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Entered CNET Catalog: 08/21/2003
SKU: MIS60E001RAA
Manufacturer: McAfee
Manufacturer description
The Internet provides a vast wealth of information and entertainment at your fingertips. Yet, as soon as you connect, your computer is exposed to a multitude of privacy and security threats. Protect your privacy and secure you computer and your data with McAfee Internet Security. Incorporating McAfee's award-winning technologies, McAfee Internet Security provides one of the most comprehensive sets of privacy and security tools you can buy. McAfee Internet Security destroys viruses, outwits hackers, secures your personal information, privatizes your Web browsing, blocks ads and pop ups, manages your cookies and passwords, locks down your files, folders and drives, filters objectionable content, and puts you in control of the communications in and out of your PC. McAfee Internet Security provides powerful protection for today's Internet users.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 11/20/2003
 MIS 6.0's My Security Center shows you at a glance whether you need to take action to protect your PC. |
MIS 6.0's interface nicely ties together all of its components in a Web page-style My Security Center. Even better, the individual apps have similar icons and commands throughout. That's a nice touch over NIS.
As well-integrated as MIS 6.0 is and as slick as its interface looks, its habit of opening up additional windows is annoying. Open SpamKiller, for instance, then click to check blocked mail, then open VirusScan to view its options--suddenly you have three windows (including McAfee's omnipresent My Security Center) crowding each other. We prefer the neater NIS 2004, which opens only one window on the desktop, then shows each screen within that window.
Finally, MIS 6.0 automatically retrieves and installs updates from McAfee.com, including the crucial virus definition files that keep VirusScan up-to-date. MIS 6.0 sports four major components that tackle security from nearly every direction. VirusScan 8.0, McAfee's antivirus software, protects the PC from incoming viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. McAfee Personal Firewall Plus 5.0 (also available separately), makes sure that attacks such as the recent MSBlast don't get through to the computer, hides the PC from hackers, and lets you decide which applications access the Internet from your side of the firewall.
 The Privacy Bar shows in Internet Explorer and lets you use or block cookies at specific Web sites on the fly. |
We were disappointed with the suite's spam-filtering tool, SpamKiller 5.0, given that it represents the merger of the SpamKiller and the award-winning SpamAssassin Pro technologies. But SpamKiller failed to stop a lot of our incoming spam and required various unnecessary steps to execute even the simplest task. Instead, we recommend Norton AntiSpam (NAS) 2004, which is a much superior product.
But MIS 6.0's Privacy Service tools are impressive and more comprehensive than those included in NIS 2004. For example, MIS 6.0 sniffs out spyware, irritating and potentially dangerous software, often installed without your knowledge, that tracks your Web habits--something NIS 2004 doesn't do. In fact, MIS 6.0 found and wiped out several spyware apps on our test system. And we love the Privacy Bar, an Internet Explorer sidebar that shows how many ads MIS 6.0 has blocked and lets you selectively allow cookies only from sites you trust. And there are parental controls that allow you to block selected Web sites from minors. McAfee's technical support remains expensive, and in our tests, its free options proved to be more frustrating than they were last year. While McAfee's online wizards make fetching help a breeze, we wish McAfee had a searchable online tech support database. To add insult to injury, there's no e-mail technical support; you must instead use the slower, less efficient online chat. Although staffed 24/7, the chats are slow. Our technician seemed to be handling multiple conversations and repeatedly left us waiting while he researched our question. It took us more than half an hour to resolve a very simple problem.
 MIS downloads and installs updates automatically for all of its components by default. |
McAfee also provides two phone support options, but you'll pay for each. You can either pay $2.95 per minute to talk to the help desk, or $39 per incident. At least McAfee's phone support is available seven days a week (5 a.m. to 11 p.m. PT); Symantec's support for NIS isn't available on weekends.
User opinions
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User Rating: 
3/10
It has given me a lot of headaches.
Pros: It blocks pop-ups, the virus scan and firewall work well.
