McAfee and Intel Work Together on New Security Technologies

The new DeepSAFE technology developed by McAfee and Intel will bring innovative advancements to virtual security by making an efficient combination between hardware and software resources that will work from an inferior level compared to the operating system to better detect and prevent potential breaches.

Because cybercriminals are inventing ways of taking over computing machines, the security solutions providers must also come up with new means of dealing with attacks.

The methods used by DeepSAFE will rely on technologies already available in hardware products, to help protection applications deal with infections from a "deeper" position.

“McAfee DeepSAFE uses hardware features already in the Intel processors to provide security beyond the OS. From this unique vantage point, DeepSAFE can apply new techniques to deliver a whole new generation of protection in real time to prevent malicious activity and not just detect infections,” revealed Todd Gebhart, co-president of McAfee.

The demonstration held to prove the functionality of the concept showed that a system using DeepSAFE could easily detect and diminish a threat coming from a zero-day rootkit.

The impact on performance will also be reduced considerably, this approach making it possible to block even the stealthiest and most persistent attacks.

Hardware-assisted security seems to represent the future as it is able to provide a better view of the events which occur at different level than the operating system.

Both companies seem to be excited about the collaboration, hoping to change the face of the industry with something that has already been considered but not yet implemented into commercial applications.

“By combining the features of existing Intel hardware and innovations in security software, Intel and McAfee are driving innovation in the security industry by providing a new way to protect computing devices. We are truly excited to introduce this technology upon which we will deliver new solutions,” said the Chairman of McAfee, Renée James.