Have you ever paid a bill from your smartphone or made an online purchase with your credit card? Smartphones and other mobile devices allow us to quickly and conveniently perform simple, everyday tasks with the click of a button. However, without proper device protection, users are pretty much leaving their wallets open to complete strangers and risking identity theft, fraud and viruses. PC security software gives users piece of mind, and if they’re engaging in the same types of online activities on their mobile devices, the same level of protection is needed.
Today, McAfee announced Mobile Security 2.0, the first mobile security app to combine antivirus, anti-theft, Web and app protection, and call/SMS filtering for protection against unwanted programs. It provides users with more controls to ensure they are protected from the myriad online threats that lurk on the Internet. The new security suite supports Google Android-based smartphones and tablets, as well as BlackBerry and Symbian smartphones. McAfee Mobile Security 2.0 costs $29.99 CAD for new subscribers, and existing McAfee Mobile Security subscribers can download the updated software for free.
PRESS RELEASE
McAfee Mobile Security 2.0 Combines Powerful New Security Features for Smartphone and Tablet Users
First mobile security app to combine antivirus, anti-theft, Web and app protection, call/SMS filtering and protection from potentially unwanted programs
MARKHAM, Ontario, Jan. 30. 2012 -McAfee today announced the next generation of McAfee® Mobile Security software (http://home.mcafee.com/store/mobile-security), providing smartphone and tablet owners with more controls to preserve their privacy and protection against financial fraud, identity theft and viruses.
Available now, McAfee Mobile Security 2.0 supports Google Android-based smartphones and tablets, including those running on Intel® architecture as well as BlackBerry and Symbian smartphones. New features include McAfee App Alert™, which provides important information about what apps are doing with users’ personal information. Call and SMS filtering block unwanted numbers and spam texts. The app is also powered by the McAfee Global Threat Intelligence network, which constantly analyzes global threat data to identify and quickly block new threats with over-the-air app updates.
“McAfee Mobile Security 2.0 now offers Android, BlackBerry and Symbian users definitive mobile technology to protect against the most harmful threats to mobile devices today,” said John Thode, executive vice president and general manager, Consumer, Mobile and Small Business at McAfee. “It is increasingly clear that using a smartphone without security means any sensitive information, such as photos, bank account information or company data on that mobile device is at risk of falling into the wrong hands.”
A Cisco study (http://blogs.cisco.com/news/2011-cisco-connected-world-technology-report-the-greatest-hits/) recently found that half of the respondents would rather lose their wallet or purse than their smartphone-a startling indication of the integral role mobile devices play in our lives. Smartphone shipments have already surpassed PC shipments and according to Gartner (http://www.gartner.co /it/page.jsp?id=1622614), worldwide smartphone sales will reach 468 million units, a 57.7 per cent increase from 2010 (“Forecast: Mobile Communications Devices by Open Operating System, Worldwide, 2008-2015”, April 2011). With vast amounts of personal and business data now found on phones and tablets, mobile security threats continue to increase and threaten this information. McAfee Mobile Security software helps smartphone and tablet users embrace mobile technology with the peace of mind that comes from knowing their devices and data are safe from cybercriminals.
McAfee Mobile Security software provides:
- Complete Anti-virus, Anti-spyware and Anti-phishing Protection:
Scans for malicious code from files, memory cards, applications, Internet downloads and text messages
- Protection from Potentially Unwanted Programs:
McAfee is the first to protect users from applications that include commercial spyware, adware and dialers, despite the fact that these programs may have been downloaded in conjunction with a program that the user wants
- Web Protection:
McAfee SiteAdvisor® protects against Web threats by blocking risky links within SMS, email and social networking sites. It also safeguards against potential phishing sites, browser exploits and malicious quick response (QR) codes.
- Anti-theft Protection:
- Device Lock: Prevents misuse of the user’s phone and personal data by remotely locking all data, including the data on the memory (SIM) card, and displaying a “contact me” message on the device
- Remotely Wipe Data: Protects the user’s privacy by remotely deleting the data on the phone and removable memory card. It can also back up data before the remote wipe to prevent the loss of data on the device.
- Backup and Restore Data: Preserves irreplaceable personal information on demand, on a schedule, or before wiping a missing smartphone, then restores information to the new device
- Locate and Track: Helps users to recover their smartphone if it is lost or stolen. Users can view the device’s location on a map, send an SMS to prompt its return, and use a remote alarm to make it “scream”
- App Protection:
McAfee App Alert for Android helps users keep private data private by interpreting how apps are accessing and possibly transmitting personal data
- Call and SMS Filtering:
Easily filters out spammers, incorrect numbers and unwanted texts
- Online Management:
The McAfee Web portal lets users quickly execute needed security tasks, such as backup, restore, locate, and remote lock and wipe
- Uninstall Protection:
Prevents a thief or another user from bypassing their McAfee mobile protection
McAfee Mobile Security 2.0 costs $29.99 CDN for new subscribers, and existing McAfee Mobile Security subscribers can download the updated software for free. For more information or to download a trial of McAfee Mobile Security 2.0, go to http://home.mcafee.com/store/mobile-security.
About McAfee
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more securely. Backed by its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security.
McAfee is relentlessly focused on constantly finding new ways to keep our customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com.
McAfee Canada is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, with regional offices across Canada. The company’s Consumer Software Research and Development facility is based in Waterloo, Ontario.
Note: McAfee, the McAfee logo and SiteAdvisor are registered trademarks or trademarks of McAfee, Inc., or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. ©2012 McAfee, Inc. All rights reserved.
