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Should I use the Security Suite provided by Charter/Sprectrum?

512 70 May 19, 2017 at 09:32 AM
HI All

I was looking around for a replacement for AVG that I'm using now. I found out that Charter/Spectrum provides free antivirus/spyware software. Someone told me that it from Norton. However, I'm wondering if Charter/Norton would sell my personal data from tracking etc. Should I use it or go out and buy my own?

thanks

z
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DC
05-19-2017 at 09:45 AM.
05-19-2017 at 09:45 AM.
Quote from zbs60 :
HI All

I was looking around for a replacement for AVG that I'm using now. I found out that Charter/Spectrum provides free antivirus/spyware software. Someone told me that it from Norton. However, I'm wondering if Charter/Norton would sell my personal data from tracking etc. Should I use it or go out and buy my own?

thanks

z
You do realize that Charter, being your Internet Provider knows EVERY WEBSITE you've ever surfed to, since it comes through their connection to you.

Also what would an anti-virus company like Symantec do with your personal information?

AVG has access to everything you fear that Symantec/Norton would have access to.

Aren't you afraid that AVG has already sold your personal data and tracking information?

So in conclusion, you might as well use the Norton/Charter Free software. it's going to be no different than what you buy off the shelf and therefore have to pay to get vs. free.

1 side benefit to making sure their (Charter) customers have AV on their pc's is that it actually cuts down on the crap traffic and other issues that Malware/Spyware/Virus's cause system wide if Charter customers didn't have some AV on their computers.
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So step back and look at your current situation. What jeopardy's do you have and what are you mitigating, what isn't being mitigated by your current solutions.

If you change your products, what benefits are you going to reap, what liabilities are you not addressing?

The only way to not get a virus, not get spied on, etc is to NEVER connect to the internet. Not practical but its really how you mitigate those risks of being connected to the internet.
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LiquidRetro
05-19-2017 at 02:19 PM.
05-19-2017 at 02:19 PM.
Here is a response I wrote to a recent thread. Much of it applies here assuming your running Windows 10.
--------------------------------------------------
Don't run as an administrator for you daily driver account.
Stay current on windows updates.
Stop using internet explorer on such old versions of windows. Edge is decent on Windows 10.

There is no reason you should be needing to run a full AV scan multiple times a week with a product that clearly isn't working. Old School AV products that are signature based like AVG are largely ineffective against today's threats. This includes paid options that work in the same way. The newer generation of products like Carbon black, Cylance, Webroot Secure Anywhere (Has had some major issues this month) all work differently and have better track records but are not perfect. That said those are all enterprise options. Webroot has a consumer version but I am not sure how much it's the same.

For the home user I would tell them to use the built in AV in Windows 10 and not run as administrator. Elevate permissions only when you are explicitly installing a program that you seek out. You don't need flash player in Chrome or Edge as it's built in. Almost everyone should not need Java in a browser anymore, and if you do you should dedicate a browser to just that site that needs Java. Practice good computing skills and keep a current backup and most people will be in a lot better shape with no pricey security suite..
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YanksIn2009
05-19-2017 at 04:35 PM.
05-19-2017 at 04:35 PM.
First of all, you can get Norton Security Deluxe for something like 20-30 dollars for 5 devices when on sale. My guess is your provider offers only the basic AV one if that though you could check. It is not worth cheaping out to save on this imo.

Second of all, being concerned the provider may be marketing your data while probably still doing searches with Google or worse using Chrome as a browser is sort of like worrying about the unlikely while the 800 lb gorilla goes on a rampage in your home. If you want to secure yourself from that sort of stuff, get a vpn provider and it will encrypt all traffic to and from the vpn provider and the internet provider just sees encrypted communication to and from your vpn service. This also helps secure your comms as well. And stop using google for searching wherever possible and switch to duckduckgo, which does not record or log any of your activity (as opposed to google which records and logs everything). Switch to Firefox or newer versions of IE\Edge for browsing..

As to using the default Windows Defender, I disagree. It is routinely panned on most reviews of home IS products. Better than nothing but that is as far as it goes imo. Spend a few dollars per PC per year and get one of the better rated products. One can debate their overall effectiveness against the high end threats that target mostly businesses and organizations, but they do a fairly decent job of stopping a good portion of the garbage as long as you practice good\safe internet browsing habits.

My 2 cents.
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stufine
05-19-2017 at 07:11 PM.
05-19-2017 at 07:11 PM.
take the free stuff
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menace33
05-19-2017 at 11:08 PM.
05-19-2017 at 11:08 PM.
I've always been under the inclination to reject the free stuff from the ISPs. Typically bloatware that outweighs the simplicity in installation and set up. I still run with MalwareBytes for malware scans, Windows Defender for av/am scans, and of course Windows Updates to keep solid and up to date.

