McAfee protects beyond the operating system
The amount of malware or malicious software continues to increase at a staggering rate. According to McAfee Labs, 2011 was the most active year in malware history with more than 75 million unique samples of recorded malware.
But malware exploiting your computer's operating system is just one type of threat. Today's security landscape has changed significantly. You, and all your devices, need to be protected from more than malware. Threats now include malware, botnets, spam, phishing, identity theft, and more.
Online threats-new ways to exploit users
In addition to the increasing number and types of threats that affect your devices, online threats that exploit information about you and your identity now exist in more places. They're also becoming more personalized and more targeted than ever before.
Today, almost everything we value comes in digital form. That includes financial data files, cherished photos, home movies, and personal contact lists. We leave an online trail of personally identifiable information like names, addresses, and credit card information on many web sites. Cybercriminals are very aware of this digital cache of personal information and how valuable it can be, and they go to great lengths to get their hands on it.
Social media, like Twitter and Facebook, has created a movement toward "instant" communication, and along with it, a new way for cybercriminals to exploit users. The use of abbreviated URLs on sites, like Twitter, makes it easy to redirect unknowing users to malicious websites that can capture a user's personal information. And with more than 3,000 shortened URLs being generated every minute, McAfee Labs expects to see a growing number of these URLs used for spam, scamming, and other nefarious purposes.
An astounding 11 million US residents were identity fraud victims last year, with losses to individuals and institutions totaling $56 billion. Not surprisingly, 56% of this fraud was found to have started online. In Q4 2011 alone, McAfee Labs recorded an average of 9,300 new bad sites per day with the total number of active malicious URLs growing to more than 700,000.
More ways to connect, more devices to protect- other than the PC
The new Windows 8 operating system will offer additional security for PCs. But now that we're able to access the digital world as easily from our smartphones and tablets as from our personal computer, PCs are no longer the main method of connecting to the Internet-and they're not the only device that requires protection from threats.
Mobile Devices
The number of mobile device users has surged in the last two years, and reliance on smartphones and tablets has made the threat of lost or stolen devices and the possibility of personal information being used for fraudulent means a significant concern. It's a valid fear given that in the United States 113 mobile phones are lost every minute and more than half of smartphone users do not use any password protection to prevent unauthorized device access.
Mac
While many Mac users continue to believe that Mac OS is safe from viruses and their personal information is secure, with Macs continuing to gain market share, the potential for Mac OS to become a target for attackers is increasing. As of late last year there were 5,000 malware versions targeting the Mac, a number that is growing by ten percent per month.
So what do these different threats and multiple devices mean for you and your security? It means that security isn't just about protecting your PC anymore. It means protection needs to go beyond your PC's operating system and out into the Internet where you shop and socialize. Windows 8 may have more security features than Windows 7, but it's still only an operating system, not a complete security solution. It may target malware, but as we've mentioned, there's more to threats than malware accessing your PC's operating system.
And with the average consumer owning more than one device, and the average household often owning multiple devices, you need a way to protect all your devices from all kinds of threats-not just your PC from malware. This is why dedicated security software companies like McAfee are now offering products, such as McAfee All Access, that safeguard all popular devices and platforms from the most popular types of threats.
McAfee outperforms Microsoft in effectiveness tests
It's clear that the amount of malware continues to grow rapidly. Basic anti-malware protection from Microsoft is a good first step. But how effective is this malware protection when compared a dedicated security company like McAfee? Let's take a look using the test results of reputable test labs like AV-Test and AV-Comparatives.
The chart below shows the results in the AV-Test key category: Detection of a representative set of malware discovered in the last 2-3 months from February 2011 until February 2012. As you can see, McAfee consistently hits the highest detection rate, whereas Microsoft never even manages to reach 100%.
Note: One of the new features in Windows 8 is a built-in anti-virus product called Windows Defender.
While Windows Defender has yet to be tested, we can use results for the Microsoft product that forms the basis of this feature – Microsoft Security Essentials.
The next chart shows the results in another AV-Test category: Protection against 0-day malware attacks from February 2011 until February 2012. McAfee consistently outperforms Microsoft in this category as well.
AV-Comparatives is another reputable test lab that regularly publishes test reports. The chart below shows how McAfee and Microsoft compare with regards to On-Demand Malware Detection during the period February 2009 until August 2011.
