Intel kills off McAfee Security brand

Intel takes branding ownership of McAfee's computer security suite and severs founder John McAfee's name from the security software that has borne it for more than 20 years.

McAfee Mobile Security is about to get a new name, and some of its features will become free to use, too.

(Credit: Intel)
Throughout the years of John McAfee's madman antics, the founder of computer security firm McAfee Security always had his name associated with the shield logo of McAfee Antivirus and its variations.

But with a few sentences casually thrown out to the Consumer Electronics Show audience in Las Vegas on Monday evening, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich sounded the death knell for the McAfee brand, at least as far as it relates to consumer security.

The software will remain unchanged except for changing the name from McAfee Security to Intel Security. The iconic red McAfee shield will remain, for now, and some components of the mobile versions of the software now will be free to use on iOS and Android devices. The rebranding is expected to take up to a year to complete.

"Intel is bringing its award-winning mobile security to every mobile device, phones, tablets, wearables," Krzanich said during Intel's keynote.
A request for comment by Intel as to which of the McAfee security programs would be rebranded, and which features would become free, was not immediately returned. Intel said that it plans to release more details in the coming months.
An entire generation of computer users were introduced to computer security through McAfee software. John McAfee founded the company in 1987 and left in 1994.

McAfee's security software had suffered in recent years from increased competition from free security suites and its slow entry into the iOS and Android markets. Less helpful, too, were lingering negative associations with the brand and other security suites from the early 2000s, when security suites were notorious for either failing at their assigned tasks or slowing down computers to a painful crawl.

Intel also plans to introduce the new Intel Device Protection app later this year, which is designed to help protect people using personal phones and tablets in work situations. In ditching the name McAfee, tainted by too many years of mistakes and its founder's buffoonery, Intel hopes to appeal to home and enterprise consumer's more serious side.