McAfee Antivirus
security software
McAfee Antivirus is an antivirus software created and maintained by McAfee (formerly known as Intel Security, and Network Associates prior to that). Originally marketed as a standalone product, it is also sold as part of bundles.
VirusScan Enterprise
Before McAfee completed the sale of its enterprise business it also produced an enterprise-level product named VirusScan Enterprise which was designed this for use on larger networks to make management of antivirus software on multiple computers easier. Unlike the home-user edition, the Enterprise edition consisted of a client application for networked computers. Clients could be controlled using the included ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO), which was a unified console that could control VirusScan and other McAfee products. Support for VirusScan Enterprise ended on December 31, 2021.
McAfee Antivirus for Mac
In November 2008 McAfee announced VirusScan for Mac OS. (Earlier versions used the name Virex, developed by HJC Software.) McAfee Antivirus for Mac is now only available as part of McAfee Antivirus Plus, McAfee Internet Security, McAfee Total Protection, McAfee McAfee+ Premium, McAfee+ Advanced, McAfee+ Ultimate, and McAfee Business Protection, and includes a firewall, VPN, Safe browsing and a password manager. It supports macOS 11.x and higher.
Controversies
Independent test results
Until approximately 2016 McAfee suffered from poorer malware detection test results and a larger impact on PC performance.
Since end of 2016 with the introduction of AI and machine learning detection technologies initially called McAfee Real-Protect, the test results have changed significantly though.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “McAfee Antivirus” as security software. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as security software. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1629915. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2021, 2008 and 2016.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “McAfee Antivirus”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow McAfee Antivirus primary sources, McAfee Antivirus archive and McAfee research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “McAfee Antivirus”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “McAfee Antivirus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.