Antivirus Software Norton 360 and Ethereum Mining

Cybersecurity firm NortonLifeLock launched Norton Crypto and starting from June 3 select Norton 360 users will be invited to join Norton’s early adopter program for ethereum mining. It is the world’s second most valuable cryptocurrency. NortonLifeLock became the first company to offer such services to customers.

NortonLifeLock is the consumer cybersecurity firm formerly known as Symantec. It changed the name after Broadcom bought the enterprise security software business of Symantec in 2019.

Thanks to Norton Crypto consumers will be able to “safely” mine cryptocurrency through its Norton 360 product. NortonLifeLock also plans to open up the cryptocurrency mining service to all 13 million users of its 360 antivirus software in the coming months. The company emphasized that its service allows customers to mine without requiring them to switch off their antivirus software. The company is also considering adding trustworthy cryptocurrencies in the future.

Cryptocurrency mining, Norton 360, and risk factors

Cryptocurrency mining typically has been an unpredictable endeavor for average consumers. There have been concerns about users having their coins stolen after disabling their security to run mining software. Also, individual miners run the risk of having ransomware planted on their PCs. There are other problems as well. For instance, customers might lose access to their cryptocurrency wallets due to lost passwords or hard drive failures.

NortonLifeLock stated that it solved all problems mentioned above, thanks to its Crypto Miner service. It features added security and also stores cryptocurrency earnings in a Norton Crypto Wallet.

The company’s decision to offer cryptocurrency mining comes at a tumultuous time for the world of cryptocurrency investing. Last month, China stretched its crackdown on using and trading bitcoin to the industry that oversees the mining of new cryptocurrency tokens. Major cryptocurrency miners are trying to adapt to the new reality. HashCow, which owns the world’s largest mining farms, decided to stop selling machines to clients in China. The company will return to clients who already paid for a machine but did not receive it.

Bitcoin and other main cryptocurrencies suffered their biggest monthly decline in nearly a decade in May.

Musk frightened investors in May when Musk announced that Tesla would no longer accept bitcoin as a form of payment. Musk mentioned the impact of bitcoin mining on the environment. For his part, Elon Musk softened his position slightly after cryptocurrency bull Michael Saylor arranged a meeting between Musk and executives of top bitcoin mining farms to discuss energy usage concerns.