Cons: It does not work well with other programs I use. The virus scan trips over itself, through trial and error I found you must disable the spamkiller, protection filter, and firewall for it to properly scan viruses.
User Rating: 
1/10
Save Your Dough!
Pros: Privacy & Virus protection is OK
Cons: Spam filter is subpar, difficult to tune. Personal firewall needs improvement. Just get the VirusScan software - this suite is not sweet.
User Rating: 1/10
This is the worst...
Pros: SECURITY CENTER....
Cons: SPAM KILLER DRAWS SPAM, IT BLOCKS NOTHING...TO SEND A E-MAIL IS IN OUTLOOK IS A CHALLENGE..VIRUS SCAN IS GOOD BUT EVERYTHING ELSE SUCKS. IF I WOULD HAVE READ THESE REVEIWS, I WOULD HAVE NEVER PURCHASED THE mCAFEE SECURITY SUITE 6.0...AND AS FAR AS SUPPOR
User Rating: 
2/10
5 years of McAffe- each 1 worse,never again
Pros: The GUI looks nice (big deal!)
Cons: Couldnt redownload file from Internet account service site (even within 30 days). Not all features installed. My Email to tech support wasn't recongnized. Live tech support... call 1-900######. Customer service, ignorant & offshore. Refund, waited 1
User Rating: 
4/10
***** product you can't update it
Pros: Gives tools that NIS does not.
Cons: Who the hell needs adware on their computer. You can not update without getting some pop up advertisements. The Privacy Guardian kills my DSL connection overall sucks. You are better of buying Norton Internet Security which you can find for less on Amazon
User Rating: 4/10
Seems to work for what it was designed
Pros: Good features. Good value
Cons: Interferes with other programs. Scandisk and defrag would keep starting over, even with all McAfee components disabled. Had to defrag in Safe mode. Get illegal operation error when I try to run Solitaire. All of these problems started after installing
User Rating: 2/10
Mcafee... what happened!?
Pros: Good name. fast scan engine
Cons: EVERYTHING! I used to be an advent Mcafee person, they're products used to be good. But when I bought this, it turned out to be the worst lemon ever! It feels like your beta testing a program, and the interface is horrible compared to the old interface. A
User Rating: 
10/10
Great Program and it does the job it was designed to do
Pros: Excellent product, virus scanner and firewall are the best
Cons: when you open it you have too many windows open
User Rating: 3/10
Set your computer on fire first!
Pros: virus scanner caught everything. options to not install other features. meaning you can just install one part or another. no serial numbers to mess with.
Cons: Where to begin. Years ago I was a die hard Mcafee fan. Then the right click demon reared its head. What is the right click demon? It is when you right click something on your desktop or in IE, and it takes 3 or more seconds for the menu or applet to appea
User Rating: 1/10
terrible "support"; irritating features
Pros: Has several features - which may be useful for most people.
Cons: Terrible (even rude), uninformative "chat venue" online "support". With Netscape 7.01 I NEVER had pop-ups; with this product I got pop-ups every few minutes (all of them were irritating McAfee reminders and ads)! The "Privacy" feature makes Netscape not
User Rating: 3/10
JUNK-JUNK-JUNK!!!
Pros: Installs easy
Cons: 1. Slows internet to a crawl. 2. Had to disable everything to speed connection. 3. Spam filter does not work with AOL e-mail. 4.
User Rating: 2/10
Amazingly bad support
Pros: Price and number of features would be great if they worked.
Cons: When I tried to install the product, VirusScan would not install even though the dialogue boxes told me everything went fine. I contacted the McAfee chat based help 11 times over the next 4 days; all they do is send you a task from their FAQ section then
User Rating: 1/10
Don't Judge This Product By It's Looks
Pros: Looks good but you will have to disable every service just to me able to use your computer.
Cons: Privacy Service doesn't allow access to internet after a couple minutes. Avioid Like the plague. Spam Killer doesn't allow you to send email attachments of a certain size Firewall is pretty but doesn't allow enough settings VirusScan is too simplistic
User Rating: 4/10
DANGER WILL ROBINSON!
