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When I tried to install the new VirusScan 6.0 program, it removed the old virus scan program. After that, my computer refused to re-boot. I had to use a boot disk to get it going, and reinstall the old virus scan to make my computer run again. I contacted McAfee by e-mail for help and am still waiting for a reply.
By Sam Costello
(IDG) -- McAfee Consumer Products, a division of Network Associates Inc., will ship a raft of updated security products for the home and small business in early October, with upgrades coming to the company's flagship VirusScan application, the company said last week.
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Updated to 2002 versions will be VirusScan, McAfee Firewall, McAfee QuickClean and McAfee Internet Security, a software suite that includes antivirus tools, a firewall, privacy protection, content filtering and more. All new versions of the software will be Windows XP compatible and will ship on October 7, McAfee said.
McAfee VirusScan 6.0 will offer instant, automatic virus updates and an integrated firewall, the company said. The software will include the new Hostile Activity Watch Kernel, or HAWK, a feature that notifies the user if a mass e-mail is about to be sent and if attachments with two file extensions are present, said Lisa Smith, senior product manager for antivirus at McAfee. Both mass e-mail and multiple file extensions are indicators of possible e-mail worms. The software's integrated firewall offers filtering of inbound Internet traffic and intrusion detection, McAfee said.
VirusScan Professional 6.0, a separate package, offers all the features as VirusScan but adds virus scanning for Palm OS handhelds and secure data 'shredding,' McAfee said. VirusScan 6.0 will retail for $39.99 and VirusScan Professional will cost $49.99. McAfee will also release a new version of Virex, its antivirus software for the Macintosh, in December which will offer MacOS X compatibility, Smith said.
McAfee Internet Security 4.0 is the suite formerly known as Internet Guard Dog. Included in the package are antivirus and firewall software, intrusion detection, PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) encryption, Internet cookie and ad blocking and more, McAfee said. The suite also offers a host of new Internet tools, including the ability to detect stealth programs and Web bugs (tiny programs used to track Internet usage surreptitiously) and content filtering of Web sites and instant messages, including the ability to block the disclosure of personal information through such messages, according to Tracy Hulver, director of product management for McAfee Consumer Products. McAfee Internet Security 4.0 will retail for $69.99.
McAfee Firewall 3.0 will offer updated intrusion detection, the ability to block incoming Internet traffic, color-coded alerts, instant updating and a new interface, McAfee said. The software will cost $29.99.
McAfee QuickClean 2.0, which lets users perform easy maintenance on their PCs to remove unwanted or unneeded files, as well as a data shredding for user privacy, will retail for $29.99.
This announcement comes only days after McAfee rival Symantec Corp. announced its line of 2002 antivirus and security products. Included in that announcement were new versions of Norton AntiVirus, Norton Personal Firewall and Norton Internet Security, an integrated security suite.
Developer(s) | McAfee | ||||
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Initial release | 1988; 32 years ago | ||||
Stable release(s) | |||||
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Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux | ||||
Type | Antivirus | ||||
License | Proprietary |
McAfee VirusScan is an antivirus program created and maintained by McAfee, Inc. (formerly known as Intel Security, and Network Associates prior to that). It is not available as a standalone package, but is included in McAfee LiveSafe, McAfee AntiVirus Plus[1] and McAfee Total Protection. Additionally, BSkyB and McAfee have previously produced a 'Sky Broadband' branded version of VirusScan, offered free to Sky Digital customers upon broadband modem installation. McAfee LiveSafe integrates antivirus, firewall and anti-spyware/anti-ransomware capabilities.[2]
- 3Controversies
VirusScan Enterprise[edit]
McAfee also produces an enterprise-level product named VirusScan Enterprise: McAfee has designed this for use on larger networks designed to make management of antivirus software on multiple computers easier. Unlike the home-user edition, the Enterprise edition consists of a client application for networked computers, and a server application, which the system installs updates and configures settings for all client programs. Clients can be controlled using the included ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO), which is a unified console that can control VirusScan and other McAfee products.
VirusScan for Mac[edit]
In November 2008 McAfee announced[3] VirusScan for Mac 8.6. (Earlier versions used the name Virex, developed by HJC Software.) Key changes in VirusScan 8.6 included Leopard Compatibility, a universal binary package that ran on both Intel and PowerPC-based Macs, On access scanning and Apple Mail support.
Controversies[edit]
Poor independent test results[edit]
In tests by Virus Bulletin and additional independent consumer-organizations, McAfee VirusScan has not fared well, frequently failing to detect some common viruses.[4]
A review of VirusScan 2006 by CNET criticized the product due to 'pronounced performance hits in two of our three real-world performance tests'[5] and some users reviewing the same product reported encountering technical problems.[6]
Some older versions of the VirusScan engine use all available CPU cycles.[7]
As of 2009 McAfee virus-scanning products did not handle false positives well, repeatedly removing or quarantining known clean files even after the user restores them.[8]
Customer support criticisms[edit]
Reviewers have described customer support for McAfee products as lacking, with support staff slow to respond and unable to answer many questions.[9][10]
2010 reboot problem[edit]
On April 21, 2010, beginning approximately at 2 PM GMT, an erroneous virus definition file update from McAfee affected millions of computers worldwide running Windows XP Service Pack 3. The update resulted in the removal of a Windows system file (
svchost.exe
) on those machines, causing machines to lose network access and, in some cases, to enter a reboot loop. McAfee rectified this by removing and replacing the faulty DAT file, version 5958, with an emergency DAT file (version 5959) and has posted a fix for the affected machines in its consumer 'KnowledgeBase'.[11][12]2012 update issues[edit]
An August 2012 update to McAfee antivirus caused the protection to become turned off and users to lose internet connections. McAfee was criticized for not notifying users promptly of the issues when they learned about it.[13][14]
Current standing[edit]
McAfee, though well-known, continues to have mixed reviews by industry sources,[15] and the company has prepared a 2015 release series to address current market conditions. This repositioning includes voice and facial recognition authentication for cloud-based data security.[16]
Large number of processes in the system[edit]
One of the biggest problems with McAfee VirusScan is that it utilizes lots of system resources which ultimately slow down your system.[17]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'McAfee AntiVirus Plus'. PCMAG. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^'McAfee LiveSafe'. PCMAG. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^'McAfee, Inc. Releases VirusScan Software for Leopard'. Mcafee.com. Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^Virus Bulletin(registration required)
- ^Tedja, Irsan. 'McAfee VirusScan 2006 Reviews - Cnet.com'. Reviews.cnet.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^Tedja, Irsan. 'McAfee VirusScan 2006 Ratings - Cnet.com'. Reviews.cnet.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^Release Notes for McAfee VirusScan v4.5.1
- ^'Computer Shopper Review'. Computershopper.com. 2009-09-13. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^'TopTen Reviews'. Anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^Adware Support review
- ^'McAfee DAT 5958 Update Issues'. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^'Botched McAfee update shutting down corporate XP machines worldwide'. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
- ^http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9230447/McAfee_antivirus_update_causes_problems_for_home_and_enterprise_customers
- ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2012-11-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/mcafee-review.html
- ^http://www.pcworld.com/article/2686000/mcafee-announces-2015-editions-of-its-antivirus-and-security-suites.html
- ^'McAfee VirusScan'.
External links[edit]
- VirusScan for Windows, McAfee
- VirusScan for Mac, McAfee
- Support for Ransomware, Mcafee
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McAfee_VirusScan&oldid=936099478'