BT Cyber Threat Protect

[Carlusha]

Good morning

I received an email from BT's Chairman about BT Cyber Threat Protect:

"From today, you’ll be upgraded to Cyber Threat Protect, powered by Norton, the market leader in digital safety. Running quietly in the background, it helps keep your digital life safe by detecting scams and monitoring the dark web for your personal information."

I don't want this and I don't have any extras, especially not Norton.

Being 100% comfortable with Windows Security, I have no need for any extra security.

Please, can anyone confirm that BT will not be foisting unwanted software upon us?

Thanks

[Kimberlin]

@Carlusha  It's optional as far as I'm aware, you have to activate it:

https://www.bt.com/help/security/anti-virus-software/cyber-threat-protect-and-how-do-i-get-it

I get your stance on Norton. It came pre-installed on my laptop a couple of years ago and stupidly, I activated it. I put up with it for 24 hours and I had to uninstall it. It wasn't an easy process because Norton's uninstall tool didn't remove everything.

You say you just get by on Windows Defender. I did so myself until recently thinking that Defender would be enough. I ended up with a couple of files being downloaded onto my computer that whilst not malware, caused me enough issues to have to carry out a Reset this PC to put everything back in order. I've since taken out a Bitdefender subscription, £15.99 that covers 3 devices and I have to say, I think it's doing a far better job than Windows Defender.

At the end of the day, it's what you feel comfortable with and whether you accept the risks.

Personally, I don't use ISP provided security products at all.

[gg30340 · Accepted solution]

As has been pointed out BT Cyber Protect is an optional "free" add on to your BT Broadband package which you need to activate if you want to use it. It is not obligatory and BT will not be foisting it on you.

 BT have changed the name of their previous anti virus free add on "BT Virus Protect" which was a Norton product because Norton now call the product "Norton Cyber Protect"  or as it also known Norton 360. The email is just advising BT customers of the name change its new features along with it being an upgrade.

It should have been directed to those who do use the product and it should have included the phrase "If you have downloaded and activated BT Virus Protect, it has now been upgraded to BT Cyber Protect"  but as usual BT have a bit of a problem when it comes to keeping their customers informed with accurate information.  

[Carlusha]

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@Kimberlinwrote:

@Carlusha  It's optional as far as I'm aware, you have to activate it:

I get your stance on Norton. It came pre-installed on my laptop a couple of years ago and stupidly, I activated it. I put up with it for 24 hours and I had to uninstall it. It wasn't an easy process because Norton's uninstall tool didn't remove everything.

Oh, tell me about it! I too inadvertently installed Norton many years ago. It was hellish trying to get rid of it despite my being a computer veteran of some 50 odd years. In the end, my lovely late brother had to call Norton support in Canada, I believe (me being deaf) and get full instructions to uninstall. At the time, there were no uninstall programs - this was around 2002/5. It cost me several real ales afterwards but the relief to be free of the shackles was easily worth it!

In the end, being retired and an octogenarian, I do not tend to visit risky environments so I feel sure Windows Defender can cope with me and my beloved, both YouTube fanatics!

[jetk]

Thanks that email from the CEO had me wasting a lot of time. Nearly end up with a paid Norton app.
The email should have made much clearer, and that the app name on Android would have changed to "Cyber threat pro" and the action was required via this app.

[mfraz74]

I also received the same email, my question is what does it mean by PC. Do they just mean Windows - if so say Windows - or is Linux also supported?

Not that I trust Norton anyway. 

[somniac]

Is there any point activating this for iPad do you think?

[gg30340]

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@somniacwrote:
Is there any point activating this for iPad do you think?

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Apple devices are pretty well protected however they can still get viruses and email phishing attempts etc that the Norton based BT Cyber Protect states it guards against.

It's your device so only you can decide based on how you use the device whether to add an extra layer of protection.

[Kimberlin]

@somniac  As advised, your choice whether or not to use it on Apple products but I can state, that in all the years I've used Apple iPhone and iPad from the very first phones that were released here in the UK, I've never once had malware or virus on any of the multiple Apple products I've owned. My MiL unfortunately, was duped into buying Norton for her iPhone, a total utter waste of 80 odd quid. She's learned her lesson.

[WSH]

Yes, I just had the same email myself.  From the CEO, no less.  (Didn’t realise she knew me personally).

I’ll be carrying on with Defender as well.

All AV products are continually playing catch-up, so none of them will ever be 100% reliable.  One of the last places I worked, before I retired, was coming up to a renewal of the corporate version MacAfee when MS released Security Essentials, as it was called then.  We ran tests on it and it was catching things MacAfee was missing, so they didn’t renew MacAfee and went with MSE/Defender instead.  They were still using that when I left nearly ten years later.  (The fact that it was everybody’s favourite price helped as well, I suspect).

I recently got caught out with this problem where CPUz had their HWMonitor update site compromised.  To it’s credit Defender removed the offending package as soon as it downloaded, but it still managed to contaminate the shadow copies somehow, and Defender consequently blocked the next backup.  I ended up having to manually remove the shadow copies with VSSAdmin.  So, as I say, none of them are perfect.