European regulators say their approval is conditional upon Intel following through on promises to ensure a level playing field for McAfee rivals in the software security space. – Intel received the European Unions approval for its $7.68 billion
acquisition of security software vendor McAfee after alleviating regulator
fears that the deal would create an unfair competitive advantage over McAfee
rivals.
In
a statement
Jan. 26, the European Commission the antitrust arm of…
Intel is offering certain promises to European regulators in hopes of alleviating antitrust fears over the chip makers bid to buy McAfee for $7.68 billion. – Intel is offering concessions to European regulators in hopes of gaining approval for its proposed $7.68 billion acquisition of security software maker McAfee.
The deal, which was approved last month by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, is still being reviewed by the European Commission, which re…
Cyber-criminals will target Apple products, Google TV, geo-location services such as Foursquare and Gowalla, and other social media sites in 2011, far more than traditional e-mail methods, said McAfee Labs researchers. – Researchers at McAfee Labs predicted on Dec. 28 that
cyber-criminals will target the latest and talked about online platforms,
including Google TV, Apples iPhone, and foursquare, in 2011.
Noting that the threats landscape has quot;changed
considerably quot; in 2010, McAfee Labs 2011 Threat Pred…
Some 60,000 new malware threats were detected each day on average during the third quarter of 2010, a number McAfee says is nearly four times the daily average in 2007. – Spam might have slipped, but malware authors were as busy as ever during the third quarter of the year, according to McAfee.
In the quot;McAfee Threats Report: Third Quarter 2010”
(PDF), the company notes that even though spam declined, an average of
60,000 new malware threats were identified ea…
Federal judges deny McAfees appeal to overturn the verdict in the patent infringement lawsuit with Finjan which would require it to pay more than $13 million in damages. – A federal appeals court has rejected McAfees appeal to
overturn the verdict in Finjan Softwares patent infringement suit.
On Nov. 4, the United States Court of Appeals for the
Federal Circuit in Washington upheld the finding that Secure Computings Webwasher
security line infringed on Finjans se…
McAfee set record revenues for the third quarter as the company expanded its portfolio to include endpoint, network and cloud security. – McAfee’s chief executive said the company’s
quot;outstanding quot; third quarter results were proof customers, partners
and employees supported the pending acquisition by Intel.
There were lower discounts, longer contracts, a higher percentage of new
customer business and lower attrition among…
The Web can be a precarious place. There are millions of sites, some benign, some compromised and some downright malicious. It is into this sea of murky waters that we dive every time we surf the Web. For the fourth year in a row, researchers at McAfee have tried to shed some light on the situation in their "Mapping the Mal Web" report, which ranks the riskiness of the worlds TLDs (top-level domains). The rankings were determined by the ratio of a TLDs risky sites to its total sites, as well as the ratio of a TLDs risky sites to all risky sites on the Web. The rankings were not weighted by TLD traffic or the level of risk of the analyzed sites (such as sites with drive-by downloads as opposed to a site sign-up that results in spam). The names at the top of the list have changed little during the past 12 months, but unfortunately the percentage of risky sites has, jumping from 5.8 percent in 2009 to 6.2 percent in 2010. Attackers are hard at work and abuse the trust and overconfidence of users to launch everything from drive-by downloads to phishing attacks. The ease of registration, lack of regulation and low price are all factors of how attackers pick TLDs, McAfee found. Add up all these things and understanding the riskiness of different domains can make a difference in protecting your computer network. Without further ado, here is McAfees list of most dangerous domains, and a little bit about which ones are less likely to dirty up your machine. – …
McAfee discussed its security strategy, which the company has dubbed "Security Connected." – McAfee is pushing a new initiative it calls quot;Security Connected quot;
that puts an emphasis on correlating information from its security products to
better protect devices.
According to McAfee, the approach is meant to help businesses apply more
intelligent and effective security. The enemy…
Citrix and McAfee jointly announced MOVE AV, an antivirus software package that protects and secures XenDesktop virtual machines. – Citrix Systems and McAfee jointly unveiled a virtual desktop security
product to secure corporate data and applications at the Citrix Synergy conference in Berlin
on Oct. 6.
McAfee’s Management
for Optimized Virtualized Environments Antivirus (MOVE AV) will make it
easy for customers to secure …
A new report by McAfee chronicles the evolution of botnets, including the use of sites like Twitter and LinkedIn as command and control mechanisms. – Botnet operators are always on the lookout for ways to get around the
security community a fact that has led some to turn to Web 2.0 to gain an
edge.
