Kate Davidson
Updated on: January 3, 2025
Fact-checked by Hazel Shaw
Internet security programs aren’t just nice to have. They’re essential for anyone who goes online and is concerned about their privacy and the integrity of their device.
In this article I’ll explain why every computer needs a comprehensive internet security suite like Norton. We’ll go over the risks of not using one, the nature of certain threats, and briefly lay out some of your options.
Why You Need An Internet Security Program
It’s important to understand the difference between an antivirus program and an internet security package. An antivirus solution typically scans for viruses and malware. While great at finding and removing infections that have already made it onto your machine, a barebones antivirus product will typically not:
- Provide advanced firewall management to monitor inbound and outbound web traffic, preventing sensitive information from being exfiltrated.
- Monitor every URL you access to make sure that you don’t visit dangerous websites.
- Come with a VPN that you can use to change your IP address and encrypt your web traffic.
- Offer custom tools to manage settings on your browser and the sites you use to maximize privacy.
- Block online ads, some of which are conduits for malware.
- Provide advanced system optimization tools, like junk cleaners and disk defragmentation tools.
The great news is that many antivirus companies offer comprehensive internet security suites. Compared to basic antiviruses, security bundles provide protection against a wider variety of threats and include extra features that promote privacy. In addition to eliminating spyware, ransomware, rootkits, and other threats, they can stop spam, privatize your web traffic, and a whole lot more.
Internet security suites also offer web protections. These can come in the form of browser extensions or be included with the main app. In either case, the software will block dangerous websites. Many also block trackers and ads, which is good for both privacy and security.
As the most expansive type of security product, internet security suites provide hugely useful extras like VPNs, password managers, and parental controls. Norton comes with all that, plus email screening, secure cloud storage, and dark web monitoring. If you value online anonymity, TotalAV’s package has my favorite bundled VPN.
VPNs encrypt your traffic and hide your real location. Many that are bundled in security suites have servers all over the world, allowing you to change your IP address and access the web as if you were somewhere else. This is obviously great for privacy, but there are also practical benefits. The best options work with streaming sites, allow for safe torrenting, and provide military-grade encryption.
As for password managers, they’re essential in a world riddled by data breaches. They make it easy to create passwords that are impossible to crack without requiring you to actually memorize dozens (or hundreds) of passwords. Instead, you’ll only need to know one. It makes things much safer while features like password sharing and auto-save and auto-fill are hugely convenient. Bitdefender offers one of my favorite antivirus-bundled password managers.
Finally, parental controls can help keep your kids safe online. They can actually protect your whole network because once one device is infected, others sharing the connection can also be affected. By preventing your children from accessing dangerous sites, you reduce the risk of this happening. Internet security suites will often include parental controls that let you set device time limits, set up content filtering, and monitor your child’s web usage.
Get The Winning Combination
Unless you never browse the internet (and if you’re reading this, I’m guessing that you do), you need to be running both an antivirus program and an internet security suite. Choose a strong solution to give your computer the protection it needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an internet security suite?
There’s no strict definition, but an internet security suite is a bundle of security protections that work together to promote privacy and keep you safe online. They offer big advantages over simple antiviruses. In addition to scanning for and removing malware that’s made its way onto your device, they can block dangerous sites used to deliver malware. The best options come with VPNs to protect your online privacy, too.
What threats exist online?
There are tons. Common threats include phishing sites, drive-by downloads, and pages hosting malicious apps. Internet security tools are effective against all of them.
Are free internet security tools enough?
There are some good free extensions that can block some dangerous sites, and some browsers are safer than others. But premium tools are better at detecting web-based threats. For one, there are very few good free VPNs and almost all of them are crippled by low data limits. If you want a security suite that can protect against all threats and let you use a VPN without worrying about running out of data, you’ll need to pay up, unfortunately. The good news is that there are plenty of affordable options.
