McAfee Attacking Core System Files with Latest Update

Terry Olaes

Terry Olaes

I Used to be the [H] News Guy
Joined
Nov 27, 2006
Messages
4,646
McAfee users are blowing up about an apparent glitch in McAfee’s most recent virus signature update. This glitch causes McAfee to attack core system files, sometimes causing BSODs. I don’t think these were the fireworks that sysadmins were expecting today.

Based on anecdotes, the glitch appears to be caused when older VirusScan engines install DAT 5664, which McAfee seems to have pushed out in the past 24 hours. Affected systems then begin identifying a wide variety of legitimate - and frequently crucial - system files as malware. Files belonging to Microsoft Internet Explorer, drivers for Compaq computers, and even the McAfee-associated McScript.exe were being identified as a trojan called PWS!hv.aq, according to the posts and interviews.
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McAfee reads list of known virsuses, "Hey I have some of these files!"...adds system files to virus database.
 
Yikes! I'm running McAfee on my Vista partition. Guess I'll avoid booting that up for the time being.

Celebrating the 4th of July by blowing up customers computers; good one McAfee.
 
It's funny, I never had a commercial antivirus prevent a virus from infecting and able to remove the virus on my system. Then ironical, the antivirus program becomes the virus:eek:LOL
 
Project_Nightmare said:
It's funny, I never had a commercial antivirus prevent a virus from infecting and able to remove the virus on my system. Then ironical, the antivirus program becomes the virus:eek:LOL
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Okay what again?

But seriously, you have to be joking about this.
 
Does McAfee still bloat, slow down, mess up your system? And pop up windows for no reason when you're gaming so you spend a minute handling a slow system forced alt-tab back to windows while game slowly crashes and burns in the background because of the forced alt-tab?
 
MrLonghair said:
Does McAfee still bloat, slow down, mess up your system? And pop up windows for no reason when you're gaming so you spend a minute handling a slow system forced alt-tab back to windows while game slowly crashes and burns in the background because of the forced alt-tab?
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Yes
 
Do sys admins really use mcaffee? not to be an eset fan boy but . . . come ON.
 
I used to work for a college that only used McAfee. I was like woohoo, awesome.
 
J32P said:
I used to work for a college that only used McAfee. I was like woohoo, awesome.
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?? :confused:

McrApfee
you get some crappy AV and also have to pay a fee for that!?!?? :eek: :D
 
Glitch? I thought McAfee ALWAYS destroyed system files. I'm not joking either, 99.9% of the computers that come across my desk are running like crap because one of two things are installed...Norton or McAFee. Removing them always solves the problem.
 
Blown 89 said:
Glitch? I thought McAfee ALWAYS destroyed system files. I'm not joking either, 99.9% of the computers that come across my desk are running like crap because one of two things are installed...Norton or McAFee. Removing them always solves the problem.
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QFT
 
Best AV EVER!
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MrLonghair said:
Does McAfee still bloat, slow down, mess up your system? And pop up windows for no reason when you're gaming so you spend a minute handling a slow system forced alt-tab back to windows while game slowly crashes and burns in the background because of the forced alt-tab?
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no problems here
 
yet another reason to use NOD32 or if you need free go with ClamWin!

- Robert (PmR)DIJ

 
I use nothing... and have yet to get "infected" with anything.

Windows Firewall is pointless if you go through a router anyways, and just causes issues with software that might be blocked by the Firewall but not your router... if it's blocked by the router you can forward ports much easier.
 
MrLonghair said:
And pop up windows for no reason when you're gaming so you spend a minute handling a slow system forced alt-tab back to windows while game slowly crashes and burns in the background because of the forced alt-tab?
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ESET does the same thing unless otherwise specified in the options. Same with Avast.

I am speaking of Vista x32 and Vista x64 as I have not installed them on other systems.
 
I had better not get back to work monday and have a hosed network. We have a huge software upgrade kicking off monday.
 
Paying for personal antivirus = fail. Get Avast. Or AVG if it plays nicely with 64-bit these days. Corporate of course is a different matter.
 
JDAdams said:
Paying for personal antivirus = fail. Get Avast. Or AVG if it plays nicely with 64-bit these days. Corporate of course is a different matter.
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Indeed. I personally use AVG and it has detected viruses in the past before they actually do anything harmful, so it gets the job done.

Btw, hearing that names just makes me want to buy a McCafe, lol. The names are so similar, but I free the McD's solution will be less problematic.:p
 
JDAdams said:
Paying for personal antivirus = fail. Get Avast. Or AVG if it plays nicely with 64-bit these days.
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No, use Avira Antivir, works great, small footprint, great reviews, and those are recent reviews to boot.
 
Thanks for posting this. It will save me some time if I run across someone with this problem.
 
Hmm... Work will be interesting tomorrow. My company uses McAfee, and we have about 12K users, so this could be good!
 
whoah, maybe this was the problem of random BSODs on one of our work laptops. Just great. :<
 
MrLonghair said:
Does McAfee still bloat, slow down, mess up your system? And pop up windows for no reason when you're gaming so you spend a minute handling a slow system forced alt-tab back to windows while game slowly crashes and burns in the background because of the forced alt-tab?
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Yes. Imagine a fully grown elephant being transported around on the back of a little Ford Ranger. Thats McAfee on your pc. :D:D
 
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