McAfee facts for kids
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Logo used since 2017
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Headquarters in Santa Clara, California
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| Private | |
| Industry | Computer software |
| Predecessor | Intel Security Group (spun off) |
| Founded | 1987 as McAfee Associates, Inc. 2017 as McAfee, LLC |
| Founder | John McAfee |
| Headquarters | San Jose, California, U.S. |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Greg Johnson (president and CEO) |
| Products | Cybersecurity software |
| Services | Computer security |
| Revenue |  US$1.92 billion (2021) |
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Number of employees
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1,800+ (2023) |
McAfee Corp. is a well-known American company that creates computer security software. It helps protect your computers and phones from viruses and other online threats. The company's main office is in San Jose, California.
McAfee has had a few different names over the years. It started as McAfee Associates, Inc. in 1987. Later, it was called Network Associates Inc. and then Intel Security Group. In 2017, it became McAfee, LLC again.
In 2011, a big technology company called Intel bought McAfee. But in 2017, Intel made a deal with another company, TPG Capital. They turned Intel Security into a new company called McAfee, which they owned together. Later, in 2020, McAfee became a public company, meaning its shares could be bought and sold on the stock market. However, in 2022, a group of investors bought it and made it a private company again.
Contents
Company History
McAfee has a long history of protecting computers. Let's look at some important moments.
Early Years: 1987–1999
The company began in 1987. It was named McAfee Associates after its founder, John McAfee. He left the company in 1994. In 1997, McAfee Associates joined with other companies like Network General and PGP Corporation to form Network Associates.
In 1996, McAfee bought a Canadian company called FSA Corporation. This helped McAfee offer more than just antivirus software. They started to provide tools for network and desktop encryption, which helps keep your data private.
The FSA team also created new technologies like firewalls and file encryption. Even with these new products, McAfee remained most famous for its antivirus and anti-spam tools.
2000–2009: Growth and Changes
In 2000, McAfee was very important in helping people fight the ILOVEYOU virus. This was one of the most damaging computer viruses ever.
In 2004, the company changed its name back to McAfee. This showed they were focusing mainly on security technology. They sold off some other parts of their business.
In 2007, McAfee started the Security Innovation Alliance. This program helps McAfee work with other tech companies. They combine their technologies to make better security solutions. Also in 2008, McAfee made a deal with the United States Department of Defense. This allowed the DoD to use McAfee's antivirus software for their computer systems.
Recent Years: 2010–Present
In 2010, Intel announced it would buy McAfee. The deal was worth about $7.68 billion. This made McAfee part of Intel's security division.
In 2014, Intel changed the name from McAfee Security to Intel Security. However, the products still used the McAfee name. In 2016, Intel decided to sell most of its share in McAfee to TPG Capital. This made McAfee an independent cybersecurity company again in 2017.
In 2019, McAfee started working with Google Cloud. They combined McAfee's cloud and endpoint security tools with Google's cloud system. This helps protect data stored online.
In October 2020, McAfee became a public company again. Its shares were traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange. But in March 2022, a group of investors bought McAfee. They made it a private company once more.
In May 2022, Greg Johnson became the new CEO of McAfee.
What McAfee Offers
McAfee mainly creates tools to protect your digital devices. These include personal computers, servers, and mobile devices like phones and tablets.
Here are some of their products:
- McAfee Total Protection
- McAfee LiveSafe
- McAfee Safe Connect VPN (Virtual Private Network)
- McAfee Mobile Security for Android
- McAfee Mobile Security for iOS
- McAfee Virus Removal Service
- McAfee Identity Theft Protection
- McAfee Gamer Security
- McAfee Safe Family
- McAfee Personal data clean-up
- McAfee TrueKey
Some products have been renamed:
- McAfee VirusScan Enterprise (formerly McAfee VirusScan)
- McAfee Network Security Platform (formerly IntruShield)
- McAfee Application and Change Control (formerly McAfee Change Control)
- McAfee WebAdvisor (formerly SiteAdvisor)
Company Acquisitions
McAfee has grown by buying other companies. This helps them add new technologies and services.
- Dr Solomon's Group plc (1998): McAfee bought this European company, which was a leader in antivirus software.
- IntruVert Networks (2003): This acquisition helped McAfee improve its ability to stop attacks, not just find them.
- Foundstone (2004): McAfee gained security consulting and tools to find weaknesses in computer systems.
- SiteAdvisor (2006): This service warns users if a website might have malware or spam.
- SafeBoot Holding B.V. (2007): This company provided ways to keep mobile data safe.
- ScanAlert (2007): This helped McAfee offer services to make websites safer for shoppers.
- Secure Computing (2008): This expanded McAfee's business in securing networks and cloud services.
- MX Logic (2009): This added cloud-based email and web security services.
- Trust Digital (2010): This helped McAfee move into the mobile security market.
- TenCube (2010): This company specialized in anti-theft and data security for mobile devices.
- Sentrigo (2011): This acquisition helped McAfee protect databases better.
- NitroSecurity (2011): This company offered solutions to manage security information and events.
- Stonesoft (2013): McAfee bought this Finnish company known for its network firewalls.
- PasswordBox (2014): This company provided tools for managing digital identities.
- Skyhigh Networks (2017): This was a company focused on cloud security.
- TunnelBear (2018): McAfee acquired this Canadian company, which offers a VPN service. A VPN helps keep your internet activity private.
- NanoSec (2019): This company specialized in securing software containers.
See also
In Spanish: McAfee para niños
- Internet Security
- Comparison of antivirus software
- Comparison of firewalls
