McAfee program goes berserk, reboots PCs

[IDemo]

Source: Associated Press

By Peter Svensson
updated 32 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Computers in companies, hospitals and schools around the world got stuck repeatedly rebooting themselves Wednesday after an antivirus program identified a normal Windows file as a virus.

McAfee confirmed that a software update it posted at 9 a.m. Eastern time caused its antivirus program for corporate customers to misidentify a harmless file. It has posted a replacement update for download.

McAfee could not say how many computers were affected, but judging by online postings, the number was at least in the thousands and possibly in the hundreds of thousands.

McAfee said it did not appear that consumer versions of its software caused similar problems. It is investigating how the error happened "and will take measures" to prevent it from recurring, the company said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36694120/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

[donco6]

1. We got hit by this.

Fortunately, my computer hadn't updated it's .dat file yet.

[happygoluckytoyou]

26. yeah.... if you have this "virus" your computer needed an enema

[hughee99]

2. I got hit

I'm just got back up around 5pm.

Thousands were affected at my company alone, so I'm going to guess that number is at least in the hundreds of thousands.

Thanks for pissing away a day of work for me, McAfee!

[onehandle]

3. Computers have viruses?

[davidhilton]

8. I was gonna ask the same question - I had no idea computers got viruses. - mac user.

[bemildred]

9. It's no accident all the commercial "security" offerings run on Windoze. nt

[gauguin57]

36. Macs do get viruses ... just not nearly as often as PCs.

Don't get me wrong ... I love Macs... but not because I believe for one darned minute they "don't ever, ever get viruses"

A member of my family works on PC and Mac security for a living ... and he assures me there are definitely Mac viruses out there (AND gaps in security that he has to patch). It's just that, to this point, making viruses/spyware etc. for PCs makes more sense to the bad guys cuz there are so many MORE PCs out there than Macs.

Just don't want you to have the false sense of security they always give you at the Apple store. There will come a day -- maybe when more people get Macs and the would-be data stealers see advantage in it -- that the viruses will rain on your head like they do on PC users.

[LanternWaste]

37. PC user... me too.

PC user... me too.

Coke v. Pepsi II

[TommyO]

14. Every time I toy with the idea of a cheap, Windows notebook for travel

I need reminders like this. I'll just keep saving for a MacBook Pro.

[MattBaggins]

15. Apples have programs people actually use?

[Heywood J]

25. Yes.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/22/first.mac.botnet/index.html

Because of the relative concealing of the OS underpinnings, you're just less likely to be aware of it.

[hunter]

35. That looks like dreamlinux...

:P

http://dreamlinux.com.br

Not much different than Apple, which is BSD unix under the glossy windows.

I'm posting this on an old Pentium II laptop I turned into a netbook. It's got ubuntu underneath the hood but after a simple login it boots straight into full screen opera.

Opera becomes in effect the window manager and web pages are the applications.

The whole rig was essentially free.

[iamthebandfanman]

4. lmao...

i dunno how many arguements ive had with people proclaiming mcafee the best anti virus software...
its a joke.

[havocmom]

7. they must have only tried two programs, McAfee & Norton

Oooooo the McAfee is sooooo much better.

Yeah, but cancer is cancer

[Lasher]

16. I went to FREE Microsoft Security Essentials and got rid of McAfee

My life has been much more carefree ever since.

[DavidDvorkin]

18. Yep. I switched to MSE from AVG

and I'm very happy with the result.

[Lasher]

20. I am so pleased with it I don't see how McAfee & Norton survive.

The biggest thing for me is the simplicity: All Microsoft, no subscriptions, no begging for donations, etc. But another strength of MSE is it updates and scans really fast, without slowing down my PC much at all.

I still keep programs liks Spybot & CCleaner on board for when something needs special attention. But other than that I hardly have to even think about antivirus software anymore.

[customerserviceguy]

23. AVG kicks ass

I love to get infected computers from folks who have either Norton or McAfee, I use AVG to clean them up. It's amazing that they still have a free product, when for the last five years they've proven their software to be vastly superior to either of the above malware producers.

[Lasher]

29. I've been using SUPER AntiSpyware for that sort of cleanup.

But not exclusively.

[hunter]

24. Sure, fine now, but just wait 'til Microsoft Security Essentials screws one up like this...

:scared:

I don't believe in monoculture of any sort, not in agriculture, not in computer operating systems.

Diversity is good.

