- Platform: Windows Vista / 2000 / XP
- Media: CD-ROM
- Item Quantity: 1
System Requirements
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Amazon.com
With the growing number of stolen and lost PCs, along with data loss and identity theft cases, it's clear everyone needs extra protection for their personal and confidential files. You need McAfee Anti-Theft File Protection to secure your valuable files. It is simple to install and uses the industry's leading, innovative technology.
 Easily secure your financial documents, tax records and other important files in password-protected "digital vaults."Click to enlarge. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Fast and easy to install and use, allowing you to quickly secure your files and focus on other activities.Click to enlarge. |
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Modest Data Protection But There Are Better Alternatives,
By
This review is from: McAfee Anti-Theft 2009 1-User (CD-ROM)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This was a very difficult review for me to write, as I am uncertain about my feelings of this software. There are a lot of evil-doers out there, and I certainly want my data to be safe. However, using software to protect my data leaves me feeling a bit uneasy. Software can be hacked and cracked, not to mention having to deal with bugs and compatibility issues. And what if the software somehow becomes corrupt and fails to work properly? Will your data still be protected properly, or will you find that even you can no longer access your precious files? Every step we take to protect ourselves adds another level of complexity in our lives, and also another element of potential malfunction and failure. But today we use computers to access the entire world; to purchase products, pay our bills, communicate with friends and family, and to store our precious memories and financial data. You can't just leave yourself unprotected and vulnerable to an attack from an outsider. McAfee has introduced a product that claims to offer consumers peace of mind, by locking up our most important data into one or more "vaults" on our hard drives. Is this the answer for keeping us safe from prying eyes, or is it just another money maker for a company trying to lead us into a sense of false security?
I decided to install the McAfee Anti-Theft 2009 software on my tablet PC, which seemed to be the most likely computer to potentially fall into wrong hands. Although this software can certainly be installed onto a desktop computer, I feel that portable computers are far more likely to be stolen and/or accessed by someone that we do not wish. The product box contains a CD and Quick Start guide only. No user manual is included, although there is more documentation provided on the CD itself. Installation was very simple and straightforward. Upon inserting the CD into your drive, you are prompted with a pop-up screen, with some rather bland text links; one of which is to install the program. The entire installation took roughly a minute or so, followed by a prompt to register (aka. "Activate") the software. In most (if not all) cases, the installation will require a reboot of the PC. The program allows you to setup one or more "vaults," which can be sized from 50 MB to 4 GB. Be warned, once you setup a vault, the size CANNOT be changed! If you setup your vault too small, once you fill it up you would have to create another vault to store more files. I would recommend simply setting the maximum size of 4 GB, unless your available hard drive space is very limited. You then setup a password and enter 3 password recovery questions, in case you forget your password down the road. You are now able to start copying files into your protected vault. Notice I said "copy" instead of move? I said that because dragging your files into the vault(s) only creates a copy of the files. It does not completely move them, and also does not delete the file from its original location when copied into the vault. This creates a potential security risk and therefore falls into my "cons" listing mentioned later. So overall, installation and setup is about as fast and simple as one could hope for. Once in the vault(s), your data is protected with the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), with is pretty standard with most software encryption technologies today, but is certainly not unhackable. You can lock and unlock your vault(s) manually, or they can be locked automatically in a specified timeframe (or when your screensaver is activated). I definitely like the ease of use elements of this program, and it is certainly something that doesn't require a degree in computer science to use. However, these data vaults can easily be copied onto other drives, without needing to enter your password, so someone could still make a copy of your data to try and hack at their leisure. Also, what if something goes wrong with the software and it becomes unstable? Will your data be locked and inaccessible by yourself when you need it? McAfee also boasts that your vault can be stored on a USB flash drive, or any removable storage media. What they don't tell you is that you need to have a copy of McAfee Anti-Theft software installed on any and every computer you intend to access this