McAfee Releases Security Products For Macintosh Users

McAfee Inc. (MFE) on Tuesday released its first security products for consumers who use Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) Macintosh computers, underscoring the growing popularity of the consumer electronics giant's computers.

The McAfee Family Protection product helps parents monitor and limit their children's Web surfing, while McAfee Internet Security product protects Mac users from online malware.

The new products come as Macintosh computers, which have historically been niche machines, rise in popularity. On Tuesday, Apple said during its earnings conference call that Mac sales reached a new quarterly record of 3.5 million units. The sales figure marked a 33% rise from a year earlier.

Macs have been less inviting than PCs as virus targets, given that virus makers want to hit the largest number of users possible. That could change however, as the virus threat to consumers grows in line with Mac usage, said Sam Masiello, director of messaging-security research at McAfee.

The Internet Security product also aims to protect consumers from non-virus types of malware--such as Trojan horses and phishing--that attack all Internet users regardless of computer type.

According to the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company, safe websites can be difficult to identify. More than two-thirds of Websites that contain malicious content are actually legitimate sites that have been compromised, said David Klenske, McAfee's global director of product marketing. "You think you're going to a safe website, but it has been hacked."

On Tuesday, McAfee shares were up 1.25%, to $30.77.

-By Jeanette Borzo, Dow Jones Newswires; 415 765 8230; jeanette.borzo@dowjones.com

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