Intel to buy McAfee, Anti-Virus on a Chip?

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief August 20, 2010 · 1 min read

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News just came in that Intel is set to buy antivirus company McAfee for an estimated $7.68 billion, all in cold hard cash. Now that’s a bit of a surprise.

Intel’s revenue last year amounted to about $35 billion (with $4.4 billion profit) while McAfee made $2 billion (and $173 million in profit) last year.

This could mean that someday, all the Intel processors may come with security features that include a McAfee Antivirus. If that happens, it could spell the doom of all other antivirus softwares out there. You no longer need to get a separate antivirus because you desktop PC or laptop will come built-in with one.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

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78 Comments

Apple iPhone Support · 8 years ago

As we have heard that the Intel processors are going to buy an antivirus company, named McAfee. So it is expected that in the upcoming days, we don’t have to buy an additional antivirus as it comes with the Intel processor inbuilt. so It is really good and it will provide better security for sure.

Mac · 15 years ago

Integrated sa Procie?.. not going to happen..

lhey · 15 years ago

so cool, juz hope that they would somehow upgrade it so it can be worth it!!!!

mary · 16 years ago

It’s good to know that they’re planning to have an AV software on a chip. However, how are they’re planning to do the updates of the Virus Definition Database once it is out in the market?

Paul D. · 16 years ago

This article’s suggested future wasn’t well thought out. If AV was to be fully built into a chip, then it would require FLASHING to update it. At the frequency that AV Definitions are released, we’d be flashing weekly.

Instead, I think they’ll likely build in some type of Rootkit prevention and similar pre-boot-stage hotiles. I don’t see that type of prevention negatively impacting performance.

It’s likely we’ll still need a file-level scanning app protecting our computers .. even if those apps are somewhat modified to work best in this new approach.

conficker · 16 years ago

bwahahaha!!! kapag na-expire na ang license ng antivirus mo wala nang kwenta ang buong hardware mo!!! bwahahaha!!! kaya ko i-infect ang bios!!! bwahahaha!!! hindi ka na pwede mag-update ng bios kasi infected ka na!!! bwahahahaha-

(oops. nahugot yung plug sa socket)

anone · 16 years ago

^avira is not for gamers. it sometimes deletes the exec files.

hoped they reviewed other AVs

BTW, see for TM’s Titanium product. =)

JustANoob · 16 years ago

dunno about integrating an antivirus into a chip/processor, program ang antivirus, there is no means of storing it sa processor afaik(l2 cache lang ang memory meron sa processors). I read in one of the comments na pabagsak na mcAfee, baka nakita nila potential ng mcafee and gave them an offer they can’t refuse. Baka may balak buhayin ng intel ang mcAfee(somehow optimize it) and malamang lamang gawin nilang preinstalled yun sa custom computers nila; you’ll have a free AV, its up to you to use it or use another, but somehow it’ll make the deal a little bit sweeter… Or maybe sell it seprately…

Regarding sa virus na nakukuha through autorun ng removable storage, pwede idisable ang autorun. iwasan din ung pagdouble click sa mga drives(kasi minsan hindi explore ung default action, nkadepende sa autorun, kita yun pag ni-rightclick yung drive or folder), gamitin ung folder tree at ingat lang din, there is no AV that can guarantee 100% protection.

Marami rin namang magagandang free AV, I’m using avira right now and OK naman sya.

Arvee · 16 years ago

What leads to reformatting are the changes a virus/the viruses makes on your system. Kaya kung maganda ang AV mo, detect agad ang virus, thus, preventing it to execute and do damages, saving you from reformatting your HDD.

@bobita – ikaw na din ang nagsabi. Kung alam mo lang kung gaano ka-delayed ang update ng McAfee compared to Kaspersky and NOD32 na almost every 30 minutes nagrerelease. Isa pang rason kung bakit di preferred ng mga users ang McAfee dahil sa pagiging resource hog (memory at malaking file size footprint).

Pero, who knows kung maire-resurface ng Intel ang McAfee? Only time will tell.

Rolando del Rosario Mendoza · 16 years ago

mas bobo ka bobita, nagmamarunong ka nanaman.. technician ka lang… wag ka magmamagaling dito.. sa format ka lang magaling… ihostage kita dyan…

mr. antivirus · 16 years ago

halos lahat nagamit ko na din, crappy talaga ang mcafee… trusted av ko yung kaspersky at eset nod32, gamit ko na to sa matitinding virus.

bobita · 16 years ago

tanga.. wala kang alam. ang dali2x tanggalin ng autorun.inf.. bobo ka.. hahahahah walang alam noob.. format lang kc ang alam mo hahahahaha

AUTORUN.INF · 16 years ago

bobo ka bobita kahit iupdate mo pa mc afee mo di mo ko kaya!!!! sa dos mo lang ako matatanggal!!!

bobita · 16 years ago

i fix pc’s and removes viruses for a living..

i’ve tried all of these antiviruses.. hindi mo pwede sabihin crappy ang isa ka nafail ka, it’s your fault, kc probably ndi mo na update ang antivir mo or may katangahan ka lng kaya navirus ang pc mo.. yun lang yun.

bobita · 16 years ago

kitang kita mga ndi marunong hehehe format lang ang lagi gawa kapag ndi alam hehehe khit anung anti vir pa gamit mo kung ndi ka marunong gumamit ng pc, wala din tsaka sa mga nag foformat kpag ndi kaya.. noobs.. there are lots of ways to remove a virus.. u just have to know where to look and what apps/tools to use..

avast? its more crappier kesa mcafee. eset? keys anyone? hehehehe

Jazon · 16 years ago

So one has to pay extra for every anti-virus enabled Intel chip?

drew · 16 years ago

ung mcafee lng cguro ang may pinaka mababang offer sa lahat ng av companies kaya ito ung binili ng intel. hahaha

AUTORUN.INF · 16 years ago

HAHAHA MAY YAYARIIN NA AKONG BAGO HAHAHAHAHA… DATI OS LANG NGAYUN CPU NA BWAHAHAHAHAHHAA

Fred · 16 years ago

At papano naman mag update ng virus definitions pag nasa chip??

