I've been an ESET customer for more than 20 years.

I started with NOD32 on Windows in the late 1990s and continued using ESET after switching to macOS in 2014.

This isn't a complaint from someone who installed the software just last week. Quite the opposite — I stayed with ESET because, for many years, I considered it one of the best antivirus products available.

One of the reasons I remained loyal for so long was that NOD32 embodied a philosophy I appreciated: lightweight, technically excellent, low on system resources, and focused on doing one job well.

Unfortunately, my recent experience has led me to start evaluating alternatives.

The problem

After updating macOS to macOS 15.7.8 (Build 24G817, later 24G822), I started experiencing some very strange problems.

• Safari would no longer load new HTTPS URLs.
• Apple Account information in System Settings would not load.
• Running: softwareupdate --list always resulted in: Can't load data from the Apple Software Update server.
• Firefox continued to work perfectly.
• Even more strangely: curl https://www.apple.com worked.

So network connectivity itself was not broken.

Troubleshooting

I spent quite a lot of time isolating the problem.

Among other things I checked:

• proxy settings
• VPNs
• Apple networking
• system extensions
• command-line tools
• ESET settings

Eventually I narrowed the issue down to one component only:

ESET Web Access Protection

The results were completely reproducible.

Web Access Protection ON:

• Safari cannot load new HTTPS URLs.
• Apple Account details loading fails.
• Software Update fails.
• Firefox works.
• curl works.

Web Access Protection OFF:

• Everything immediately returns to normal.

No reboot required.

More testing

I tried every workaround I could think of.

• Turning HTTPS/3 scanning off.
• Changing settings.
• Adding URL exclusions.
• Interestingly, even excluded websites still paused before loading, and Apple Account / Software Update still failed.
• I also upgraded from ESET Cyber Security 9.0.6300.0 to ESET Cyber Security 9.0.6700.0

No change whatsoever.

Other issues I'd been seeing

This wasn't my only concern.

Over recent years I had also noticed:

Time Machine backups occasionally hanging until Real-Time File Protection was disabled.

Some files consistently reported as "could not be opened" during scans.

Earlier VPN compatibility issues that eventually led me to disable the ESET Firewall permanently and rely on Apple's firewall instead.

None of these individually would have made me leave.

Together they started to paint a worrying picture.

Support experience

This is what finally convinced me.

I submitted a support ticket with detailed diagnostics on the Web Access Protection problems.

No response.

The ticket was simply closed (I came to know of it when I sent an email asking for updates).

I contacted support again.

I was told to open another ticket.

I did.

That ticket has now also been closed without any technical response or resolution.

This was the point where my confidence in ESET really began to erode.

I expected a bug to take time to fix.

What I didn't expect was for support tickets containing reproducible diagnostics to be closed unilaterally without any technical response, explanation, nor notification.

To be fair, I still think ESET's malware detection engine is among the best. Independent testing has consistently shown excellent detection and very low false positives.

I am not leaving because I think ESET suddenly became poor at detecting malware.

I'm leaving because I primarily use macOS.

For me, the priorities are now:

• stability
• compatibility with macOS
• minimal interference
• responsive support

Those things have become more important than squeezing out the last fraction of a percent in malware detection.

I'm currently evaluating alternatives. I haven't reached a final decision yet, and this post isn't intended to recommend another product.

I simply wanted to document my experience in case other macOS users encounter similar behaviour or are wondering whether they're the only ones.

Final comments

I don't write this with any pleasure.

I've been an ESET customer for over two decades. NOD32 was one of the reasons I stayed loyal for so long.

But after giving ESET every opportunity—troubleshooting extensively, updating to the latest version, submitting support tickets, and waiting for responses—I no longer have confidence in the product's macOS compatibility or customer support.

If you're a Windows user, your experience may be completely different.

If you're a Mac user experiencing strange Safari, Apple Account or Software Update issues after enabling ESET Web Access Protection, I hope this post saves you some time.

My company is considering switching to ESET Small Business Security but there is conflicting information on their website.

I can only select up to 10 devices when configuring the plan while the product information box shows 5-25 devices are supported.

We have 11 PCs and a file server, all Windows, that need protection. The FAQ states that adding devices (by enlarging the plan) is possible but doesn't state the rate for each additional user.

Does anyone know how to kill the ESET icon that pops up all the time in my browser? Every time I use Chat GPT, for instance, this thing shows up, and does 'processing' while I'm trying to work. On other pages it literally blocks content. I tried reaching out to support but the AI genius was, like, "oh, turn off the browser protection". I'm trying to be responsible; this is a work tool. But OMFG this icon is driving me bonkers. What genius at ESET thought this was a good idea????

Thought this might help someone.

