Usage and configuration of Norton Insight
Norton Insight allows the smart scanning of files on your computer. It improves the performance of Norton 360 scans by letting you scan fewer files without lowering the security level of your computer.
Norton Insight obtains specific information about the files on your system that may be vulnerable to infection or other types of threats. The information includes such things as file name, file size, and hash key. Norton Insight works with the Symantec servers and determines a trust level for the files that software applications that are identified as safe and trustworthy. These files are labeled as Norton Trusted, and the trust level remains unchanged until the file is changed or updated in some way.
The processes that are related to Norton Insight run when your computer is idle. This way, the system performance remains high while you perform your normal tasks on your computer.
After Norton Insight labels the files on your computer with a trust level, scanning the files on your computer becomes more effective. When you scan your computer, Norton Insight excludes the Norton Trusted files from scanning. It scans only the files that are not Norton Trusted. This way, Norton Insight significantly reduces the time that is required to complete a scan. However, you can configure settings to scan the Norton Trusted files.
Norton Insight also provides a centralized location where you can view the processes that are running on your computer. You can view a list of running processes and their associated files. You can also view the digital signature, trust level, and trust rating of each file.
You can also browse and check the details of a specific file. You can refresh a file if it has an unknown trust level.
Viewing the processes that are running on your computer
Norton Insight included in Norton 360 gives you detailed information about all processes that are running on your system at a given moment. Using Norton Insight you can view all processes running on your computer alongside the list of their associated files.
Each and every process running on your computer shows the trust level, so that you can evaluate possible threats.
On some occasions, the trust level of some files may change as you view the process list or the process may have terminated in the meantime. To view the state of your processes updated, you can refresh the process list at any time.
To view the processes running on your system do the following:
- Run Norton Insight by clicking it in the Norton 360 Main Window
- In the Norton Insight window, view the running processes
- It may happen, that not all processes fit into the display. Scroll down the window as needed.
- Click the given process name to view its associated files
To expand or collapse all processes do the following:
- Run Norton Insight by clicking it in the Norton 360 Main Window
- Click Expand All to view associated files of all of the processes that are listed in the details area
- Click Collapse All to hide associated files of all of the processes that are listed in the details area
Configuring Scan Performance Profiles
The Scan Performance Profiles settings let you configure how Norton 360 should scan your computer based on the digital signature and trust level of the files. To make Norton 360 scans lighter, faster, and more effective, you can exclude from scans the files that have known digital signatures or known trust levels.
You can configure the Scan Performance Profiles settings to do the following:
- Configure to Full Scan to perform a complete scan of your computer.
The complete scan includes a scan of all files on your computer irrespective of the trust level or digital signature of the files. - Configure to Standard Trust to perform a scan that excludes the files that are Norton Trusted and Community Trusted.
Norton 360 scans only those files that do not have a trust level. - Configure to High Trust to perform a scan that excludes the files that have known digital signatures or known trust levels.
Norton 360 scans only those files that do not have a trust level or class 3 digital signature.
You must configure the Scan Performance Profiles settings before you run a scan or before a scan is scheduled to run. Norton 360 scans your computer according to the configuration you specified in the Scan Performance Profiles settings.
To configure Scan Performance Profiles do the following:
- In the Norton 360 main window, click Settings.
- In the Settings window, click Antivirus.
- On the Scans and Risk tab, in the Scan Performance Profiles row, drag the slider to one of the settings. Your options are:
- Full Scan Perform a complete scan of your computer
- Standard Trust Exclude the Norton Trusted files from the scan. This option is the default setting.
- High Trust Exclude from the scan the Norton and Community Trusted files and the files that have a known digital signature.
- In the Settings window, click Apply.