Gen launches VPN for Agents & Norton AI protection

Gen has launched VPN for Agents in New Zealand and expanded Norton AI Agent Protection in Norton 360. Both products are part of its Agent Trust Hub for AI agents.

The move is intended to address security and privacy concerns as AI agents take on tasks such as reading emails, managing financial workflows, executing code and operating across sensitive accounts. VPN for Agents is available now, while Norton AI Agent Protection is available to Norton 360 customers on Windows using Claude Code, Cursor and OpenClaw.

New protections

VPN for Agents is designed for autonomous AI agents rather than human users. Traditional virtual private networks secure devices and networks, but do not separate a user's traffic from an agent's traffic or control where agents connect and what they access.

The product uses what Gen describes as multi-tunnel technology, allowing agents to operate across different countries at the same time. It is also designed to shield identity and location details to reduce tracking and profiling, while working without software downloads or client setup.

Norton AI Agent Protection has been built into Norton 360, Gen's consumer security platform. The tool monitors what supported AI agents do and where they connect, with blocking tools and prompts designed to intervene between an agent's decision and execution.

The expanded protection adds checks before AI plugins, skills and tools are used, along with defences against prompt injection attacks. It also scans code and files that AI agents access or generate to detect malware and unsafe scripts before execution.

The launch reflects a broader shift in the security market as software groups respond to the rise of autonomous AI systems. These systems are moving beyond chatbot functions into software development, online account management and the handling of sensitive personal and financial information.

For security providers, this creates a new challenge. AI agents can be manipulated through malicious prompts, directed to unsafe websites, or given access to tools and data beyond what a user intended. Existing consumer cyber products have largely been designed around device, network and identity protection for human users rather than software agents acting independently.

Gen's Agent Trust Hub is intended to serve as a control point for that activity. According to the company, the platform combines verification, detection and communication security, and is being developed through work between Gen Threat Labs and Gen AI Foundry.

Gen AI Foundry is the group's internal unit for developing and scaling AI products, while Gen Threat Labs focuses on threat research and security technology. The new products extend Gen's trust framework across more of the AI agent workflow.

Howie Xu, Chief AI Innovation Officer at Gen, outlined the company's position on the shift towards agent-based computing.

"As people embrace AI agents and use them to manage more of their digital lives, they deserve security and privacy that keeps pace," Xu said. "Our VPN for Agents protects that activity in real time, and with Agent Protection embedded into Norton 360, we are giving millions of people the confidence to let AI work on their behalf, knowing every connection and action is secured. And we're excited to integrate this technology into more of our products."

Consumer focus

The New Zealand release forms part of a wider consumer strategy around AI safety. Norton 360 is used by tens of millions of customers worldwide, and Gen says it serves nearly 500 million users across more than 150 countries through brands including Norton, Avast, LifeLock and MoneyLion.

Unlike many AI security products focused on corporate systems, Gen is targeting consumer use cases in which individuals may rely on AI agents for routine personal tasks. That includes handling files, interacting with online services and processing sensitive information, all of which create opportunities for misuse if an agent is deceived or compromised.

Support for Norton AI Agent Protection is currently limited to Windows customers using Claude Code, Cursor and OpenClaw. Mac support will follow, according to Gen.

Gen framed the products as part of a broader effort to create what it calls a trust layer for AI use. In practical terms, that means monitoring agent behaviour, controlling network connections and screening the content and tools agents use before actions are carried out.

As consumer technology groups race to add more autonomous AI functions to everyday software, the security model around those tools is still taking shape. Gen's latest launch signals that established cyber companies now see AI agents as a distinct category requiring separate controls, rather than simply an extension of existing endpoint or network protection.

VPN for Agents is available now, and Norton AI Agent Protection is available to Norton 360 customers on Windows using Claude Code, Cursor and OpenClaw.