I'm very familar with ESET on Windows. For 1-1/2 years I've had an external SSD used for time machine on a MacBook Pro, M1 ,macOS 26, that recently went bad. Added a different one and ESET blocked the first 2 and I didn't see it. I finally connected a large external screen and saw a pop up just for a couple seconds saying the device is blocked.
I then turned that off and wrote a new rule for allowing myself all access. And enabled the block rule. However, I still couldn't make it work. So reading the rules closely, I figured it out and moved the disk rule to the top. Not that I have a need for tight security but I'd rather be safe than not. Here are some things to consider.

1. Should I disable this rule completely? Since I'm the only user it and when the Mac goes into screensaver mode, either my finger touch can open it .
2. Should I keep the device control on and just allow myself all access? Again, I'm the only user. I imagine this is available for a mac being used by multiple users.
3. Always set ESET's notifications alert to persistant rather than temporary.

Your thoughts and experiences?

Thanks!

I went with Bitwarden and wanted to make the migration easier for other users in my situation. Definitely a lot of trial and error, but it's easy!

Here are the relevant forum links that I used:

Grb's Post

Import from a Custom File to Bitwarden

Step 1: This is a 'duh' step lol. Must be a CSV file during the entire process to keep it simple.

Step 2: Open the file in excel or google sheets.

Step 3: Go ahead and open another blank sheet. Create this template and call the file, "Bitwarden_Whatevs". If you want, that is.

This is the template you must follow. Only add the column headings and keep them lower case (this includes values):

Step 4: Where to place what? Let me explain each value and what should be put where.

folder: These are groups you can personally name and make in Bitwarden (easier to do on the webpage) so you can leave this field blank—unless you want to try at creating the groups now.

favorite: Give the row a value of 1 to signify 'TRUE' if you'd REALLY like a specific login to be convenient.

name: Self explanatory

fields: Keep empty.

login_url: Weblinks.

login_username: Usernames.

login_password: Passwords.

login_totp: Keep blank.

Step 5: Adding the Information. Just select each column in the ESET document that's relevant to the above information.

Step 6: The final transfer. Export the finished product strictly as a .csv file. after signing into the Binwarden password manager, import the .csv file from your device. select "Binwarden .CSV" from the dropdown.

You should be finished! If this process resulted in a confusing jumble of empty logins, you did something wrong! This is a fool proof way to get it done.

I saw that this wasn't answered recently and would like to get an updated array of possible services to migrate my passwords over to. Since ESET Password manager is being discontinued and all.

EDIT: I went with Bitwarden! Check out this post of mine if you want a simple and straight to the point tutorial. Took me two hours, but with this, it'll take 30-45 minutes max.

(USED AI to improve readability)

Hi,

I'm an IT technician and I've encountered a recurring issue with Banking & Payment Protection (Safe Banking & Browsing) across 7 different customer systems, and I believe this may be a bug introduced in a recent update.

The problem:

Banking & Payment Protection is completely non-functional. The secure browser does not start, and no protected session is initiated when visiting banking websites.

Affected systems:

- Multiple systems running both Windows 10 and Windows 11

- Various hardware configurations

- ESET Internet Security / Smart Security Premium (latest version)

The only common factor:

None of these systems have an ESET HOME account linked. This is not a requirement according to ESET's documentation, but it appears to be the root cause.

How I discovered this:

After exhausting standard troubleshooting steps (disable/re-enable Banking Protection, restart, browser changes), I tried a clean reinstall of ESET — this time linking an ESET HOME account during setup. After doing so, Banking & Payment Protection worked immediately and correctly.

Repeating this process on multiple affected systems confirmed the pattern: reinstall without account = broken, reinstall with account linked = working.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Install ESET on a clean system without linking an ESET HOME account

2. Navigate to a banking website

3. Banking & Payment Protection does not activate

Expected behavior:

Banking & Payment Protection should function regardless of whether an ESET HOME account is linked, as account linking is documented as optional.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is this an intentional change in behavior, or a bug? I'd appreciate any official response from ESET staff.

Thanks.

Well I'm having a problem and I am unable to cancel the suscription, I started a free trial because I wanted to try a UEFI scan and now I am unable to cancel the suscription. I went to this page https://comprar.eset.es/#/baja but it doesn't work, I also went to the eset home suscription page but still nothing. How can I cancel it?

Hi! How can I configure domain masking (wildcard exclusions) in ESET VPN, for example, to exclude domains like *.website.com?

Will ESET 9.0.5300.0 work with the new MacOS?

My ESET subscription allows VPN for 10 devices. One of those has been an iPad, which has had the VPN on it for several years.

In the last few weeks, the VPN on the iPad refuses to connect, and pops up a

"VPN Connection Please enter your authentication information" password request. Neither the VPN code, nor the iPad code satisfy it.

This seems to be an Apple thing, not an ESET thing, and may have shown up after a recent iOS update.