[Lasher]

28. I understand the need for diversity.

But it's not best for everyone. I don't want to make a career out of antivirus software issues. I want simplicity.

[bemildred]

5. Linux, Macs, there are so many better choices. nt

[AngryAmish]

30. that didn't take long

[bemildred]

39. I'm just trying to be helpful, acquaint people with their options.

A servant of the free market.

[liberalmuse]

6. Some computers at work were hit with this today.

Luckily not mine, but our network was really slow as our IT guys tried to fix it.

[Hawkeye-X]

10. McAfee is a virus itself

Nothing but bloatware and pricey

[Lance_Boyle]

31. the Enterprise version was remarkably good, up until yesterday.

The consumer version has always been a POS.

Hopefully my particular enterprise will reevaluate its decision to use McAfee after this. But I'm not counting on it. I'm pretty sure McAfee bought some honcho decision-maker a new Porsche.

[NJmaverick]

33. This was a serious error, but I fault McAfee for not doing more to get the word out about the defect

they will hound customers by phone when they think your subscription is near the end, but they were dead silent on this one. The error caused did not make it apparent that McAfee was the culprit.

[madokie]

11. My only regret is I didn't switch to linux years ago

Been running linux for about 4 months now without any anti-virus software and have no problems at all.

[TlalocW]

12. had this happen to me two months ago but with a Norton product.

I had about 3 minutes each time the computer rebooted to search for what the problem was (went through 5 reboots finding the problem and 2 more fixing it). I was so pissed off, but it was my own fault because I clicked too fast through a Flash update TOS and didn't see the pre-check offer of something from Norton and didn't realize I had downloaded it.

I did call Norton's help desk and talked to a lovely young lady from India, and I told her something like, "For all the bullshit trouble I went through, I sincerely hope that the MFers who both programmed this as well as the company's board of directors die painfully of venereal disease and rot in hell like the pig-dogs they are."

She even gave me a ticket number. I guess I should call back and see what the status of it is.

TlalocW

[DavidDvorkin]

19. Norton is McAfee now.

[TlalocW]

21. I thought they were still separate

I don't like either of them. So if you update your Flash, make sure that you don't leave the Norton download option checked. And if you do, and your computer reboots, open your Task Manager, click on the processes tab, and stop the NSSTUB.exe process.

At least that's what my problem was.

TlalocW

[conspirator]

13. The antivirus business at this point is like an extorsion business

Who knows how many of the new virus are bread by the antivirus companies?

[Yeahyeah]

27. Bill Gates:"Ch-Ching!".

[CatholicEdHead]

17. Thank goodness I use Avast 4.x

No problems at all.

[customerserviceguy]

22. Any firm that is stupid enough

to use either Norton or McAfee deserves to have this happen. They may have been the best solutions a decade ago, but anybody with any knowledge of IT knows that they suck the hairy banana.

[CBGLuthier]

38. Yep, but I have it on good authority that a certain government department

got hit hard by this. I won't say which one but since I live in Oklahoma City it should be easy to figure out. Let's just say I wouldn't fly any where for the next few days.

I tongue lashed my internet provider support rep once for suggesting I use Mcafee. I told him I took it as a personal insult and to never mention it again.

[Born_A_Truman]

32. Hospitals in RI turned away patients; cancelled elective surgeries

http://ww.abc6.com/Global/story.asp?S=12351281

Nancy Jean, a spokeswoman for the Lifespan system of hospitals, says they had to turn away non-trauma patients from their ERs. She says they fixed the problem by late Wednesday afternoon.

ERs at Hasbro Children's Hospital, Miriam Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital, the state's largest, all in Providence as well as at Newport Hospital, the only hospital on Aquidneck Island, were turning away non-trauma patients, but still treating life-threatening and serious injuries.

Jean says they also canceled some elective surgeries.

Lifespan represents about a third of the state's hospitals.

[WeekendWarrior]

34. Sorry, but anyone using McAfee is a fool

It's a bloated piece of shit, just like Norton's bloated piece of shit.

My opinion, of course.

If you want a good anti-virus, just use Microsoft's security essentials, which is free of charge. It does a fine job. But also make sure you're using a router that has a built in hardware firewall and don't go to suspect websites, click on links in emails, or download stuff from anywhere other than trusted sources. Half the problem with viruses is the user being manipulated into installing the virus on his/her own computer.

The best way to avoid such things is to buy a Mac. For now they're safe.

For now.

[BlueIris]

40. Die, McAfee, die. nt