Today’s world is more connected than ever but that has made it even more dangerous behind the scenes and the numbers are frankly worrying. In just the past year, global cybercrime damages soared past $10.5 trillion, and the U.S. alone has seen victim losses in the billions – over $2.1 billion lost by Californians and more than $1 billion for Texans, according to FBI data. That’s not some abstract corporate scandal: regular people, normal families, and students are the ones losing real money, their accounts, and even parts of their identity.
When Your Digital Life Becomes Target Number One
Most Americans probably wouldn’t guess that nearly half have had at least one online account breached since 2021, and that number just keeps growing as hacking tools get more advanced. But here’s the thing that’s rarely mentioned: the first victims in almost every case aren’t some Fortune 500 CEO—they’re just everyday people, with typical online habits. The classic image of a hacker in a dark room is a cliché, but the threat is very real and often silent: criminals are after credit card numbers, home addresses, emails, even Social Security numbers. And the methods aren’t just viruses anymore—phishing campaigns, credential theft, and even deepfake scams targeting your reputation are all up and rising.
This isn’t a “sky is falling” message, because the right defense tools actually help: Norton’s back-to-school deals this month are specifically about making that protection accessible at a time when a single breach or phishing email can seriously upend someone’s life. The AntiVirus Plus plan is now just $29.99 for the first year, down from $59.99, and it covers more than just virus scanning: it includes malware and ransomware protection, password manager, encrypted cloud backup, and even some coverage against deepfakes, all for one device.
See Norton AntiVirus Plus at Norton.com
If you need to cover more than one device (honestly, who doesn’t rotate between laptop, phone, and maybe a work device?), Norton 360 Standard has dropped to $39.99 for three devices, down from $94.99. That deal includes unlimited secure VPN and Dark Web monitoring, which will tell users if their emails or account details turn up on hacker forums. You also get 50 GB of secure cloud storage, parental controls, scam protection, and even stronger monitoring of identity theft threats.
See Norton 360 Deluxe at Norton.com
There’s also the ultimate option: Norton 360 with LifeLock Select Plus, now $99.99 versus $189.99 standard, covers ten devices, includes identity theft reimbursement up to $25,000, and comes with tools to help manage even the worst-case scenario, like Social Security monitoring and reimbursement coverage for losses if someone steals your money or opens new lines of credit in your name.
When the numbers are this ugly (the average data breach now costs almost $5 million and the worldwide cost of cybercrime will top $12 trillion this year), feeling a little anxious about security is totally reasonable. But the thing to hang onto is that Norton is designed to help counter all that chaos. The protection stacks up to modern threats and adapts as scammers get smarter, and with the current deals, you shouldn’t miss that opportunity.
Explore Norton Plans
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