Security and Anti-Virus

[LS1Fan]

How is "constant guard" different from the Norton Suite comcast used to offer?  I've had the Norton from Comcast for a few years and I just noticed it now has the Constant Guard logo on it's controll panel.  I have a new laptop and am hesitant to download Constant Guard as it may add a bunch of things I don't want.

If I down load Constant Guard does Norton come with it or?

Thanks,

[USAF_E-8_RET]

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LS1Fan wrote:

How is "constant guard" different from the Norton Suite comcast used to offer?  I've had the Norton from Comcast for a few years and I just noticed it now has the Constant Guard logo on it's controll panel.  I have a new laptop and am hesitant to download Constant Guard as it may add a bunch of things I don't want.

If I down load Constant Guard does Norton come with it or?

Thanks,

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You can follow the link below in order to install Norton Security Suite (NSS) on your system:

http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Security-and-Anti-Virus/How-to-Initially-Install-Norton-Security-Suite/...

when you go to download the NSS, please click on the No Thanks Button on the Constant Guard Protection Suite popup.  This will reveal the Get It Now Button which will start the download of NSS.

After you have downloaded it, be sure to run LiveUpdate until it responds "No Updates Found" as instructed in the link above.

Yes, NSS has the Constant Guard/Xfinity branding on the main page of NSS now.  It is a marketing thing - everything that has anything to do with Security the Comcast marketing folks brand as Constant Guard - even if it in fact another companies program (such as Norton). 

Hope that answered all your questions.

[CGPS-Support]

Hi - in response to your question, "How is it different," the answer is that, regarding Norton - it isn't. The Norton component remains unchanged. If you install the Constant Guard Protection Suite (CGPS) - you are installing a dashboard through which you can enable Norton. Going Forward, the CGPS dashboard will be the front end for the xfinity security services, including additional features. However - you can install the components separately.  What CGPS has that Norton does not is a secure browser. When you install CGPS, you also install an anti-keylogging application, which can be disabled via the CGPS dashboard, and an application, which is part of the dashboard for online account security. This feature uses a secure browser to encrypt banking/financial transactions - very much a password manager, but using a secure browser as well.

As USAF points out, you can install Norton separately, but if you do any online banking management, such as transferring funds, I would recommend installing the CGPS for the online transaction security the secure browser provides.

[Hankl]

We have been very disappointed with the Constant Guard package and uninstalled it from 3 of our computers.  Even though we had not enabled many features, just having the software installed slowed down on browsing on all computers and caused erratic operation on our desktop.   As soon as we uninstalled Constant Guard the computers returned to normal operation and browsing sped up.  We do contnue to run the Norton Security Suite with no problems.

[lstephen]

Thank you for this post.  You were a heckuva lot more help than technical support who only wanted to sell me stuff!  Your link worked perfectly!

[lstephen]

My previous comment was for USAF E-8

[USAF_E-8_RET]

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lstephen wrote:

Thank you for this post.  You were a heckuva lot more help than technical support who only wanted to sell me stuff!  Your link worked perfectly!

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You are welcome and glad that you got it sorted.  We do try hard on the forums to supply good support and in some cases, see and solve the problems some techs do not get to see and troubleshoot - just the nature of the animal!    Who said free isnlt better sometimes? 

[LS1Fan]

Thanks to all that responded! 

It's been a big help in deciding what to do.

[Rolo42]

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CGPS-Support wrote:

  What CGPS has that Norton does not is a secure browser.  When you install CGPS, you also install an anti-keylogging application ... This feature uses a secure browser to encrypt banking/financial transactions

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True that Norton isn't a browser but it does have a browser intrusion protection system.  Additionally, Norton's Identitiy Safe, combined with Norton's host intrusion protection, is an already effective guard against keylogging.  Finally, secure transactions are handled at the session layer (i.e. SSL, TLS), not the application layer (browser), for which all browsers already handle.  CGPS is completely redundant, trying to reinvent the wheel.

I would argue that CGPS is more of a security risk than protection: I'll trust Norton/Symantec and Mozilla's decades of expertise over the embryonic CGPS.

