Bitdefender currently supplied by Netgear does not support macOS Ventura. When update?

[pgbachman]

Greetings. Just updated one of my Macs to macOS Ventura. Current update of Bitdefender supplied by Netgear through autoupdate is 8.4.0.36. Current version, according to the Bitdefender support site is 9.2.0.12.

Bitdefender no longer works, since Ventura changed from using kernel extensions to new APIs for network and endpoint security.

This appears to be an issue with getting latest updates for the Netgear version. Bitdefender states this:

Is Bitdefender compatible with macOS Ventura?

Yes, starting with version 9.2.0.12 Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac is fully compatible with macOS Ventura (version 13.x) released on October 24, 2022.

When will we who licensed Bitdefender through Netgear get the update?

[FredQC]

Mid december 2022, Ventura 13.1 is out and Netgear still pushes the very old version 8.4.0.36 like it is 2021. Also worth mentioning this version is still an Intel app, so no native M1 nor M2 support...

[Dougcjohn]

Now Dec 23, 2022.

Same problem continues to exist, won’t fully install on MacOS 13.1.

As a test, downloaded and installed retail BitDefender and it installed correctly & no issues. My older Mac’s (M1 Max & Intel) upgraded to 13.1 and BitDefender appears to still run.

New Mac’s with 13.x won’t complete the Install. 
Disappointing to be paying for Armor and not up to date BitDefender Apps. 

[Topology]

@Dougcjohn, to clarify, are you saying that the older version of Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac supplied by NETGEAR Armor cannot be successfully installed on M1 hardware with macOS Ventura 13.1, and therefore cannot be manually updated to the most recent version available directly from Bitdefender?

[SERASolutions]

I can confirm that on a new Macbook with M1 running Ventura 13.1 I am unable to complete the install using the Netgear Armor version of Bitdefender. 

When I had Bitdefender installed on another Macbook Pro with M1 but upgraded to Ventura in continued to work. A fresh install however does not appear to work with the current version. Very frustrating and will cancel if they cannot resolve it asap. 

[NNB]

Im having same issue.. The software direct from Bitdefender installed ok.. But Netgear version does not... Has anyone had any success on Ventura ?

[saalmans]

Just discovered this after unboxing my new M2 MacBook Pro - very disappointing Netgear. We have paid for this software and we are running a common OS & device.

Is there any official update on this?

[Topology]

It appears that the general issue of NETGEAR failing to supply the current version of Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac (9.2.0.12) is well-known, and a (hopefully temporary) workaround solution is to purchase a license for that product directly from Bitdefender.  Please see the recent posts in this thread.

[pgbachman]

Thanks to @Topology for the previous response.

It sounds like this comes down to a licensing issue between Netgear and Bitdefender.

• Netgear Armor provides Bitdefender 8.x (currently Version 8.4.0.36 on my Macs) for installation on devices
• Bidefender purchased directly from the manufacturer is a 9.x version
• It isn't clear whether Netgear Armor actually includes Bitdefender running in the routers or simply checks for installation on clients and notifies when it isn't installed and when the client-side software detects an issue.

This raises some questions:

1. WHY is Netgear Armor providing an older (outdated?) version of Bitdefender?
2. WILL Netgear begin providing the current release of Bitdefender as part of the Armor subscription and when?
3. Has anyone received an answer from Netgear to these two questions?

Based on the answers to these questions I could determine whether it will be worth renewing Armor when the subscription comes due or choosing another solution.

[Topology]

It appears that a new version (9.2.0.33) of Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac has been released for NETGEAR Armor users (see here).