While these malware detection test are always a snapshot in time, the trend over the past few years and across different labs clearly shows that protection offered by a dedicated security company, like McAfee, offers a much higher degree of anti-malware protection than Microsoft.
McAfee offers, web protection for all browsers, not just Internet Explorer
In today's digital world, users need more than just good anti-malware protection on their PC. Users need a complete solution. Let's take a look at how Windows 8 compares against McAfee security software.
| Feature | McAfee | Windows 8 |
| Secure Boot |  | |
| Web download protection and URL reputations | | Limited and only for Internet Explorer browser |
| Firewall | | |
| Anti-phishing | | Limited and only for Internet Explorer browser |
| Real-time Botnet Protection based on IP Reputations | |  |
| Safe Surf & Search | | Limited and only for Internet Explorer browser |
| Home network management | | |
| Home network defense | | |
| PC optimization | | Limited and only for Internet Explorer browser |
| Anti-spam | | Limited and only for Outlook and Live.com |
| Parental controls | | Limited |
| Data shredder | | |
| Online data backup | | |
| Secure URL shortening | | |
| Link checking and blocking in email and IM | | |
| File encryption | | |
When looking at the comparison chart, two things become obvious:
- Firstly, there are a number of areas where Windows 8 leaves you unprotected. For example, your PC is vulnerable to stealth botnet attacks, your home network isn't protected against intrusions by outsiders, files on your PC can't be removed completely and safely, and you aren't protected from emails and chat messages that contain links to dangerous sites on the Internet.
- Secondly, the protection offered by Windows 8 is only geared towards Microsoft's own Internet browser and email clients. So if you are one of the almost 50% of users that don't use Internet Explorer as your Internet browser, Windows 8 leaves you unprotected.
As you can see in the chart below, research from Netmarketshare.com shows that Internet Explorer has a global market share of 53.8%. Firefox and Google Chrome are two other very commonly used Internet browsers.
Worldwide Desktop Browser Market Share
Source: netmarketshare.com, June 2012 It isn't difficult to see why Microsoft decided to only offer browser protection for Internet Explorer. But this Microsoft-centric approach to protection reveals the limitations of the Windows 8 security strategy. It also shows that to be truly protected on any browser or email client, you need to look to an independent and dedicated security company, like McAfee.
McAfee security solutions include complete protection for all three of the leading web browsers: Internet Explorer (versions 7, 8, 9 and 10) , Google Chrome (versions 16, 17 and 18) and Firefox (versions 8, 9 and 10), as well as many popular, non-Microsoft email clients like Eudora, Netscape, Incredimail, and Thunderbird.
McAfee makes it easy to manage your security
As we've seen, there's a difference between a software company adding security features to an operating system and a dedicated security company offering a comprehensive security product. Microsoft has done a good job of providing a basic level of security in its product, but it's not a security company specializing in designing the best security on a variety of platforms and devices. Where this starts to become even clearer is in how this security is managed. While Windows 8 now offers more security than Windows 7, the various security features are now scattered throughout the operating system. For example, Windows Defender is difficult to find as it's located in the Windows control panel. It's also in a completely different location than, for example, Windows Firewall. And Windows Firewall is in a completely different location than Windows anti-spam and anti-phishing. Without a way to set up these features from one central location, setting up and managing security in Windows 8 is a cumbersome process.
By comparison, the Home page for McAfee products provides an easy way to see, configure, and manage your security features—all in one place.
McAfee Total Protection - Home Page
McAfee makes it easy to set up and manage your security, see your protection status, and find out about any protection problem because access to all features is provided from the same location. The McAfee home page also lets you configure your security to suit you and your device. Windows 8 only has limited configuration options.
McAfee—a dedicated security company since 1989
At McAfee, we don't just add security to our product. Security is our product. When it comes to creating the best security product, it is critical to be continuously aware of all the latest security threats and emerging trends. This can only be accomplished by relentlessly researching and investigating security. So it makes sense that a company dedicated to security would be in the best position to create the best security products.
McAfee is the largest dedicated security provider in the world with products that have a history of winning awards over the last 23 years. Much of McAfee's success can be attributed to its global security research, combined with its innovative products—both of which have resulted in many industry firsts.