McAfee Security

McAfee is one of the world's most recognized names in cybersecurity, originally founded in 1987 by John McAfee in Santa Clara, California. The brand pioneered the commercial antivirus market and has since evolved into a comprehensive digital protection suite covering antivirus, VPN, identity theft protection, and privacy tools.

Over the decades, the company has undergone several major ownership transitions. It was acquired by Intel in 2011 and briefly rebranded as 'Intel Security' before being spun out as a standalone joint venture with private equity firm TPG Capital in 2017. After a brief return to the public market in 2020, McAfee was taken private again in 2022 by an investor consortium led by Advent International. Today, it operates as a pure-play consumer security company, with its software development and headquarters primarily based in San Jose, California.