data from. Therefore you cannot simply use this software to create a portable data vault, for which you intend to carry to and access from multiple computers, without first purchasing and installing this software onto each one of these computers. This can definitely become a problem, if your intentions are to use the software as a USB flash drive encryption utility, to access and/or transfer data between your flash drive and several business computers. McAfee boasts the following benefits and features of its Anti-Theft 2009 software: * Secure your files using strong file encryption: 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) technology protects your financial documents and identity against thieves and hackers. * Create multiple vaults on your PC and USB drive: Setup multiple vaults for yourself, family members or co-workers. * Easily transfer and hide files: Move files into vault and keep them private even if you share a computer. * Password protect your vault: Create secure password for your vault and use password reset option if needed. * Additional protection: Provides an extra layer of protection over your basic PC security. * Use with other computer security software I feel that the McAfee Anti-Theft 2009 software does perform as promised. It is extremely easy to install, requires very little system resources from your computer and operating system, and does offer a modest level of safety for your sensitive data. However, as a person that has been in the I.T. support field for over 20 years, I do have a list of concerns when using a software solution like this. The encryption technology used in this software is not 100% safe, and can be cracked by someone with the right knowledge and evil intensions. The fact that the data vault(s) can be easily copied to another device, even without your knowledge, is very concerning as well, as this would allow a hacker to grab a copy of your data and then work at cracking the encryption without you even knowing that your data may have been compromised. I also don't like the thought of my data becoming irretrievable by myself, if the software should go belly up on my PC. Sure I could remove and reinstall the software, or transfer my data vault to another computer and install the software on that device, but think of the wasted time it could take to retrieve important data that you may need access to right away. So as an attempt to summarize my personal findings and concerns, here is a list of pros and cons that I find with McAfee Anti-Theft 2009: Pros ****** - Impressively easy and fast installation. - Easy to configure and use. - Very low impact on operating system resources. - Each vault is seen as a virtual drive by Windows, providing a separate drive letter for each vault. - Simple drag and drop process for copying files and folders into your vault(s). - 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard offers a decent level of security for your data. - Offers a low cost answer to data security for the average consumer. Cons ******* - Files and folders are copied, NOT moved, to data vault(s), leaving the need for original files and folders to be deleted manually by the user. - 256-bit AES technology has been around for quite awhile, and is known to be hackable by anyone with the knowhow. - Vault files can be easily copied to any other computer or removable storage device, allowing someone to copy your data and attempt to hack the encryption at their leisure. - Vault sizes cannot be changed once initially configured. - Software license is only valid for one year, requiring the consumer to pay more money to renew every year if they want their protection to remain up to date. - Software must be purchased and installed on every PC that you wish to share or access your data from (if you desire to keep your vault on a USB storage device). - If the software ever fails, you could potentially find yourself unable to access your own data. - McAfee is known to charge a fee for advanced technical support, should you ever need their assistance with this software. Fees can range anywhere from $9.95 to $59.95 per incident. - There are many other data encryption utilities, which are more secure and more cost-effective (some are even FREE!), such as TrueCrypt. As a basic line of defense, I believe that McAfee Anti-Theft 2009 is a good, stable product. For the average consumer and modest computer user, this software could be an easy solution to all of your data protection concerns. However, this software definitely has some security holes, such as the fact that it simply makes copies of your files and folders in the data vault(s), rather than moving them entirely from their original locations. This means that the user must remember to delete the originals after making copies in their vaults. If you don't delete the originals, then you have simply left copies of your data unprotected. Anti-Theft 2009 also creates yet another reoccurring expense for the consumer, requiring annual renewal of your software in order to remain fully protected. There are many other products on the market, which offer stronger security and many more features. For anyone that is really serious about data security, you should consider entire partition or drive encryption. With a free utility, such as TrueCrypt, you could protect your entire hard drive with real-time,... Read more ›
