
(Image from this post)
As much as I don’t want to admit it, tax season is just around the corner. Actually, it’s kind of here. (Insert distressed emoji here.) This year is going to be the worst. Mitch and I have three states to deal with–New York, New Jersey and Illinois–and we both changed jobs. And don’t even get me started on the whole freelancing/blogging thing. (#confusion)
Until recently, I hadn’t really considered how important it is to safeguard all your household devices during tax season. But when you’re storing stuff like social security numbers and dependents’ sensitive information on them, it’s essential to protect your digital presence with Norton Security. In general, too, it’s just a good idea to defend yourself against all internet badness. (I’m so good with the vernacular, haha.)
Pause. Have I told you guys my malware story? A few weeks ago, I was convinced that my blog had been hacked. I won’t get into detail, but let’s just say there was some–err–disturbingly graphic content showing up on Kelly in the City. I freaked. I even called Blair and my father in tears. They assured me that they couldn’t see what I was seeing (phew!) and went to work to find out what was going on. Verdict? Malware. Which was super surprising to me, because I have a mac, and had always assumed that macs were basically immune to everything. (Not true.)
Clearly, I should have been using some sort of protection. (Never thought I’d publish that line!) But let’s back up. Before I started researching this topic, I was a bit confused myself about which kind of protection. There’s Norton Security and Norton Security with Backup. What’s the difference, and which one do you need?

Norton Security provides protection against viruses, spyware, malware and other online attacks. It also maintains your privacy, no matter what device you’re using, and helps you avoid unsafe websites and suspicious downloads. (Which is how I found myself in the malware situation.) Finally, it lets you add more protection as you acquire new devices, and easily locates lost or stolen smartphones and tablets. (We’ve all been there, right? One time I tracked my phone all over New York City, like a scene out of “Broad City.”)
Norton Security with Backup does all of these things, but also automatically backs up 25 GB worth of photos, movies and files to its secured online storage database, and delivers enough flexibility protect an entire family’s digital life. Simply put, you can rest easy about everything.
FYI: I’m going with Norton Security with Backup because I have so many photos that I’d be heartbroken to lose. Which one would you go with? If you’re interested in purchasing Norton Security or Norton Security with Backup, make sure to check out these Coupons.com Norton coupon codes for extra savings.
Stay safe out there! :)
And thank you for supporting the brands that keep Kelly in the City up and running!
ClamXav will also scan, isolate and delete anything that is bad for your computer – for free. If you want your photos protected go with crashplan. By far the best system out there – main computer, EHD, etc… no limit – I have well over 2TB backed up and they never delete your files even if you delete them off your computer. 25GB back up of photos is nothing – a few movies and that is gone in a snap. Sorry if this is a sponsored post (didn’t see anything that said such) as my intent isn’t to ruin your post but to mention other products that will do a better job.
Hi Susan!
Thanks so much for weighing in! I hadn’t heard of ClamXav, but I’ll definitely look into it! Protecting my files is so important to me (and I’ve lost them more times than I can count), so I can’t thank you enough! :)
I’m procrastinating starting my taxes because I also have more than one state to deal with – it stresses me out thinking about it! Glad you did this post though; it has made me reconsider how I will go about filing. Putting information online can be so scary!
xo
Alex | Mrs. Mason Dixon
I am so sorry that happened to you!! That happened to my moms computer once– she got hacked and some of the stuff on the computer wouldn’t work! It was awful :(
Hunter
Prep on a Budget