NortonLifeLock customers have criticized the company’s decision to install Ethereum mining software on their PCs without their permission.
The new Norton 360 mining component turns users’ idle PC into a cryptominer, with Norton taking a 15% “mining fee” that Norton gets from a mined Ethereum.
The new Norton 360 mining component is only activated when the user opt-in.
Some complaints from the company’s customers relate to the fact that the software was installed without their consent, difficulties in uninstalling it and the impact of ethereum mining on the environment.
Other reasons users are complaining include the fact that Norton does not pay transaction or gas fees associated with moving Ethereum from its wallets to Coinbase. There is also some controversy over energy use.
To stop using the feature, a NortonLifeLock representative explained: “If users have turned on Norton Crypto but no longer wish to use the feature, it can be deleted through Norton 360 by temporarily shutting off “tamper protection” (which allows users to modify the Norton installation) and deleting NCrypt.exe from your computer.”
For more information, read the original story in TechRepublic.