Cybersecurity company Norton has announced a new feature to enable users to safely mine crypto through its platform.

On June 2, the firm announced the launch of Norton Crypto, a new feature that will work in tandem with its Norton 360 internet security suite.

Starting today, June 3, select Norton customers in its early adopter program will be invited to mine Ethereum using the new interface.

The announcement stated that Norton Crypto delivers a secure, reliable way for consumers to mine Ethereum without opening themselves and their devices up to pitfalls. It cited the disabling of security software and the installation of malware and ransomware as some of the dangers of mining on personal computers.

It added that earnings are commonly stored directly on miners’ hard drives, where their digital wallet could be lost should it fail.

Secure Ethereum mining

The firm, which has been rebranded to NortonLifeLock, is expanding its cyber safety platform to protect consumer’s ever-evolving digital lives. Vincent Pilette, CEO of NortonLifeLock, elaborated on the wider role that cryptocurrencies are playing in daily life:

“As the crypto economy continues to become a more important part of our customers’ lives, we want to empower them to mine cryptocurrency with Norton, a brand they trust.”

Gagan Singh, chief product officer at NortonLifeLock, added that mining can be done with just a few clicks on the new system. This effectively reduces the entry barriers and opens up the activity to those that would have been deterred by its technical complexities.

The solution is one of the first that has been integrated into a mainstream PC security software suite and it’s likely that competing firms such as McAfee and Kaspersky may well follow.

Digging deep to mine ETH

It is also possible that Norton will expand beyond Ethereum for mining options since it is no longer viable to make good profits mining it solo.

The hash rate required to mine a block on Ethereum has grown way past the hobbyist level so joining a mining pool or cloud mining service is the most popular choice for most.

Additionally, the global semiconductor shortage has resulted in a surge in the prices of computer hardware such as high-end graphics cards. Platform-based mining services may grow in popularity as a result of these barriers, especially if they make it easy for users.

Not having to shell out $1,200 for a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti would also be a plus for most new to the crypto mining scene.