Norton adds crypto mining capabilities to antivirus software

Ethereum mining for the family PC.

NortonLifeLock announced that it’s adding Ethereum mining to its Norton 360 antivirus software with an upcoming feature, Norton Crypto, that “select Norton 360 customers in Norton’s early adopter program” are invited to test.

Let’s make this clear from the start: Enthusiasts will probably be better off learning how to mine Ethereum themselves instead of relying on Norton Crypto. The feature is likely intended for the kind of person who’s never heard of a hash rate, shopped for the best mining GPU, or wondered how to optimise their GPU for

Ethereum mining. It’s worth considering how Norton Crypto is presented to those people.

Naturally, Norton positions Norton Crypto – and the accompanying Norton Crypto Wallet – as the solution to those concerns. The former is a mining tool built into antivirus software people already trust; the latter is a cloud-based solution to which people can transfer their earnings “so it cannot be lost due to hard drive failure.” It’s not hard to see how the feature could appeal to the (barely) crypto curious.