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 …

[Anonymous Coward]

>"Bonnet takedowns"

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

[Graham Bartlett]

Bonnet takedowns

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

[Anonymous Coward]

No problem

They can just install some anti-malware.

[TeeCee]

SaaS

Spam as a Service.

Does what it says on the tin really.

[Anonymous Coward]

Question

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

[Robert E A Harvey]

Bwahahahhhah haha

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

[Giles Jones]

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

[Les Moor]

People still use McAfee products?

[OrsonX]

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Surely I have the right to scan my own computer with an out-of-date virus library if I so wish to do so?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.

[Field Marshal Von Krakenfart]

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).

[Toastan Buttar]

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.

[Anonymous Coward]

ZoneAlarm?

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

[Wombling_Free]

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.

[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.

[Big-nosed Pengie]

ActiveX?

You're joking? People still use that crap?

[Jedit]

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.)

[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.