back to article Spam-squirting hole found in McAfee antivirus kit

McAfee is promising to patch a vulnerability in its hosted anti-malware service after it found a flaw that allowed systems where the product was installed to be turned into potential spam-relay nodes. SaaS for Total Protection, the vulnerable software, will be patched on "January 18 or 19, as soon as we have finished testing …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    >"Bonnet takedowns"

    Queen Victoria would not be amused by such unseemly behaviour! :-)

  2. Graham Bartlett

    Bonnet takedowns

    It's the sporran takedowns you want to be careful of!

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No problem

    They can just install some anti-malware.

  4. TeeCee Gold badge
    Coat

    SaaS

    Spam as a Service.

    Does what it says on the tin really.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Question

    So is this Windows only? (No surprise if it is!)

  6. Robert E A Harvey
    Coat

    Bwahahahhhah haha

    Mine's the one being worn by someone grinning from ear to ear.

  7. Giles Jones Gold badge

    Perhaps we need another anti-virus tool to protect the installed anti-virus tool?

  8. Les Moor
    FAIL

    People still use McAfee products?

    1. OrsonX
      FAIL

      No.

      Liscence expired and McAfee refused to scan.

      Surely I have the right to scan my own computer with an out-of-date virus library if I so wish to do so? The only threats I would miss would be those trojans etc made in the interim. But no.

      Uninstalled.

  9. Field Marshal Von Krakenfart
    FAIL

    My 26 day old PC is Spam monster

    Last night I got email bounced back to me by MSN and Hotmail saying my IP address was spamming.

    A Brand new windoze 7 PC, only 26 days in use with a free 60 day trial version of McAfee.

    I think the trial period just ended, AVG, zonealarm et al, here I come (again).

    1. Toastan Buttar
      Thumb Up

      Use MS free products

      With Windows 7, Windows Firewall and MSE knock spots off ZoneAlarm and AVG. The latter apps used to be essential add-ons for Windows, but are no longer relevant.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        ZoneAlarm?

        1999 called and wants its aged advice back. ZoneAlarm LOL.

    2. Wombling_Free
      Angel

      Learned a lesson we have, young PFY?

      Much like build their own lightsaber does a Jedi, build their own rig does the BOFH

      Youngling PFYs the Ways of the Net must learn.

      UNLEARN the ways of the Dark Side you must: UNLEARN your hard-drive of pre-installed software you must.

      If from a store your PC have you purchased, know that filled with the Dark Side it is; full of corruption and fear it is.

      Windows leads to malware; malware leads to McAfee; McAfee leads to anguish; anguish leads to pain; pain leads to fear; fear leads to the Dark Side; the Dark Side leads to Windows: A circle of anguish, fear, pain and spam Windows is, young PFY.

      Only when cleansed you hard-drive is can your journey to BOFH begin. Alert to pre-installed software the BOFH always is. Mindful of pre-installed Windows the wise BOFH is. Clean USB Boot Drive a BOFH always carries. A BOFHs mind and discipline his weapons are; not these crude apps of anti-malware. From Saint Travaglia and The Reg does a BOFHs knowledge and wisdom flow. Trust not the lies spread by Darth Balmer; trust not the promises of low resource use from Darth Norton.

  10. Duffaboy

    Deja Vu

    Was it not so long ago, that a certain AV product went Pear shaped and stopped its host PC's from working, for the life of me I couldn't remember which one.

  11. Big-nosed Pengie
    FAIL

    ActiveX?

    You're joking? People still use that crap?

  12. Jedit Silver badge
    IT Angle

    Excellent news

    Now all McAfee need to do is patch the vulnerability in their installation program where the program installed turns out to be McAfee.

    (Why am I questioning the IT angle? Because when you're talking about McAfee, "IT" is only ever half the story.)

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    mass increase of spam

    Im not sure if this is related but Ive seen a massive increase of spam getting through our Fortigate filters in the last 10 days.

  14. This post has been deleted by its author

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like