Avast, ye takeover lawyers! NortonLifeLock to acquire security rival

The discussions between security vendors NortonLifelock and Avast that The Register reported had reached an advanced stage in July have proved fruitful, to the tune of more than $8 billion. While the deal has been styled as a merger, it will see NortonLifelock acquire all Avast shares and result in the combined companies …

[Mishak]

Will this be allowed through?

Or will the monopolies gangs decide this would give them too large a market share in snake-oil peddling security software?

[Lon24]

Snake oil

Yes many good people say that. Eight billions worth of folks differ. Who is right?

If Norton et al could stop ransomware attacks then we wouldn't have any since any corporation would mandate them - if not then their insurers would. Or are El Reg's stories about incursions via Windows boxes fake?

And if they can get in to plant ransomware they can get in to do other stuff.

The issues with Norton et al is that not only do they slug performance but more dangerously give a false sense of security to the user. And we know from elsewhere what risk compensation can lead to. Defender is good and Norton et al need to be a whole lot better to overcome that.

Let's see independent objective evidence. I'm looking for double-blind studies to justify these mouth watering figures.

[Mishak]

"mouth watering figures"

And can someone explain why Product X costs £N to buy as a new license, but £Nx4 if you renew an old one? I guess there are enough people out there who don't check and dump...

[Pangasinan Philippines]

Trust?

The consumer and small business security market is complicated by the presence of Windows Defender in every copy of Windows,

But who would you rather trust?

[Irongut]

Re: Trust?

Anyone other than Norton or McAfee.

I last used software by Norton 25 years ago and vowed never to do so again. Avast lost my trust several years ago when their advert spam frequency became ridiculous. They deserve each other.

[Wade Burchette]

I am sick and tired of this company constantly annoying me by trying to up-sell me with useless products and features that does more harm than good, and now they have just bought Avast.

[Pen-y-gors]

Are you sure?

presence of Windows Defender in every copy of Windows, at no extra cost, as it obviates the need for dedicated security software

Hardly.

I'll keep running Malwarebytes as well.

[YourCareerHasStalled]

USD 280 million of annual gross cost synergies

which we all know is corporate speak for jobs being lost. Looks like most of these will go in the first 6 months.

If you're working at Avast / Norton, best get those LinkedIn profiles updated soon.

And my sympathies for the uncertainty you now face.

[Anonymous Coward]

Free

With free Windows Defender and free Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool and free Firefox with free uBlock Origin I feel I'm as safe as I would be with paid products.

I've used McAfee, then Norton, then Avast and I won't miss the introductory offers with automatic renewal or the constant upselling.

[Kev99]

When these mergers say the combination will create new efficiencies and cost savings, it actually means they'll be giving half of the combined workforce pink slips, shut down factories causing communities to lose millions in tax revenues and the C-levels get multimillion dollar bonuses.

[Cliffwilliams44]

Three corps for the Tech-Kings under the Clouds,

Seven corps for the Energy-Lords in their halls of fire,

Nine corps for the Industrialists doomed to die,

One corp to rule them all, one corp to find them,

One corp to being them all, and in the darkness bind them.

[Anonymous Coward]

I have tried Norton, nothing wrong with it but just kept flagging things that I knew were safe, got annoyint so that went. Then tried Avira, again it was OK but still kept flagging the files that I knew were safe, and thats gone (also owned by Norton). Then finally tried Avast, did the same but when I told it the files that it flagged were safe, it ignored me and deleted them. So that went too. Windows Defender isnt the greatest antivirus but at least its not as resource hungry (as far as I can tell) as the other 3 but does the job. All I did was change the firewall to Comodo, which has its delightful quirk of having a half arsed antivirus which I turn off immediately along with HIPS, auto containment and website filtering (I just want the firewall!!).

I find it a bit odd that no one has said anything about Norton owning Avira and buying Avast, and Avast owns AVG.... this is getting confusing.

[hoola]

Grrr, surely this has to be anti-competative?

So,

Symantec owns Norton

Avast owns AVG

So that is 2 AV vendors gobbled in one go.

Broadcom own NortonLifeLock who in turn own Avira. This is mistakenly thought to be the same as Symantec Norton.

Intel own McAfee.

If you dig back on many of the smaller vendors you find they end up in the same place with one parent company.