McAfee software bug could turn PCs into spam servers

BOSTON: Antivirus software maker McAfee warned that a flaw in one of its products could make customers' PCs vulnerable to attacks in which hackers used their computers to distribute spam.

The company, which is a unit of chipmaker Intel Corp, disclosed the flaw in a message to customers on its website on Wednesday.

McAfee spokesman Ian Bain said at least one customer had fallen victim to such an attack, which leveraged a flaw in a service offering known as McAfee SaaS for Total Protection.

The web-based service protects customers from viruses hidden in e-mail messages and websites. Bain said the flaw was in a piece of software that McAfee customers install on their PCs to enable them to use the service.

While the flaw could enable hackers to send spam from machines of McAfee SaaS for Total Protection customers, it does not grant them access to data on an affected PC, Bain said.

He said that the company's engineers were working to fix the bug and expected to have it fixed on Thursday.

In April 2010, a glitch included in a regular release of McAfee's antivirus software mistakenly identified part of Microsoft Corp's popular Windows XP operating system as a virus, triggering PC outages at many of its customers, including more than 100 large corporations. - Reuters

Source: The Star

McAfee has dropped to 3rd rate Antivirus product since like 10 years ago...need to ask again???

But still it is bundle with laptops in the market which some users might not aware on this.

McAfee is hardly used by normal consumers nowadays, mostly used by large corporations. I used it once when I got their McAfee Total Protection freebie but once the trial expired, just shifted to Comodo.

Although, I gotta say that I like their SiteAdvisor.

what does this have to do with trust? You mean to say mcafee is lying on the statement they released? Or trust their products?