Tag archive: McAfee

Security software is an everyday necessity for most people, especially Windows users, businesses, and enterprises. But one of the ironies of security software is that, once in a while, it turns out to be the source of security problems all by itself. The latest instance involves McAfee's SaaS Total Protection suite, a cloud-based solution designed to provide comprehensive email and and Web filtering along with centralized security… Read More

Juniper Networks is raising eyebrows in the mobile industry this morning with a new report claiming the incidence of malware targeting Android devices has risen by 472 percent since July of this year. Presumably, that number is augmented by “hundreds” of malware samples the company uncovered in a series of third-party Russian app stores. Juniper describes the Russian malware cache as just the “tip of the iceberg,”… Read More

  The computer that runs your car may be the next target hit by hackers, says anti-virus software maker McAfee. In a newly released report, entitled “Caution: Malware Ahead,” the anti-virus giant said that, as cars have become more reliant on computer technology, like microchips and sensors, to get us safely down the road, so too have they become more vulnerable to attacks from malicious coders. “As more and more functions get… Read More

A year ago, chipmaking giant Intel laid down a cool $7.7 billion for security and antivirus developer McAfee; now, the company is starting to drop its first hints about the fruits of that acquisition. Speaking with Reuters, the head of Intel's software division Renee James revealed that the company's first security product will leverage security-related features that have been built into Intel's processors for years, meaning… Read More

With cybercrime costs on the rise, a successful hacking attempt on Hershey's website caused the chocolate-making company to send out a consumer warning via email to all users of the official Hershey Co. website. The hacking attempt targeted a single recipe before leaving without attempting to access private consumer data. Hershey stressed that no credit card numbers or bank account information is located on the same server as the recipes,… Read More

WordPress suffered one of the largest DDoS attacks in its history on Friday that affected 10 percent of its hosted sites. While it remained unknown who was behind the attack at the time, WordPress did issue a statement saying it believe it had been “politically motivated.” According to WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg, the culprit is believed to be China. Mullenweg tells TechCrunch that one of the sites affected by the DDoS attacks was a… Read More

Cyber security firm Symantec released its quarterly report yesterday, revealing that targeted attacks to steal company data have increased. The report specifically focuses on the Hydraq Trojan and the Stuxnet worm, and the damage they caused and concern for future attacks involving each. “Past targeted attacks…are important because they demonstrate that there are vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure sectors – specifically, in the power and… Read More

According to cybersecurity firm McAfee, Chinese hackers have been carrying out “coordinated, covert and targeted” attacks on US fuel companies for years. The campaign, codenamed “Night Dragon,” has been in full effect since 2009 and could have begun as early as 2007. For the time being, McAfee will not name the victimized companies, and is only publicly reporting on the matter in order “to protect those not yet impacted and to repair those who… Read More

Internet security developer McAfee released its fourth-quarter threat report on Tuesday which revealed some troubling information for the growing masses of smartphone users. Apparently, a growing market breeds more frequent offenders on the malware front. Who knew??? The company saw a 46 percent increase from 2009 to 2010 in the number of malware threats to cellphones and tablets. Portable Document Format (PDF) files are a big threat area, as… Read More

Security firm McAfeee—now being acquired by chipmaking giant Intel— has released its forecast for technologies and platform it believes will get special attention from cybercriminals in 2011. At the top of the list: mobile platforms like Android, social media services like foursquare and URL shorteners, and—wait for it—all things Apple, including Apple's iOS and Mac OS X operating systems. “We've… Read More

Chipmaker Intel's acquisition of security and antivirus software developer McAfee has been approved by the U.S. Federal Trade Commision, according to a notice posted on Intel's Web site. The approval clears the way for Intel to begin integrating McAfee products and services into its product lines, although the company is still working with the European Commission for approval on the deal. Intel announced last August that it… Read More

Chipmaker Intel has announced an agreement to acquire security software maker McAfee in a deal valued at $7.68 billion. The acquisition will not only expand Intel's security-related business—which, until now, has been mostly related to hardware—but also bolster's the company's shift towards offering online and mobile services in addition to hardware as it seeks to diversify its business. “With the rapid… Read More

McAfee Inc, the No. 2 security software maker, said production of software code known as malware, which can harm computers and steal user passwords, reached a new high in the first six months of 2010. McAfee said total malware production continued to soar and 10 million new pieces of malicious code were catalogued. McAfee also warned users of Apple's Mac computers, considered relatively safe from virus attacks, that they may also be… Read More

After a hiccup in its virus software paralyzed thousands of computers last week, McAfee has announced on its website that it will reimburse “reasonable expenses” to customers that were forced to pay for software repairs. Affected customers are also eligible for a two year extension at no cost. Requests made will be processed within a few days. In what may be one of the more extreme examples of irony in recent days, the computer security… Read More

Computers in companies, hospitals and schools around the world got stuck repeatedly rebooting themselves Wednesday after an antivirus program identified a normal Windows file as a virus. McAfee Inc. confirmed that a software update it posted at 9 a.m. Eastern time caused its antivirus program for corporate customers to misidentify a harmless file. It has posted a replacement update for download. “We are not aware of significant impact on… Read More