You can have the best AV software but if it isn’t always updated with the latest definitions – it’s worthless.

Fred · 16 years ago

This is a bad deal. Watched CNBC as the news broke and commentators readily said that McAfee was the “smarter” one on the deal. That’s a polite way of saying Intel is dumb for buying them for $7.7 B.

Other people interviewed said that it doesn’t make sense since they are buying a company on the way down for such a big amount and on an industry that is very competitive.

I doubt AMD will do the same thing. The internet security industry is very competitive that separately buying an AV/internet security tailor-made for general consumers and corporate consumers would be better.

loadex · 16 years ago

$7.68B for a company that earned $178M? And in cold cash. Mcafee is laughing all the way to the bank.

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 16 years ago

@loadex – I think Intel’s buying the IP and not after the revenue.

Carlfinity · 16 years ago

Bad choice! They should go with ESET or Kaspersky! Ano ba yan!

At paano nalang ang MSE nila?

Matt0-kun · 16 years ago

I recommend to Avast! instead that crappy McAfee!

I Trust it once but McAfee Failed me, Trust McAfee and you’re gonna end your PC to Reformat =_=’

Arvee · 16 years ago

I doubt intel would embed McAfee into their motherboard/procies in the future. Alam naman kasi siguro nila na maraming may ayaw sa McAfee.

Siguro, they will offer a free subscription bundle, or an enhanced feature on McAfee AV when installed on an Intel system (similar to Nvidia’s CUDA).

Kups · 16 years ago

ok toh, mas wla kwenta naman kaspersky at eset at avira at avg at panda at fsecure at norton.. parang nagbabasa lang ba? baka ndi mo alam pano gamitin hehehe

Teknisyan · 16 years ago

This is bad news to all other anti-virus. But good for consumer, since this means a more secured computer for us, then this can also be a big challenge to black-hats… who want to make their name known by cracking the anti-virus in a chip concept.

IC DeaDPiPoL · 16 years ago

I’m guessing Intel’s upcoming motherboards will have an Antivirus submenu in the CMOS that lets the user scan for malware, rootkits and virus prior to booting the OS

Only cons would be where the virus definitions will be stored, hopefully separate from the BIOS flash storage to lessen the chance of failed flashing.

mrkwuzhir · 16 years ago

malupet sana kung ESET or others… im done with mcafee, startup pa lang talo na.

mr. bogus · 16 years ago

mc afee!!! what the hell…
yung virus scan enterprise nila parang nagbabasa lang ng file… i hope na mag improve ang mc afee pag nabili na ng intel… para sa akin ang mc afee ngayon ang pinaka panget na anti virus..

BobM · 16 years ago

â€œhow about microsoftâ€™s security essential antivirus i think i would be much better if they use that in their chips and its free as long your using genuine o.s hmm sir yuga for you what is the best antivirus program?â€

Well there are other operating systems in use and if such a thing were to ever come to pass it would make it even more likely the Microsoft would continue to have a strangle hold that it has enjoyed and could even charge more for its operating system.

ehrnest mora · 16 years ago

how about microsoft’s security essential antivirus i think i would be much better if they use that in their chips and its free as long your using genuine o.s hmm sir yuga for you what is the best antivirus program? :)

ICT · 16 years ago

ok naman ang mcafee especially yung virusscan enterprise 8.7i nila, if you know how to use it. alam yan ng mga nakagamit na. perpetual license pa.
unlike the common anti virus apps na you have to look for key or username:pass, etc.

try and see yung access protection nya
it can prevent/block exe and all extensions assoction from being altered, regedit and taskmanager from being disabled and all mcafee serivces and apps from being terminated. it can also be configured to prevent programs or anything from registering as a service or in autorun. dami pang ibang features na wala na iba.

http://mcafee.com/us/enterprise/products/system_security/servers/virusscan_enterprise.html

if they could just make these antivirus progs to run on gpus, that would be fantastic.

gringo · 16 years ago

sana un kasperskey ang bilhin ng intel sa susunod…. mcafee kc madali lang ma virus pati mibigat sa system…hahah

Rom · 16 years ago

Then AMD should buy Norton ;) Hopefully that will make start ups faster for every PC.

And who knows, this may be integrated with Intel’s upcoming mobile chips.

JP · 16 years ago

I think the deal only went with the acquisition of Mcafee 2010. The 2011 version is still up for grabs.

Guess that’s another 35 billion next year, haha

Joseph · 16 years ago

walang kwentang antivirus. maganda lang sila magbigay ng package sa mga enterprise like meralco pldt at ang company namin. pero lagi nalulusutan ng autorun virus.