://www.av-comparatives.org/enterprise/comparison/ and https://www.av-comparatives.org/tests/business-security-test-march-april-2019-factsheet/
Norton SEP is one of the best endpoint/av suite on the market.
You can personalize every single aspect of the protection.
The heuristic is strong, can detect a lot of malicious program (even if sometimes it exaggerates, showing false positives but nothing negative).
SONAR is literally the key of this product, can detect 0-day malware easily, this SONAR is stronger than other Norton products (Norton Security Deluxe).
The Exploit protection and the firewall are very good.
To conclude, if you are looking for an endpoint product to use for the protection of your home PC, Norton SEP is a great alternative (30 days of trial included!).
Positives
    • Many features
    • Low impact on system resources
    • Lightning fast scans
    • Highly configurable
    • Ransomware protection
    • Strong and reliable protection
    • Detects or blocks in the wild malware
    • Consistently high test scores
    • Accurate results and reliable antivirus engine
    • Virus signatures are updated daily
    • Excellent scores in independent tests
    • Great value for money
    • Features you can't get elsewhere for free
    • Effective malware removal
    • Multi-layer protection approach
Negatives
    • Not for beginners
    • Clumsy or awkward interface (UI)
    • Can be complex in some situations
Time spent using product
Reviewed over a 30-day period
Computer specs
i5 4690K
8GB RAM
GTX 960
120GB SDD - 1TB HDD
Recommended for
  1. Experienced users
Overall rating
5.00 star(s)

Andrew3000

Level 11
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Malware Hunter
Well-known
Feb 8, 2016
516
Great review (y) Is it possible to add some screenshots of the UI ?

215053
215054

215055

215056
 

Andrew3000

Level 11
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Malware Hunter
Well-known
Feb 8, 2016
516
Agree but I found this to be heavy ,don't know why ,150-200 megs ram seems to be wrong .I tries this awhile back and got 20-30megs ram.Wonder why the high usage?

Nice question my friend. On my system it has """impact""" only on RAM. Windows and programs also have their own way of handling RAM. The more free RAM, the more they use it.
Honestly it is not very high use of RAM, bitdefender occupies 400-500mb (Home protection).
 

Wraith

Level 13
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Aug 15, 2018
634
SEP is indeed a great product. It's stable, has a ton of tweaking options, is lightning fast and most importantly has superb malware protection. I have it installed in my college laptop and even though I've thrown tons of crap at it, it has managed to keep the laptop safe and secure. Once or twice it did give me false positives but it's nothing to worry about. The only complaint that I have is sometimes it doesn't update automatically. Whenever I run a manual update I find the database version number always changes indicating that auto update is not working always.
 

Andrew3000

Level 11
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Malware Hunter
Well-known
Feb 8, 2016
516
SEP is indeed a great product. It's stable, has a ton of tweaking options, is lightning fast and most importantly has superb malware protection. I have it installed in my college laptop and even though I've thrown tons of crap at it, it has managed to keep the laptop safe and secure. Once or twice it did give me false positives but it's nothing to worry about. The only complaint that I have is sometimes it doesn't update automatically. Whenever I run a manual update I find the database version number always changes indicating that auto update is not working always.

Have you tried to put the update frequency in continuously mode? :D
 

Dave Russo

Level 21
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
May 26, 2014
1,041
one of the best av in the market
Would you be willing to give your top 3 Av"s?

Giving it a spin after finding a dirt cheap price on e-bay,impressed as its firewall passes the cursed {,The Test - Test Your Metal by Fortinet} ,test ,only saw Eset pass it,Can"t find any tests against malware on internet ,anyone have a link? Seems solid,but outside of Andrew3000 review{He seems to be well informed} any more second opinions?
 

Bill K

Level 5
Verified
Jul 25, 2018
221
Would you be willing to give your top 3 Av"s?

Giving it a spin after finding a dirt cheap price on e-bay,impressed as its firewall passes the cursed {,The Test - Test Your Metal by Fortinet} ,test ,only saw Eset pass it,Can"t find any tests against malware on internet ,anyone have a link? Seems solid,but outside of Andrew3000 review{He seems to be well informed} any more second opinions?
I also found a seller on eBay from Germany who claims to providing a download link for an activated SEP 14 with lifetime license and updates for a very low price. Is such a product license even a reality? I thought you have to pay per month... I'm guessing that this would be tied to some existing account which will remain under their control. I'd appreciate any advice on whether this is even worth considering or if it's just another example of something being too good to be true. TIA
 

beavisviruses

Level 3
Verified
Oct 8, 2018
127
Would you be willing to give your top 3 Av"s?

Giving it a spin after finding a dirt cheap price on e-bay,impressed as its firewall passes the cursed {,The Test - Test Your Metal by Fortinet} ,test ,only saw Eset pass it,Can"t find any tests against malware on internet ,anyone have a link? Seems solid,but outside of Andrew3000 review{He seems to be well informed} any more second opinions?
Kaspersky Norton and Bitdefender
 

Dave Russo

Level 21
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
May 26, 2014
1,041
I also found a seller on eBay from Germany who claims to providing a download link for an activated SEP 14 with lifetime license and updates for a very low price. Is such a product license even a reality? I thought you have to pay per month... I'm guessing that this would be tied to some existing account which will remain under their control. I'd appreciate any advice on whether this is even worth considering or if it's just another example of something being too good to be true. TIA
Its working for me,same seller,I think you are right about the existing account.GL

Its working for me,same seller,I think you are right about the existing account.GL
I f you decide to try ,I recommend manual updating,left side inb Blue section,as I have not found the continuous mode mentioned by others yet
 

SeriousHoax

Level 47
Well-known
Mar 16, 2019
3,630
Great review. I personally tried it few months ago. I have exactly the same opinion about the program specially the notification part. It really is very annoying. Auto protect did this or that popup and it also comes in the middle of the screen instead of bottom right. As far as I remember the notification doesn't automatically go away too after a while like normal Antivirus program. But except this everything is great. Any home user can use it if they want.
 

Burrito

Level 24
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
May 16, 2018
1,363
I think I'm going to pass on this... not comfortable with my 'lifetime license' being under the control of an external account which I have no control over. :cautious: Thanks for your input sharing your experience Dave! (y)

Yeah, this sounds like some sysadmin ripping off his company.

All will be ok until the company decides to audit all those home-use accounts.... and then it will be game over. And that eBay seller will be gone..

Kaspersky Norton and Bitdefender

Yeah, setting aside the next-gen ML types (Cylance, CrowdStrike, Deep Instinct...) those three are THE three that have consistently tested best across platforms, against all types of malware, and with all of the major test organizations --- for over a decade. Other products come and go... but those are the three.
 

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top