McAfee To Be Taken Private in $14 Billion Deal Including Debt (bloomberg.com) 18
An investor group led by buyout firms Advent International, Permira Advisers and others agreed to take McAfee private in a deal that values the cybersecurity software maker at more than $14 billion including debt. From a report: The private equity consortium will pay $26 a share in cash, according to a statement Monday. Crosspoint Capital Partners, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, GIC Pvt Ltd. and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority are also part of the group of buyers. The purchase price represents a premium of about 23% over McAfee's closing share price of $21.21 on Nov. 4, the day before Bloomberg News first reported details of the potential deal. The shares were up less than 1% Monday morning in New York to $25.55. McAfee has total debt of about $4 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Founded by cybersecurity entrepreneur John McAfee in 1987, the company was a pioneer in developing antivirus software for personal computers. McAfee left in 1994, and was found dead in a Spanish prison cell in June this year, hours after Spain's National Court approved his extradition to the U.S. over multiple tax fraud charges.
Good Riddance (Score:2)
If they kill the stupid virus-like product, no tears will be shed.
Of course, the product will probably stay ...
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They aren't going to pay $14 billion to off it. Then again, it might be worth it.
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So what is a good Anti-Virus program?
If you are going to say just stop using MS Windows, keep in mind the number of people who have freaked out because the "Start Button" is now in the center of the screen. Or get messed up because the icons changed on their desktop. Or cannot run any application unless there is an icon on their desktop.
Besides other OS's are not super secure as well, with the fixing root vulnerabilities and browser bugs where they can execute code.
McAfee seems to be the few Anti-Virus pr
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Windows defender and malwarebytes, coupled with lots of ad-blockers and javascript controllers in your browser.
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Pretty much this. I recommend malwarebytes for my few customers and have a paid version for my use.
[John]
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>So what is a good Anti-Virus program?
F-secure.
I am a happy paying customer of theirs since about 2004 who has seen how horrible other AV products are on our customers computers..
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Amen! Those idiots switched my billing preference to "auto-bill" after I switched it off, and wouldn't refund. McEffyou
Four BILLION dollars? (Score:2)
Somebody lent McAfee four billion dollars? For what?
Re: Four BILLION dollars? (Score:5, Funny)
For instructions [youtube.com] on how to remove McAfee AV.
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For instructions [youtube.com] on how to remove McAfee AV.
Sounds like a bargain.
Smart move (Score:1)
This is a great move. I wouldn't want my stock being owned by retail investors, either. They're massively idiotic, fickle things that. In all honestly, giving retail investors direct access to trade on their own, without any advice, training, or education, has been the worst thing ever to happen to financial markets.
What's in a name? (Score:2)
I'm old enough to remember when McAfee anti-virus was a brand new product.... There was a (brief) period of time when it seemed like the logical choice to purchase for business use, because very few products supported any kind of central management for the AV clients. Plus, the type of malware/spyware we see today wasn't really a thing back then. You really were more concerned about code meeting more of a definition of a traditional virus... such as macro viruses attached to Office documents, or malicious
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Time to use my LANDesk software to deploy some McAfee software onto my systems managed by my Novell Directory Services.
Welp, McAfee antivirus isn't bad... (Score:4)
I mean, it's bricked a few computers so I had to race to shut it down after restarting, and occasionally deleted a few key system files, but it sometimes caught other viruses. Well, almost always imaginary viruses, but it meant well. Probably.
Unlike another antivirus program I tried, it never started a mass deletion of all my .TXT files without even bothering to quarantine them, so, y'know, I have warm feelings for it. Very warm. Hot. Incendiary. Potentially nuclear.
I still installed it for my boss who, as a computer professional, probably should have known better than to click on those gambling sites. I had to reformat his machine so many times, McAfee seemed like a lesser risk in his case, and in my step-mom's, 'cause she always felt bad for that poor stranger who only needed a little help with his finances.
Personally, well, you could actually pay me enough to install it on my machine. To be specific, on some cruddy antique that cost a lot less than you'd have to pay me. I'd disassemble it and set the parts on fire, just to be safe.
What is it? (Score:3)
McAffee? I think I heard about it somewhere, but I can't place it. Aren't they making some kind of an Antivirus that is crap? Well, I don;t care what happens to them. I don't use an AV at all. Linux Debian 10 currently does everything I want without any AVs that just impede the OS performance, a LOT.
Hmm... (Score:2)
I just use Windows Defender. At least it doesn't install evil drivers which can bring your entire computer down, âand it doesn't try to get your email or spam you with ads.