In
a new report (PDF), researchers at McAfee examine the evolution of
botnets as well as examples of people using sites like Twitter
and Lin…
Intel announced its acquisition of McAfee last week. This could be significant for the mobile market, as mobile security is becoming more important to both enterprise customers and consumers. Here, Knowledge Center mobile and wireless analyst J. Gerry Purdy discusses the significance of Intel’s acquisition of McAfee for the increasingly competitive wireless handheld market. – You have to hand it to firms such as Intel and Microsoft. When they are determined to succeed in a new market, they try and try again and if that doesn’t work, then they go out and buy their way into the market. Last week, Intel announced the acquisition of McAfee, a successful security software co…
The acquisition of McAfee by Intel makes a very important statement when you view it in the context of the future of network security. – To most observers, McAfee
means antivirus software. It’s one of the big AV companies that have been
around since the birth of malware, and it competes well against market leader
Symantec. For people who think computer security is really just about this
topic, the
acquisition of McAfee by Intel …
News Analysis: With Intel planning to acquire McAfee, there are a number of possible outcomes that might make this either a good or bad deal for both companies. Take a look at some of those potential developments. – In stunning news on Aug. 19, chip-maker Intel announced that it will acquire security-firm McAfee
in a $7.68 billion deal. Much of the talk surrounding the announcement
revolves around what Intel plans to do with McAfee. At this point, it
hasnt had much to say.
But once the deal closes and Int…
Security researchers at McAfee identified actress Cameron Diaz as the celebrity most likely to lead you to a malicious site in search results. – Cameron Diaz has gone from being just another one of Charlies
Angels to the most dangerous celebrity on the Web, according to
research by McAfee.
In the latest version of its quot;Dangerous Celebrities quot; study, McAfee
found that Diaz had replaced fellow actress Jessica Biel as the
celebrit…
News Analysis: Intels purchase of McAfee could make security a ubiquitous feature across a wide variety of smart devices and consumer products. – Chip making giant Intels purchase of security software producer McAfee
is more than just the merger of two companies to make one larger
company. Its also a strong sign that Intel has decided to take
security to another level throughout its product line. In addition, it
also shows that Intel is q…
Industry analysts see a number of challenges facing Intel if it successfully acquires McAfee. The roughly $7.68 billion deal was announced earlier today. – News that Intel has agreed to buy McAfee for $7.68 billion generated some mixed reaction from industry analysts Aug. 19.
While officials at both companies touted how the integration could allow them to integrate security more deeply into Intel’s portfolio, others questioned whether the deal is a go…
News Analysis: Intel is buying software security firm McAfee for $7.9 billion. Its now time to bake security into the hardware rather than layer it on. – Recently,
I noticed my 17-year-old son working even more intently than usual on his
laptop.
A
new version of World of Warcraft? No, his Microsoft Windows 7 laptop had picked
up a particularly nasty virus. Hes better than I am at finding and eliminating
bad bugs, but this one was well hidden. …
Intels $7.68 billion McAfee acquisition could have little direct effect on its relationship with Microsoft, unless Intel uses that deal as leverage to hurt ARM and attract Google into using its products. – Microsoft and Intel have a long-standing partnership.
Microsoft Security Essentials competes with McAfees portfolio of security
products. So will Intels $7.68 billion acquisition of McAfee affect the
chip-makers relationship with Microsoft?
Not really, said representatives from Intel.
“McAfee …
Intel is planning to acquire McAfee for roughly $7.68 billion in a bid to extend its ability to offer security to customers. – Intel has signed a definitive agreement to acquire security giant McAfee for
approximately $7.68 billion.
If completed, McAfee would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel and would
report to Intel’s Software and Services Group. For Intel, bringing McAfee into
the fold continues with the com…
News Highlights:
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 19, 2010 – Intel Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire McAfee, Inc., through the purchase of all of the company’s common stock at $48 per share in cash, for approximately $7.68 billion. Both boards of directors have unanimously approved the deal, which is expected to close after McAfee shareholder approval, regulatory clearances and other customary conditions specified in the agreement.
The acquisition reflects that security is now a fundamental component of online computing. Today’s security approach does not fully address the billions of new Internet-ready devices connecting, including mobile and wireless devices, TVs, cars, medical devices and ATM machines as well as the accompanying surge in cyber threats. Providing protection to a diverse online world requires a fundamentally new approach involving software, hardware and services.
Inside Intel, the company has elevated the priority of security to be on par with its strategic focus areas in energy-efficient performance and Internet connectivity.
McAfee, which has enjoyed double-digit, year-over-year growth and nearly 80 percent gross margins last year, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Intel, reporting into Intel’s Software and Services Group. The group is managed by Renée James, Intel senior vice president, and general manager of the group.
“With the rapid expansion of growth across a vast array of Internet-connected devices, more and more of the elements of our lives have moved online,” said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. “In the past, energy-efficient performance and connectivity have defined computing requirements. Looking forward, security will join those as a third pillar of what people demand from all computing experiences.
“The addition of McAfee products and technologies into the Intel computing portfolio brings us incredibly talented people with a track record of delivering security innovations, products and services that the industry and consumers trust to make connecting to the Internet safer and more secure,” Otellini added.