Does anybody know what this is about, and what does it want??

hola, la verdad no tengo idea de cómo funciona Reddit pero necesito ayuda de alguien, quizá acá puedan orientarme. básicamente estoy sufriendo un acoso gigantesco de hackeos prolongados y necesitaría que alguien que sepa sobre ciberdelitos, hackeos etc. pueda darme una mano. ya perdí acceso a mi cuenta de Instagram más importante y a la siguiente que cree, y un mail totalmente hackeado de maneras súper extrañas. me cambiaron el mail por primera vez a @rambler.ru y ahora a @op.pl. se escriben cosas solas en el teléfono, se mueve solo como si alguien lo estuviera usando al mismo tiempo que yo. estoy asustada realmente. si alguien sabe cómo rastrear todo esto estaría altamente agradecida. saludos

This product / service is EOL on 30 June. What will you use moving forward?

uhh so I dont think that this anti-virus is smart bcz I just made an app for fun named Car (in Sketchware pro) and uhh it says it's an malware. it's this a dead giveaway? btw the other files are from the app

Canada - My subscription ends in 10 days, I just turned off auto renewal.
I see that there is a $30.00 off deal for Home Ultimate $129.99 $96.00.

My thinking is, if a "renew", I will not get that deal.
Would it be best to cancel existing and then purchase new deal?
Do I just change the serial #'s in all PC's and all is good? any drawbacks?

EDIT Jun 2

I have been running ESET for years and never bothered to look at their website offerings, I had Auto Renew on so there was no need, plus too busy.
I had wanted to make sure I was not having to lose the account and to start another, as can happen with some other companies way of upgrading.
I did as advised here and just cancelled Auto Renewal (done already 10 days prior to dooms day) and purchased the new subscription (2 years), logged into each PC and activated the subscription.
Stay away form any "Renew" button is the key.
Case closed!

Hello guys,

I currently use eset inspect (and protect) on prem, but i'm having hard time using it.

Support seems to have a hard time too, and I'm wondering if other peoples could have the same problems (or want to share their thoughts about it).

The main focus is exclusion creation with advanced editor as even support told me that it's not officially supported... So the basic editor is enough for you to create whitelist ?

I would happily discuss this here or in dm ^^

Hi team,

I’m posting this here in the hope that the ESET team might consider this feedback.

I have deployed more than a hundred ESET Protect instances, both on-premises and in the cloud. I’m very rigorous and granular when creating policies, usually relying on custom override policies with application order instead of modifying the default ones directly.

However, even after carefully configuring all required policies, ESET Protect still overrides them with Basic Configuration policies.

Because of this, I would like to ask/suggest: is there a way to completely disable Basic Configuration and allow only user-defined policies?

It would be very useful to have a simple option or switch to permanently disable Basic Configuration policies (unless such an option already exists and I missed it).

I mention this because even after disabling all parameters in Basic Configuration and deleting those policies from the “All” static group, the UI eventually suggests enabling Basic Configuration again.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

Suddendly, after upgrade to versions 13.x, all endpoints and servers started to show an alert of having HIPS -> "Log all blocked operations" enabled.

I have checked on the forums and Marcos from ESET says the feature has to be enabled in beforehand for this alert to be triggered.

However, I know for sure that this is not the case, since I have deployed several ESET Protect consoles in different clients, always using only the standard policies.

Why could be this behavior? Is it something that comes enabled by default in v13?

Thanks in advance!

Hello, I am struggling with creating a Dynamic group that only contains active computers.

Shockingly there is no rule for "Last connected < X". When creating the Dynamic groups, I see all sorts of rules but none seems to be useful for this.

I ended up working with the "Last boot" parameter but I find it hard to believe that there is no way to track "Last connected". Is it possible that I am missing some rules?

Hey! After update three pc show alert in protect console. Problem about working problems. Mybe someone is fix this? One win11 and two win10 pcs. Support response about something that block firewall. I use MikroTik network solution. What IP and what port need to be open? Mybe I can make special firewall rule at mikrotik to allow these ip and ports.

Good day reddittors,

Can someone tell me whether the essential or premium editions of eset home security contain ransomware protection?

When comparing features on their website, Eset mentions that the ultimate edition has ransomware remediation. But its unclear if thats the only version that also just has ransomware protection. The other editions mention nothing about ransomware but it seems like such a basic feature, one would assume its not paywalled behind the most expensive edition.

Any clarification on this is much appreciated!

I have an ESET Endpoint product. I have registered with ESET PROTECT Hub, so I have a 30-day trial key and the option to create offline activation files.

If I use the key to activate the product, my machine appears in the list when I log in to ESET PROTECT Hub; however, if I create an offline activation file, it does not.

I understand that this isn’t possible with an offline activation, but I also realise that if the ESET product needs to update, it will require a connection.

How can I create an LC file without giving the key to a user, whilst still being able to see when and if the machine has connected – all as described above – and as happens when I enter the trial serial number?