From viruses and ransomware to cyber criminals and online snoops, there are so many online threats today that the internet can seem like a digital minefield. These dangers are only exacerbated when you’ve got multiple users on your network, such as in a family home or professional office, as this creates multiple potential attack vectors for bad actors to exploit. If bolstering your network and internet-connected devices against today’s online threats seems too exhausting to even think about (let alone execute) and you’re looking for a comprehensive and affordable all-in-one security solution that makes things easy, then McAfee Total Protection has everything you need. Here’s how it works and what it can do for you.
McAfee is one of those household names that everybody almost instantly recognizes, and it’s a name that’s long stood at the top of many lists of the best antivirus software (including ours). But let’s face it: In this day and age, you have a lot more to worry about than just viruses. The term “computer virus” almost seems like a quaint holdover from the ’90s and early aughts, with today’s online landscape featuring a myriad of threats like spyware, ransomware, rootkits, adware, malicious trackers, and more permeating the internet. If you don’t know what some of these words even mean, then constantly shielding yourself and your family against such threats can feel like pushing a boulder uphill.
That’s where McAfee Total Protection makes things easy for you. You don’t have to be an advanced user to install McAfee Total Protection, and better still, you can install it on 10 devices or more. It’s compatible with Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, so you’ve got total coverage for your computers, as well as your smartphones and tablets.
McAfee combines the company’s highly ranked antivirus protection with many other security features that are necessary in today’s internet-connected world. These include a firewall that protects your network from hackers and other external threats, real-time identity monitoring to keep your personal credentials secure and alert you of any suspicious activity on your accounts, web protection that guards against malicious websites when you’re cruising the internet, and a dedicated support team of security experts available 24/7 should you ever need any assistance.
McAfee threw in some other handy tools, such as a file shredder that lets you totally delete data from your devices (no, deleting it from the recycle bin doesn’t actually prevent those files from being recovered) and a convenient password manager that lets you keep all of your login credentials in one secure place. No more juggling or forgetting passwords, and this also means you won’t reuse the same password for multiple accounts just so you can remember them — one of the biggest security mistakes most people make.
Do you have some young ones using the internet in your home? The McAfee Total Protection Premium package comes with a suite of parental controls that make it easy to manage and monitor your kids’ activities online and help them steer clear of online dangers. It also includes a Secure VPN feature, which adds another layer of protection by encrypting and routing your internet connection through remote servers for complete privacy.
There are four McAfee Total Protection packages available so you can pay only for what you need: The $85-a-year Basic plan covers one device, the $50-a-year Plus plan covers five devices, and the $55-a-year Premium tier provides coverage for up to 10 devices. If you need even more coverage, the $75-a-year Ultimate plan lets you install McAfee Total Protection on an unlimited number of devices. You can also save some money by grabbing a two-year subscription to the Plus or Premium plans, which ring in at $40 or $50 per year, respectively. Our advice? Spring for one of those two-year plans if you’re looking for the best value. You get a lot of coverage for just 40 or 50 bucks — a small price to pay for complete security and peace of mind.