“Hardware-enhanced security will lead to breakthroughs in effectively countering the increasingly sophisticated threats of today and tomorrow,” said James. “This acquisition is consistent with our software and services strategy to deliver an outstanding computing experience in fast-growing business areas, especially around the move to wireless mobility.”
“McAfee is the next step in this strategy, and the right security partner for us,” she added. “Our current work together has impressive prospects, and we look forward to introducing a product from our strategic partnership next year.”
“The cyber threat landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years, with millions of new threats appearing every month,” said Dave DeWalt, president and CEO of McAfee. “We believe this acquisition will result in our ability to deliver a safer, more secure and trusted Internet-enabled device experience.”
McAfee, based in Santa Clara and founded in 1987, is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company with approximately $2 billion in revenue in 2009. With approximately 6,100 employees, McAfee’s products and technologies deliver secure solutions and services to consumers, enterprises and governments around the world and include a strong sales force that works with a variety of customers.
The company has a suite of software-related security solutions, including end-point and networking products and services that are focused on helping to ensure Internet-connected devices and networks are protected from malicious content, phony requests and unsecured transactions and communications. Among others, products include McAfee Total Protection™, McAfee Antivirus, McAfee Internet Security, McAfee Firewall, McAfee IPS as well as an expanding line of products targeting mobile devices such as smartphones.
Intel has made a series of recent and successful software acquisitions to pursue a deliberate strategy focused on leading companies in their industry delivering software that takes advantage of silicon. These include gaming, visual computing, embedded device and machine software and now security.
Home to two of the most innovative labs and research in the high-tech industry, Intel and McAfee will also jointly explore future product concepts to further strengthen security in the cloud network and myriad of computers and devices people use in their everyday lives.
On a GAAP basis, Intel expects the combination to be slightly dilutive to earnings in the first year of operations and approximately flat in the second year. On a non-GAAP basis, excluding a one-time write down of deferred revenue when the transaction closes and amortization of acquired intangibles, Intel expects the combination to be slightly accretive in the first year and improve beyond that.
Intel was advised by Goldman Sachs & Co. and Morrison & Foerster LLP. McAfee was advised by Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc. and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.
About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.
About McAfee
McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE), headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee is committed to relentlessly tackling the world’s toughest security challenges. The company delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems and networks around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse, and shop the web more securely. Backed by an award-winning research team, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector, and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. http://www.mcafee.com.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS SAFE HARBOR
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements regarding the proposed transaction between Intel and McAfee, including but not limited to statements regarding the future demand for security; the effectiveness of hardware security; plans to introduce a product resulting from the strategic partnership in 2011; benefits of the proposed transaction; future products and concepts to increase security, particularly with respect to cloud computing and mobile devices and Intel’s expectations regarding the proposed transaction’s effects on its GAAP and non-GAAP results. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements. Among the important factors that could cause future events or results to vary from those addressed in the forward-looking statements include without limitation, risks and uncertainties arising from the possibility that the closing of the transaction may be delayed or may not occur; difficulties with the integration process or the realization of the benefits of the transaction; general economic conditions in the regions and industries in which Intel and McAfee operate; and litigation or regulatory matters involving antitrust and other issues that could affect the closing of the transaction. In addition, please refer to the documents that Intel and McAfee file with the SEC on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. The filings by Intel and McAfee identify and address other important factors that could cause events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements set forth in this press release. Intel and McAfee are under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results.
Additional information and where to find it
McAfee intends to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a preliminary proxy statement and a definitive proxy statement and other relevant materials in connection with the merger. The definitive proxy statement will be sent or given to the stockholders of McAfee. Before making any voting or investment decision with respect to the merger, investors and stockholders of McAfee are urged to read the proxy statement and the other relevant materials when they become available because they will contain important information about the merger. The proxy statement and other relevant materials (when they become available), and any other documents filed by McAfee with the SEC, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website, at www.sec.gov, at McAfee’s website at www.McAfee.com (click on “Investor Information”, then on “SEC Filings”) or from McAfee by contacting Investor Relations by mail at McAfee, Inc., 3965 Freedom Circle, Santa Clara, California 95054, Attention: Investor Relations, or by telephone at (408) 346-5223.
Participants in the Solicitation
McAfee and Intel and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from McAfee stockholders in connection with the merger. Information about Intel’s directors and executive officers is set forth in Intel’s 2010 proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 2, 2010 and its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2009, filed on February 22, 2010, respectively. Information about McAfee’s directors and executive officers is set forth in its 2010 proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 30, 2010 (as revised on May 10, 2010). Additional information regarding the interests of participants in the solicitation of proxies in connection with the merger will be included in the proxy statement that McAfee intends to file with the SEC.
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
McAfee, McAfee Labs and Global Threat Intelligence are registered trademarks or trademarks of McAfee, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other marks and brands may be claimed as the property of others. © 2010 McAfee, Inc. All rights reserved.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