It's not for everyone but I recommend it, especially if you are looking for simplicity to go with your effectiveness.
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zaltobass
08-17-2017 at 09:47 PM.
08-17-2017 at 09:47 PM.
Quote from menace33 :
I've always been under the inclination to reject the free stuff from the ISPs. Typically bloatware that outweighs the simplicity in installation and set up. I still run with MalwareBytes for malware scans, Windows Defender for av/am scans, and of course Windows Updates to keep solid and up to date.

It's not for everyone but I recommend it, especially if you are looking for simplicity to go with your effectiveness.
Hi there,
Before I begin, I should say that I work for Charter, and while I use some of their services, but am not in a service area for them so I use Comcast for most things.

I'm not paid to reply to online posts, this is my genuine opinion.
Charter's Spectrum Security Suite is a decent piece of software for a couple of reasons, but it probably isn't comparable to some other higher quality options.. I've only used it briefly and wasn't really trained on the ins and outs of the program.
  • The way I understand it, providing customers with free antivirus software limits unnecessary bandwidth on Charter's network, and helping to prevent the creation of bot nets and the spread of malware helps to contribute to a more stable network. So while it might seem like a free AV is too good to be true, making sure that customers are virus-free is important to Charter because it helps them be successful as an internet provider and a company.
  • Charter may make money from bundling programs into the installation, but as far as I know these are easily opted out of and I'd assume help allow Charter to provide this software for free.
That being said you're probably protected just fine with Malwarebytes and Defender.. though the security suite could potentially offer more protection. (Keep using Malwarebytes regardless of what anti-virus you run, GREAT program!) Personally, I use Kaspersky because I have found that it is the most reliable and has always caught issues before I realized there could be one.

Also, because I am an employee of Charter, I do have to point out that any opinions stated and/or shared by me do not necessarily represent the opinion of Charter and should not be taken as such unless specifically noted otherwise.
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Last edited by zaltobass August 17, 2017 at 09:54 PM.
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LiquidRetro
08-18-2017 at 08:42 AM.
08-18-2017 at 08:42 AM.
Quote from zaltobass :
Hi there,
Before I begin, I should say that I work for Charter, and while I use some of their services, but am not in a service area for them so I use Comcast for most things.

I'm not paid to reply to online posts, this is my genuine opinion.
Charter's Spectrum Security Suite is a decent piece of software for a couple of reasons, but it probably isn't comparable to some other higher quality options.. I've only used it briefly and wasn't really trained on the ins and outs of the program.
  • The way I understand it, providing customers with free antivirus software limits unnecessary bandwidth on Charter's network, and helping to prevent the creation of bot nets and the spread of malware helps to contribute to a more stable network. So while it might seem like a free AV is too good to be true, making sure that customers are virus-free is important to Charter because it helps them be successful as an internet provider and a company.
  • Charter may make money from bundling programs into the installation, but as far as I know these are easily opted out of and I'd assume help allow Charter to provide this software for free.
That being said you're probably protected just fine with Malwarebytes and Defender.. though the security suite could potentially offer more protection. (Keep using Malwarebytes regardless of what anti-virus you run, GREAT program!) Personally, I use Kaspersky because I have found that it is the most reliable and has always caught issues before I realized there could be one.

Also, because I am an employee of Charter, I do have to point out that any opinions stated and/or shared by me do not necessarily represent the opinion of Charter and should not be taken as such unless specifically noted otherwise.
I call BS, you made a brand new account to make your first post talking positively about the company you work for that has not been touched in 3 months?
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Taomantom
02-07-2018 at 07:15 AM.
02-07-2018 at 07:15 AM.
A long time ago I used the Charter Security Suite when I was with Charter, (many years later I have a Time/Warner Account.)
I used the suite and had no issues and it worked great.
When you install be sure to opt out of software offers.
If you use Windows I recommend Windows Anti-virus package but other than that The Suite will be better than Norton, which attempts to own your computer or AVG which lives in offering you crap.
I have built and run my own computers since Windows 3.2 was the operating system available.

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SlickRecess184
08-19-2018 at 08:26 PM.
08-19-2018 at 08:26 PM.
Quote from TomC1358 :
A long time ago I used the Charter Security Suite when I was with Charter, (many years later I have a Time/Warner Account.)
I used the suite and had no issues and it worked great.
When you install be sure to opt out of software offers.
If you use Windows I recommend Windows Anti-virus package but other than that The Suite will be better than Norton, which attempts to own your computer or AVG which lives in offering you crap.
I have built and run my own computers since Windows 3.2 was the operating system available.
You built your first computer in China?
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boartstarr
08-20-2018 at 01:01 AM.
08-20-2018 at 01:01 AM.
I'm still a big fan of Kaspersky Total.. (takes one to know one.) All the bad mouth came w/ trade, wars und stuff. Have been using it for more than 10 years. Key is cheap on flee bay. And download from mfg..
Norton has been bad for many years... Firewall and port blocking is easy on KAs. (if you have bata-ware.). just need to remember to turn off self protect when you do driver or system changes.
((all only run one) what ever you pick.. you need to turn off windows firewall or you'll end up in a knot)
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Last edited by boartstarr August 20, 2018 at 01:24 AM.
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