Norton antivirus installs a cryptocurrency miner and keeps 15% of the profits

Norton is getting expensive, at the image level, its commitment to cryptocurrencies. It is not as bad as it is painted, but there are things that are questionable.

In the last hours, the news has circulated on social networks that Norton antivirus installs a cryptocurrency miner without warning, and keeps a 15% commission.

This has blown up many users (and others who are not), because it was supposedly implied that Norton mined cryptocurrencies without permission, using your PC, and on top of that, it keeps 15%.

It is true that Norton Antivirus, even the paid subscription versions, install a cryptocurrency miner called Norton Crypto. But it is not activated automatically. It only works if it detects that the hardware is powerful enough, and the user gives his permission.

That’s when Norton Crypto mina la criptomoneda Ethereum when the computer is not being used, and Norton takes a 15% commission… while you are the one who pays the electricity bill, and the wear and tear of the PC.

According to account The Verge, Norton Crypto users come together in a pool to increase the chances of mining, and then the winnings are shared between everyone. Do you remember the clubs of the pools or the lottery? Well, it seems …

Therefore, the most serious accusation must be discarded: that Norton mines cryptocurrencies behind the client’s back, without warning.

But everything else it is quite questionable on an ethical and commercial level.

First Norton downloads the cryptocurrency miner without the user being able to decide if they want it or not, despite the fact that they are using a paid service and, therefore, the customer should decide what they want and what they don’t.

At the very least, it is taking up space on your hard drive. Y the miner cannot be removed directly, the antivirus prevents it. You have to disable the antivirus to be able to delete it.

The experts they also criticize the monetization of the miner. Ethreum mining software is free, and if you decide to use one pool the commission is usually 1 or 2%.

So Norton’s 15% commission seems quite high, although it is true that it takes care of things like managing the wallet and security.

Finally, an important fact that Norton does not mention is that mining cryptocurrencies with a standard PC, in most cases not profitable.

In The Verge test, they left a computer with an RTX 3060 Ti card overnight mining cryptocurrencies with Norton Crypto. They earned 66 cents on the dollar and spent 66 cents on electricity.

So they lost money: 15% of the commission, which Norton takes. The only one who made money … for leaving your PC running all night.

Norton should offer mining as an option. Mandatory downloading on your payment services does not seem like the best decision, even if it is not activated.

And if you activate it … possibly you will only lose money, unless you have a very powerful PC or you live in a country with almost free electricity.