McAfee Internet Security 2014 review: Intuitive interface, decent protection

McAfee Internet Security 2014 ($56 for one year of protection on up to three PCs) offers adequate protection and an intuitive interface. The installation process can be a chore, and finding specific settings can be difficult, but its main shortcoming is that it offers fewer features than some of McAfee’s other products, despite its higher price.

In AV-Test’s real-world protection tests, McAfee successfully blocked 98 percent of all zero-day malware attacks (including Web and email threats). Though quite good in comparison to Microsoft Security Essentials’ performance (71 percent of samples blocked in the same tests), that mark lags behind the perfect scores posted by Eset Smart Security 7, F-Secure Internet Security 2014, Kaspersky Internet Security 2014,  Norton Internet Security 2014, and Trend Micro Titanium Maximum Security 2014. Like most of the other suites, however, McAfee detected 100 percent of widespread malware that had been discovered in the month prior to the test.

In usability tests, the suite blocked a couple of legitimate software actions on suspicion that they were dangerous.

In AV-Test’s performance assessment, McAfee received a score of 5. This translates into slightly slower startup and shutdown times and some lag in opening programs.

McAfee Internet Security 2014's interface makes it easy to find your way around.

Installing McAfee Internet Security 2014 is somewhat arduous. First, the program scans for threats to ensure a smooth installation. Next, it asks you to log in to your McAfee account, using the email address and password that you used when you downloaded the program. Then it downloads the rest of the installer—which can take some time if you’re on a slow connection—installs the program, and requires a system reboot.

To its credit, McAfee Internet Security 2014 has among the best interfaces for Windows 8 touchscreens, with large buttons and banners that even clumsy fingers can easily tap. The main window has a large banner across the top that appears green if you’re protected, and red if you’re not. Below the banner are four large buttons for virus and spyware protection, Web and email protection, updates, and your subscription status. To the right of these buttons are three smaller buttons for data protection and backup, PC and home network tools, and parental controls.

Each section has its own settings menu—an arrangement that can be a bit confusing. Settings menus have clickable banners that you tap to open. Inside, they look like typical checkbox-and-radio-button menus. McAfee explains most of the advanced settings in simple language, and each menu features a ‘Learn more’ link that leads directly to the appropriate help section.

McAfee Internet Security 2014 offers reasonable protection and an intuitive interface, especially for Windows 8 users. But the company sells other products that offer greater functionality at a lower price. For example, McAfee All Access costs just $50 (for a limited time) and provides unlimited protection for all of your devices (including mobile), as well as online and social network protection. McAfee says that it continues to carry the Internet Security line for people who aren’t ready to switch to its all-inclusive products, which are equally effective against malware.

Sarah is a freelance writer and editor based in Silicon Valley. She has a love/hate relationship with social media and a bad habit of describing technology as "sexy."
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McAfee Internet Security 2013 Review: Proficient antimalware, super-quick installation

Sarah is a freelance writer and editor based in Silicon Valley. She has a love/hate relationship with social media and a bad habit of describing technology as "sexy."
More by Sarah Jacobsson Purewal

McAfee Internet Security 2013 ($40 for one year of protection on up to 3
computers, as of 12/19/12) didn’t manage top marks in our security suite tests,
but it’s still a fairly proficient antimalware program that will keep you relatively
well-protected. This security suite, which boasts a simple user interface and
a super quick installation process, scans your system quickly and efficiently.
However, McAfee’s uninspired design and average performance makes it a less
attractive choice compared to its competition.

In our real-world attack test, McAfee was able to completely block 94.4 percent
of attacks. Unfortunately, this means that it did let through 5.6 percent of
attacks, allowing our test system to get infected. This test indicates how well a
product will be able to block brand new malware attacks as it encounters them
in the wild—and of the nine security suites we tested, only two let such a large
percentage through.

That said, McAfee was competent at cleaning up malware infections once they
were already on the system. In our system cleanup test, the program detected
and disabled 100 percent of infections, and fully cleaned up 70 percent of
infections. Five of the nine security suites we tested performed better than
McAfee in this test, completely cleaning up at least 80 percent of infections.

McAfee had an excellent false positive percentage: It didn't flag a single safe file
(out of over 250,000 files) as malicious. It also did a very good job at detecting
known baddies: in our malware “zoo” detection test, it managed to detect 99.9
percent of known malware samples.

McAfee adds just a little extra weight to your system, performance-wise. In our
PC speed tests, the program added a little less than one second to startup time,
and about four seconds to shutdown time. McAfee’s scan times are slightly
higher than average: It takes one minute and 35 seconds to complete an on-
demand (manual) scan, and five minutes for an on-access scan (the automatic
scan that happens when you open or save a file to a disk). In both cases, that's
about average for the suites we tested.

Installing McAfee Internet Security 2013 is a breeze. There are just three screens
to click through, the program doesn’t try to install any extras (such as toolbars) or
change any of your settings (such as your default browser search), and it doesn't
require a restart is required.