Pros: The feature set of this product is actually superior to the competing products from Symantec. Some very nice privacy features. The skill of the people drafting their promotional literature is quite high.
Cons: Unfortunately, the skill of the software engineers does not equal that of the marketing department. The first boot after installation my system (XP Pentium 3.0) went into a death cycle in it's lower BIOS. The code could not even get to a "safe boot" for
User Rating: 10/10
DO NOT TRY TO INSTALL UNLESS YOU KNOW YOU CAN RESTORE YOUR ENTIRE SYSTEM
Pros: Totally crahed my XP system (2.6 pentium). Caution.
Cons:
User Rating: 3/10
Inoperative Auto-update = Ineffective Security
Pros: Install was easy
Cons: The implication that support even exists is a marketing farce. My software registration also failed like so many others I read here, so updates are ?Access Denied? leaving one with outdated & questionable security. Isn?t ?Security? what this software
User Rating: 2/10
POS!!! RUN AWAY FAST!
Pros: Nice interface when it's working.
Cons: Never is working... Provacy Service incompatible with SpamKiller, pick which one you want to use. TECH SUPPORT IS CLUELESS, and worse yet THEY LIE!!!
User Rating: 4/10
Good Features, poor support and stability
Pros: Has all the features you want in an internet security product. Firewall Plus is the best of these, especially with the visual trace and alert features. Price is low at Wal-Mart. IF you have to have this product go to walmart, don't buy on line, you won
Cons: Let's do some math. Buggy product + stupid tech support = nightmare. Where to start? Privacy service is the WORST. Slows internet access, corrupts downloads, slows and STOPS email when sending attachments. REQUIRES the notoriously insecure microsoft
User Rating: 
6/10
garbage don't waste your money
Pros: virus scan is quite good
Cons: to update all the stuff u have to login to the site. It makes u resart the comp after ever practically every update to each component. Use Norton internet security 2004 better. Firewall is very annoying since it blocks many of the everyday functions. Nor
User Rating: 6/10
Overall, you are better off with Norton.
Pros: VirusScan and Firewall consume less resources than norton. Alot less. Firewall blocks everything on first try (Shields Up test) whereas Norton failed the first try but miraculously passed the second time. Also, it doesn't interfere with online gaming u
Cons: Does it really update by itself? I haven't noticed. Everytime, I had to manually update. And the most fubared part is the update console isn't integrated like norton so it opens up this bloody webpage for the updates. If you haven't registered, good l
User Rating: 3/10
It didnt even work
Pros: Cant say.
Cons: Installed it. Configured it. Then all Internet access was lost. Had to do a System Restore and everything is working fine again. Online Tech Support is veeeery slow with replies. Recommended I do a Clean Install of Windows XP - No thanks. I just did that
User Rating: 
8/10
No Installion Support
Pros: When the install works this is a fine product.
Cons: There is basically no support if you have a problem. I installed this over the previous version and couldn't register the product. Which needs to be completed before you can download software and virus file updates. I have never had a more frustrating sup
User Rating: 10/10
good but spam protection not great
Pros: great product like the firewall and virusscan
Cons: spam protection not up to the task
User Rating: 3/10
Wicked Lousy Online Support
Pros: Price, ease of installation and setup.
Cons: Ineffective ad blocking and could not remove spyware. I tried the online chat service site and was told to download Adware to remove the spyware and that to block pop ups I would need to remove the spyware first. Back to step one...........
User Rating: 4/10
Do you like Blue Screens of Death (BSOD)?
Pros: Nice features, fast AV, nice reporting features with Firewall, does not screw up your system after you take it off, CSR was very helpful in processing my refund. (Yes, you see refund. Please read the cons.)
Cons: MIS 2004 is not worth much because once you install, you will get BSODs when you reboot and you will keep getting these BSODs each time you try to reboot until you start knocking down some of the McAfee services that run in the background, which renders t
