McAfee Internet Security is an established antivirus solution designed to safeguard computers, tablets and smartphones from external threats. With an effective antivirus engine and secure firewall protection features such as antiphishing capability and data loss prevention.
McAfee offers many features, yet it can be confusing to access them all. For instance, parental controls and identity theft protection require clicking through three separate menus in order to gain access.
Antivirus Engine
McAfee is one of the oldest names in security, and remains one of the most widely-used antivirus suites on the market today. The suite provides an effective malware scanner and software firewall as well as extras like an identity monitor and system scan to declutter junk files and speed up PC performance. Furthermore, they offer a free virtual private network so users can stay secure while surfing online.
Although antivirus programs do an outstanding job of finding and eliminating malware, they still fall short when compared with leading suites in some areas. While its software firewall provides good protection from hack attacks entering the system, its full scan took 22 minutes and consumed significant resources from CPU resources; other suites utilize less computer resources when performing full scans and can detect more threats.
McAfee’s software falls just short of perfect scores in tests conducted by Austrian lab AV-Comparatives when it comes to detecting newer malware, even with all known or widespread samples identified during May and June; however, some zero-day viruses AV-Test tested missed by McAfee during these bimonthly assessments; it caught all such zero-days between July and October tests as well as every sample in its real world protection test within those same months.
Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton and Trend Micro all achieved 100% detection rates in all four tests run by AV-Comparatives; Windows Defender even got 100% in each one!
WebAdvisor
McAfee offers an exceptional malware scanner and superior customer support, along with its top-rated antivirus software rated highly by multiple third-party testers, along with numerous extra features designed to protect PCs, Macs and smartphones. Furthermore, it comes with a 30-day free trial period and money back guarantee so that you can try it risk free!
The security suite also comes equipped with antiphishing capabilities that block dangerous websites, a VPN for added protection of internet privacy, scanning of downloaded files for viruses or threats and includes features to delete browser history and cookies to safeguard personal information against being exposed later. In addition, its firewall and VirusScan 7.0 antivirus engine provide effective defense from hack attacks and destructive spyware programs.
Like other McAfee products, WebAdvisor helps protect users from visiting dangerous websites by displaying red, yellow and green safety ratings for search results. WebAdvisor also features misclick protection against malware sites as well as typo detection for incorrectly typed URLs, safer downloading by scanning downloads for threats and security checks to make sure that both firewall and antivirus components of McAfee are working before starting browsing online.
But McAfee products are far from perfect: it will not block newly discovered bad websites that have not yet been classified, nor stop you from clicking malicious ads that might appear in search results or pop up when browsing. While steps have been taken by the company to enhance support, McAfee requires too much personal data for customer service purposes and it remains frustrating.
If you have been receiving McAfee Web Advisor warnings on your computer, take steps to eliminate them from your system. One way is through running Task Manager and searching for any processes with “McAfee WebAdvisor”. Once found, right-click it, open its File Location, and delete.
Firewall
McAfee’s firewall seeks to protect your devices against malware and hacker attempts at accessing your home network. It does this by monitoring both incoming and outgoing network traffic as well as controlling access of external storage devices for added protection. Furthermore, its two-way firewall stops hackers from breaking in by restricting communication with them directly.
McAfee offers many security features to protect your privacy and digital information, such as identity theft protection, password manager, VPN service and its Virus Protection Pledge which guarantees to refund you if a virus can’t be removed by its software.
McAfee’s Net Guard engine and Web Advisor add-on were highly effective at blocking access to dangerous websites, effectively blocking malicious pages. We found WebAdvisor worked seamlessly across Google Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers preventing us from visiting dangerous websites before they loaded – it would have been nice if it also supported Microsoft Edge and Opera users too.
Antivirus & Internet Security Suite by this company offers one of the most comprehensive digital protection packages on the market, featuring antivirus, firewall protection, web filtering and VPN protection – and comes at an unbeatably competitive price point.
The software is user-friendly and has a straightforward interface, making it a suitable option for those new to cybersecurity. With advanced features that cater to professionals and small businesses looking to protect multiple network devices. However, not all the security features may meet users’ needs, including parental controls and Identity Theft Protection that are scattered among separate apps instead of being conveniently located together in one central hub.
File Shredder
Many users assume that simply deleting a file means it can no longer be recovered, when in reality drive partitions, master boot records, operating systems and software caches often store this deleted information – creating the false impression that files have been erased for good. With proper undeletion software such as McAfee’s File Shredder’s overwriting method this data may easily be restored back into existence – making recovery nearly impossible!
By using the File Shredder tool, you can permanently erase files and folders on your computer that you no longer require. This feature is particularly helpful if you plan to sell or donate the computer, as it ensures no one can retrieve personal information stored therein. It can also protect privacy by protecting documents, photos or passwords stored therein from prying eyes.
This tool allows you to securely delete individual files and folders as well as entire drives or disk free space, with an option that permanently wipes system files so there’s no chance they could be restored later.
File Shredder can store an in-depth history of every shredding operation, so that you can view when, how, and which files were shredded. You can access this feature either via File Explorer’s Tools menu or directly within the program itself.
When experiencing issues with McAfee antivirus suite, they offer multiple support options to assist. There are user forums and community sites which can provide answers, as well as an additional support option known as Techmaster Concierge which may save time by finding answers yourself without having to call customer support agents directly.
Identity Protection
McAfee is well-known for its antivirus software, but they also provide an array of online security tools – including password managers, VPN services, Wi-Fi scans and more depending on the plan you select. Additional benefits may also include identity monitoring or even ransomware coverage!
McAfee offers an excellent suite of digital tools and identity theft plans, and its identity theft plans offer some extras not seen elsewhere. For instance, its Advanced and Premium plans both feature personal data cleanup features – this essentially removes your name from online databases used by data brokers (those companies that profit off your private information – often the source of spam calls and junk mail).
The Ultimate plan offers more features to protect your family online, such as Secure VPN – a fast and versatile virtual private network which encrypts data sent online – Safe Family (a parental control app that monitors children’s online activity and blocks apps/websites), plus $25,000 ransomware coverage – which makes for a comprehensive security package!
McAfee offers technical support via a knowledge base, FAQs and community forums where users can post questions and seek answers. In addition, McAfee also offers paid service known as Techmaster Concierge which assists in troubleshooting computer and home network devices.
McAfee Internet Security Suite is designed with ease of use in mind, with an intuitive user interface. The home page displays your Protection Score while four bubbles button leads directly into all suite functions. Unfortunately, unlike some suites it does not allow drag and drop file or folder scanning – though we have seen other suites do this!