CGPS adds nothing new except confusion, implying it is to be used in lieu of Norton, as the original poster believed, rather than an unnecessary extra layer (more moving parts, more to manage, more that can go wrong--again, increased vulnerability).

[CGPS-Support]

The Constant Guard Protection Suite offers a PIN entry system via a Microsoft Security Certificate, which is the first layer of protection. Second, it offers an encrypted browser, separate from the common browser which opens when we detect that the customer is contacting a web site - such as one of the over 8k bank sites stored in our servers. When the browser opens, we ensure that the website is the actual site, and not a dupe. If we do not recognize it, we stop the transaction. The separate and secure browser separates the online account protection aspect of CGPS from any other account protection software, and our site warnings take place via that browser.

If we implied that it was to be used "in lieu of Norton," we wouldn't include the Norton installer when the CGPS is installed. The CGPS account protection piece has nothing whatsoever to do with anti-virus/firewall security software. It does ONE thing - and that is watchdog a customer's financial accounts - which is why Norton is included as part of the suite.

The intent and ulitmate purpose of the  Suite is to offer all Comcast Security products in a single location via a dashboard - which is what the securitysuite is - a single dashboard location for all Comcast xfinity security pieces. Moving forward additional security features will be added both to the right side area where you currently "enable" Norton, or in the Options tab where the anti-logging on/off exists.

The Security Suite is simply an installer and location for each of the security products and includes a very secure online account protection application via a secure browser, and a very secure PIN entry system provided via a Microsoft Security Certificate.

[Rolo42]

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CGPS-Support wrote:

The Constant Guard Protection Suite offers a PIN entry system via a Microsoft Security Certificate, which is the first layer of protection. .

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"More" security does not mean "better" security.

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CGPS-Support wrote:

The Constant Guard Protection Suite offers a PIN entry system via a Microsoft Security Certificate, which is the first layer of protection. Second, it offers an encrypted browser, separate from the common browser which opens when we detect that the customer is contacting a web site - such as one of the over 8k bank sites stored in our servers. When the browser opens, we ensure that the website is the actual site, and not a dupe..

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Again, Norton already does this with all web sites, not just the ones CGPS knows about. 

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CGPS-Support wrote:If we implied that it was to be used "in lieu of Norton," we wouldn't include the Norton installer when the CGPS is installed.

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This doesn't address the continuous confusion posted by users.

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 The CGPS account protection piece has nothing whatsoever to do with anti-virus/firewall security software. It does ONE thing - and that is watchdog a customer's financial accounts - which is why Norton is included as part of the suite..

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"Constand Guard Protection Suite" sounds like a suite of security products, not ONE, "Secure Banking Browser".  Again, Norton already provides safe surfing, antiphishing, and identity/credentials protection.  What is CGPS providing that N360 doesn't?

[CGPS-Support]

Rolo42,

We use a Two factor authentication –

1. CGPS uses public key cryptography and performs the authentication remotely. Unless the PIN verification service receives your PIN AND public key (which can be sent only by the computer you installed your Constant Guard Protection Suite on, the secure, storage on your computer, containing user names and passwords will not unlock.

2. Local security of usernames and passwords – CGPS uses AES encryption to secure users’ account information locally on the PC.  AES encryption is approved by the National Security Association for top secret information.

We also offer the protection of the secure browser. If the customer wishes to access a site which we have stored in our servers, we will open the site in our browser, and any transaction or query which takes place between the customer and that site is done through our private browser and so is much less vulnerable to a hack than a public browser such as IE, Firefox, Chrome, etc.

I hope this answers your questions. If you have a new one, please ask it. If not, hopefully, this will suffice.

We are not in competition with Norton, which is why both products are provided. I have also stated that the CGPS dashboard will also house additional security options which are not housed in the additional security applications, such as Norton. We worked with Norton to put together an installer which would install Norton and make it easy to activate from the CGPS dashboard while still presenting the securely stored accounts on the left side of the dashboard, and we are in regular communication with the Norton engineers.