McAfee’s user interface, though uninspired, is simple and easy to understand. It’s
not very attractive (the main window is gray with green and blue accents), but it
does have a large banner at the top that shows your protection status, along with
four small modules so you can quickly access important security areas. These
areas include virus and spyware protection, Web and email protection, updates,
and your subscription information. There are also three smaller modules that let
you quickly access McAfee’s other services, including data protection tools, PC
home and network tools, and parental controls.

On the right side of the main window are links to navigation and help. The
navigation section is where you’ll find the main settings, as well as information
about each of the suite’s features. You can also click the modules on the main
window to access settings for individual features. The settings menus are a
little difficult to navigate, but McAfee does offer up simple explanations for each
area, as well as a “Learn more” link that takes you to the a relevant online help
document.

McAfee offers decent protection and a user-friendly interface, but overall it’s
just average—nothing about it is too impressive, but it’s also not terrible. Its
protection, performance, and documentation are mediocre, while its user
interface is bland and uninspiring (though easy to navigate and understand). It’s
not a bad program, but there are better security suites out there.

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McAfee Mobile Security Review: Good Overall Protection, But Can Be Pricey

McAfee Mobile Security provides comprehensive security for your Android device.

McAfee Mobile Security provides comprehensive security and antivirus for your Android phone or tablet. It protects your personal data in the event of loss or theft, enables data backup and restore, locates and tracks your device, safeguards against viruses and spyware, and provides safe surfing and app protection.

This trial protects your device for 7 days. After the trial, you can purchase McAfee Mobile Security within the app for US$29.99.

IMPORTANT: You need your PIN to uninstall McAfee Mobile Security. This requirement is to protect your phone and data by preventing thieves from uninstalling the app without your permission.

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? FEATURES ?

Antivirus, Anti-spyware, and Anti-phishing — Scan and clean malicious code from inbound/outbound emails, text messages, attachments, and files

Safe Mobile Web Surfing — Protection against web threats by blocking access to risky sites from texts, emails, QR codes and social networking sites

Safeguard Your Privacy with App Protection — Identify which apps can access your sensitive data like contacts, location, photos, and other personal info

Device Lock — Prevent misuse of your phone and personal info by remotely locking all data, including data on your memory (SIM) card, and displaying a "contact me" message on the device

Remotely Wipe Data — Protect your privacy by remotely deleting the data on your device and removable memory card in case of loss or theft.

Backup and Restore Data — Preserve irreplaceable personal information on demand, or on schedule, then restore your information to your new device

Locate and Track — Find your device if it is lost or stolen. View its location on a map; send a text to prompt its return, and use a remote alarm to make it "scream”

Call Blocker and SMS Blocker — Easily filter out spammers, incorrect numbers and unwanted texts

Uninstall Protection — Keep a thief—or another user—from uninstalling the app and accessing your phone when it is lost

Manage your mobile device protection

Remotely manage your mobile security from one central, easy-to-use web portal or even via SMS texts using any smartphone or tablet

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? AWARDS & ACCOLADES ?

- Productivity/Tools Winner and Third overall, Android Developer Challenge 2

- Test Winner – PCTipp Magazine, Sept 2011

- "Software Of The Year 2010," Softwareload

- The Best Smartphone App For Business, Inc., Mar 2010

- "As complete a package of protection as you can hope", PC World, Mar 2010

- App Of The Week, The New York Times, Jan 2010

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? WHY McAFEE MOBILE SECURITY? ?

We keep many of the important details of our lives on our mobile devices and increasingly use them for critical tasks and communications, yet we don’t always think about the importance of mobile security. It is essential to safeguard your privacy and to make sure your personal data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Malware is on the move, spreading far beyond personal computers. With the growing popularity of mobile devices comes an increase in mobile viruses , Trojan horses and worms targeting these devices.

With more than 150 million mobile devices protected worldwide, McAfee offers the most robust, comprehensive mobile security solutions in the market today. Protect your identity and your personal life with McAfee Mobile Security.

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? GET SUPPORT ?

Having trouble with McAfee Mobile Security? Visit us at http://service.mcafee.com.

For the latest product updates, remember to follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mcafee and Twitter at www.twitter.com/mcafee.

McAfee Mobile Security Screenshotsby Eric Geier, PCWorld

As threats to mobile devices sharply increase, a good security app can make a huge difference. McAfee Mobile Security, the mobile version of McAfee's desktop software, can help protect your phone or tablet from mobile malware, phishing, and device theft. McAfee provides a free seven-day trial, but requires a $30 yearly subscription if you decide to keep using the service once thereafter.

Once you've installed the app, McAfee Mobile Security will prompt to verify your mobile number and set up a six-digit PIN the first time you run it. After you complete those steps, the main app screen will list shortcuts to each component: Security Scan, App Protection, Call & SMS Filter, Backup, Restore & Wipe, Lock Device, and Web Protection. The entire app is password-protected with your chosen PIN, and you can set the app so that the user can't uninstall it without first entering your PIN.

Security Scan lets you run on-demand malware scans of your apps and device. The antivirus protection also automatically scans installed apps, code from text messages, attachments, and files. App Protection searches for apps that have access to your sensitive data or device functions, and organizes them for you to investigate further; you can then set McAfee to remove suspect apps. McAfee also monitors other apps you install, alerting you to possible privacy issues. Web Protection blocks malicious websites in the Android browser, and it warns you when you receive dubious email or text messages.