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Poorly Made Encryption Program,
By
This review is from: McAfee Anti-Theft 2009 1-User (CD-ROM)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
McAfee Anti-Theft is a misleading title for this product. It is really a file encrption program and a poorly made one at that. After installation, the program prompts you to set up your vault (you can select the size) and create a password to lock it. It functions as a virtual drive on your system. There is only a 30 day free support period and unlimited email and chat, which from McAfee doesn't mean much. What is wrong with this program? It is so quickly thrown up that it doesn't include its own window. It uses a Windows Explorer window with its menu system below the Windows menu. If you save files in the vault it suggests that you delete them from your drive using a secure delete program (not included). The files can be transferred and encrypted with 256 bit AES and can be used on a USB drive. DON'T BOTHER WITH THIS PROGRAM. If you truly want an excellent alternative, spend a few more bucks and getSteganos Safe 2008 - Encryption 256 Bit AES. Steganos offers multiple safes each with up to 256GB of storage, 256 Bit AES, password protection for emails with Outlook, Outlook Express and Windows mail, a password generator, data shredder included, PicPass (which allows you to use pictures to open your safe) and uses your iPod or memory stick as a portable safe and a key to unlock your safe. McAfee comes up short and gives very little information. If they truly want to be competitive, they need to study the competition more. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON McAFEE ANTI-THEFT! One more thing, it is extremely difficult to uninstall, it still leaves traces after being uninstalled.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Laptop Must Have, A Desktop Nice Addition,
By Bob Feeser "MillCrafters.com" (Springfield, PA USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: McAfee Anti-Theft 2009 1-User (CD-ROM)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
At first I thought what a joke password protected files are built into an operating system. Then I loaded the program and realized it is a lot more than that. You can create vaults, as many as you like, individually password protects them, and set their size because the vault allocates that amount of space. Each one of these vaults when set up becomes an individual drive letter on your PC. You can click on the vault and a password prompt shows up, type in the password and it is just like leaving the door open to your vault. You can push and pull files freely. As long as you have it unlocked it behaves just like any other file on your PC. I strongly suggest that you have McAfee Internet Security 2009 3-User installed as well. Keeping out a hacker in the first place is your first line of defense. If you open your vault and they have access, they also would have access to your vault contents. Therefore it is a good idea to lock the vault when you are busy doing other things, or creating a long document, and then quickly unlock it when you want to save it, or while doing a lot of file moving into it.
One thing that is important is that if you copy a file into the vault and then delete it on your open area of your drive, the file is still retrievable. That is a second reason to get the McAfee antivirus I just mentioned. It contains a shredder that based on the shredding level will make the file irretrievable. That shredder is also in McAfee Total Protection 2009 3-User comes with 3 licenses, and already includes the antitheft with 3 licenses as well. This stand alone anti-theft comes with only 1 license. So total protection is a bargain. In addition to the password protection is also has multiple secret words that you input when you set up the program. That is important to prevent important file and data loss when forgetting the password. If you have a laptop I can see how this anti-theft application is more or less a must have. Even on a desktop PC it acts as a final panic room, or whatever you call that room that you go to, that is barricaded when a burglar enters the house. (Remember the Jodie Foster movie) At first when I loaded the program and did a single reboot, the app froze when I tried to lock and unlock the vault. I was running other programs doing a search at the time. I rebooted and now everything works fine including locking and unlocking quickly. Now I am getting instant results. I really like having the protection built in and plan on using it quite often. The updates charge is a hassle after the first year, but with an inexpensive program how much can the update be. Makes me wish I got Vista Ultimate which has a similar function built in. If I had to do it all over again I would go right to McAfee Total Protection 2009 which has the anti-theft plus site advisor plus built right in. That way when I update my subscription, I wouldn't have to pay a separate update charge on the anti-theft to renew my subscription. Overall I would say this suite of protection is good stuff, highly recommended.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Look for Similar Items by Category
|
