Learn more about Real Time Protection

Real Time Protection controls the scanning and monitoring of your computer. You can use Real Time Protection to determine what gets scanned and what the scan looks for. You can also determine what happens when a security risk or risk-like activity is encountered.

The options provide constant protection for your computer by checking for viruses and other security risks on your computer.

Auto-Protect

Auto-Protect loads into memory and provides constant protection while you work. Auto-Protect checks for viruses and other security risks every time that you run programs on your computer. It also checks for viruses when you insert any removable media, access the Internet, or use the document files that you receive or create. It also monitors your computer for any unusual symptoms that might indicate an active threat.
Keep Auto-Protect turned on at all times to prevent viruses from infecting your computer. Auto-Protect works in the background, without interrupting your work.
Auto-Protect does the following automatically:

  • Detects and protects your computer against all types of viruses, such as macro viruses, boot sector viruses, and memory-resident viruses

  • Detects and protects your computer against all types of Trojan horses, worms, and other malicious code

  • Checks all files that you download from the Internet, it includes Java Applets and ActiveX controls, to protect your computer from the viruses

  • Checks for viruses every time to keep your system safe at all times

  • Checks for viruses when you run programs on your computer, insert any removable media, and modify or access documents

  • Monitors your computer for any unusual symptoms that might indicate an active virus

Removable Media Scan

Checks for boot viruses when you access removable media. After the removable media has been scanned for boot viruses, it is not scanned again until it is reinserted or formatted.
If you still suspect that a boot virus infects your removable media, ensure that Auto-Protect is turned on to rescan the removable media. You then insert the removable media and open it from My Computer for Auto-Protect to rescan it. You can also scan it manually to verify that the removable media is not infected.

Behavioral Protection

Behavioral Protection provides real-time protection against threats and proactively detects unknown security risks on your computer. Behavioral Protection identifies emerging threats based on the behavior of applications.

Network Drive Protection

Scans the network drives that are connected to your computer. Norton performs a Network Drives Scan during Full Scan and Custom Scan. By default, the Network Drive Protection option is turned on. If you turn off this option, Norton does not scan network drives.

Behavioral Protection Advanced Mode

Norton provides you the greatest control over low-certainty threats only if this option is turned on. By default, Behavioral Protection Advanced Mode option is configured as Automatic. This configuration is a recommended setting.
You can configure how Behavioral Protection removes a threat using these settings:

  • Remove Risks Automatically

    This option treats the low-certainty threats as high-certainty threats when Behavioral Protection Advanced Mode option is enabled. In this case, Norton automatically removes the threats and notifies you.

  • Remove Risks if I Am Away

    This option automatically removes low-certainty threats if it does not get any response from you when Behavioral Protection Advanced Mode option is enabled.

Show Behavioral Protection Block Notifications

Enable or disable Behavioral Protection Block notifications. Norton suppresses the Behavioral Protection Block notifications when you set the Show Behavioral Protection Block Notifications option to Log Only.

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