You can initiate the app's remote location and antitheft functions from your account on its website or via SMS commands that you send from another phone. You can view your device's location on a map and set off its alarm so you can track the device by sound when it's nearby. You can also lock your lost phone or tablet with a custom message that will prevent someone from using it and yet inform the person about how to return it. You can also wipe your contacts, call logs, text messages, photos, videos, and SD Card if you determine that you won't be able to get your device back.

McAfee Mobile Security's backup feature saves your contacts, text messages, call logs, photos, and videos to McAfee's servers. You can view all of your backups via your account on McAfee's website, and you can reload the messages and contacts from there back onto your device (if you've had to wipe it).

The Call & SMS Filter allows you to block communication with all or select numbers on phones. You can also block all anonymous callers and text messages that contain keywords you specify. McAfee Mobile Security maintains a log that lists all blocked communications.

McAfee Mobile Security also offers SIM card tracking. The app can send out a text message alert when the person in possession of your phone changes the SIM card (thieves often replace the SIM card on a stolen phone so that they can use their mobile number on the handset. You can also always view the device's assigned number via your account on the McAfee website. And you can view device information, such as the device IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number, in case you want to report it to your service provider or to third-party theft databases as stolen.

Both the app and McAfee's Web interface are user-friendly and easy to navigate. My one gripe involves the awkward six-digit PIN that McAfee required me to use. Password-protecting the app is smart, but a four-digit PIN is much more common and a lot easier to remember. Moreover, for phones, McAfee requires you to use your mobile number as the username to access the Web interface, and you have to remember to include your country code (1 for the United States). This requirement doesn't apply to tablets, however--on them, you use your email address as your username.

Overall, McAfee Mobile Security does a good job of protecting Android devices against malware and theft. Nevertheless, its steep price makes it hard to recommend. In contrast, Avast Mobile Security is totally free and contains more antitheft features. AVG Anti-Virus Pro provides very similar protection to what McAfee Mobile Security offers, and you can get it for a one-time payment of $10--much cheaper than the $30 per year that McAfee charges.

Useful 20.0% Stable 0.0% Fun 0.0% Attractive 0.0% Met expectations 0.0%

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McAfee Mobile Security Screenshots

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McAfee Internet Security 2012 Review: Uneven Protection, Sluggish Speeds

McAfee Internet Security 2012 ($80 for one year, three PCs as of January 29, 2012) finished 14th in our 2012 roundup of Internet security suites. Despite its low ranking, it performed well in some areas; its overall uneven showing, however, proved to be its undoing in this year's extremely competitive batch of suites.

First, the good news: McAfee's suite does very well at detecting malware before the attacker infects your PC. It fully blocked 96.2 percent of brand-new malware in our real-world malware-blocking tests--a slightly above-average score compared with the other suites we looked at this year. Meanwhile, its 99.99 percent detection rate for known malware samples was the second-best result we saw this year--and ever, for that matter. Its three false positives (out of a pool of 250,000 files) wasn't the absolute lowest we saw, but it was still very good.

But although McAfee's suite put up a good showing in those tests, it was another story once malware got onto our test computer. The McAfee package detected 80 percent of active infections on our test system, a below-average result--only one other 2012 suite we evaluated was unable to detect all infections in this test.

In addition, the McAfee product rendered malware infections inert just 70 percent of the time--the second-lowest showing in this test. By comparison, 9 of the 14 suites we looked at successfully disabled all infections on our test PC. That said, McAfee's suite was able to eradicate all traces of infections 60 percent of the time--a slightly above-average result among this batch of suites.

McAfee's suite struggled in some of our system-speed tests, producing a greater-than-average impact on overall system performance. It especially struggled in our application-installation test, and when we copied files over a network. It added over 1.5 minutes to our app-installation test (as compared with our test PC with no antivirus installed), which was the second-worst showing in this test. As for network file copying, it tacked on nearly 2 minutes to the test, a result good enough for only eighth place.

Scan speeds weren't great, either. McAfee's on-demand scanner (which runs when you manually start a scan) took 1 minute, 51 seconds to check 4.5GB of files, placing tenth overall for this subcategory. Its on-access scanner--which runs whenever you open or save a file--disappointed as well: Its time of 7 minutes, 4 seconds was the second-worst outcome we saw in that test.

All that said, we like McAfee's interface. The suite's installer takes a few steps to complete, but it has a couple nice touches: It will check your PC for malware before you install, and it will download the newest version of the software before it begins installation. The update check will take a while over slower connections, but it's a welcome addition nonetheless. For the most part, McAfee's main control panel is easy to use--clean, uncluttered, and friendly.

On the other hand, the fact that the firewall asks you to decide which apps to allow or deny Internet access is not very user-friendly, and strikes me as a holdover from the days when it was okay for a security suite to be difficult and annoying to use.

Should you buy McAfee Internet Security 2012? Although it didn't do terribly overall, and although it offers some things to like, we find it difficult to give this package a recommendation considering its low ranking. But if McAfee can smooth out some of the rough spots, the suite may be worth watching.

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