Digital threats loom large and seemingly around every virtual corner now days. It only takes a quick look at Facebook or other social media platforms to realize how often accounts get hacked. It seems like a new term comes out every other day for bad actors trying to steal my information. Phishing Smishing? Yeah -those are real terms not just gibberish now days. I met with McAfee on this very topic, and they even offered me a free trial of McAfee+ Ultimate to review. It feels good to know somebody’s got my back, and holy cow do they deliver.
The McAfee Approach
First things first. It needs to be stated that McAfee is no longer just an antivirus company. Their entire mentality is shifting. It isn’t just about protecting your computer or devices anymore. It’s about protecting you as an individual. It’s about people. Gone are the days where only information on the internet is at risk. Our information, our livelihood, our very identities are all over the place. McAfee realizes this seeks to protect you in a holistic manner.
Therefore, McAfee Antivirus isn’t just protecting your PC or cell phone anymore. It is so much more than that. While this review will focus on McAfee+ Ultimate, you should know that there are more options available for your protection. That being said, McAfee+ Ultimate gives you more than you and I would even think of.
Ultimate is Ultimate
Normally, when I think of Antivirus software, I think of…well…Antivirus software. I think of a program that I click a button to scan my files and ensure I (or one of my kids) didn’t click on something stupid that kills my PC. With McAfee+ Ultimate, I get so much more than that. I get life coverage. By “life coverage” I mean this. McAfee+ Ultimate offers antivirus, a built in VPN, mobile and PC coverage, AI powered software (more on this later), ARM-CPU based PC’s, personalized protection for each family member, Phishing and Smishing (remember those words – wink) protection, financial account integration, unused account deletion, and even social media safeguarding. Again, holistic comes to mind.
Crazily enough, that isn’t all. McAfee+ Ultimate gives me credit monitoring from the 3 major bureaus, identity monitoring, transaction monitoring, and finally $2 million identify and stolen funds coverage which “includes $25,000 ransomware coverage. To say it covers everything almost feels like an understatement. In of my testing, it works too, and it is easy to set up.
Set Up and Use
Like most software coverage, McAfee+ Ultimate is simple to set up. I download the software, create my account, and log in. The nice thing is that it just works and takes control from there, guiding me through a process that takes just minutes to get me up and running. The software offers real-time scanning so if I go to a site that may not be safe, McAfee+ Ultimate tells me in real time why I may not want to visit. I still can, but I get a nice warning in case I want to change my mind.
Perhaps my favorite feature of the entire suite is personal data cleanup. The Ultimate edition literally scans the entire internet for my email address, gives me back all sites that have my information and will automatically email data brokers asking to remove my information. This can happen at a click of a button. Legally, when asked these information brokers must take down information. This is a hassle, and I love that McAfee thought of this and found a way to automate it.
The transaction monitoring system for my bank account also gives me peace of mind. This helps alert me if it sees things like duplicate transactions, recurring subscriptions changes I may not be aware of etc. It even tracks credit cards and investment accounts alerting me to suspicious activity there as well. Peace of mind. Honestly, with everything available now days it would just be too hard and time consuming to keep up with this on my own.
Navigation and the good part of AI
Navigating the software isn’t too challenging, but it can sometimes feel a little bit overwhelming. With so many options available, there is a lot I can do. Thankfully, the most important things like real time scanning and AI protection is automatic. That’s right, AI protection. McAfee+ Ultimate is using AI to help with “Zero Day” monitoring. For example, if I accidentally click on a phishing scam, McAfee’s AI is already opening the IP domain I clicked on to determine its legitimacy. I’ve personally seen this work, and it’s fantastic.
If I click on a link that I think is real but is an attempt to get my information, McAfee pops up a window helping me understand why it may be risky. Where before I may have innocently and accidentally given away information, I am now warned about what is safe and what isn’t. I see this being an incredibly important tool for personal and business cases going forward.
The biggest thing I would change in the navigation is the main menu. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m clicking on with the icons on the left-hand side of the software until I just click them. There isn’t anything I can do wrong per se, but it can be a bit confusing as to where it’s going to take me if I choose the wrong button.
Summary
When I say McAfee+ Ultimate is ultimate, I mean it. The amount of personal protection I get from this software in 2024 is near unbelievable. It is also wonderful that I can literally protect my additional family members with a household membership. Oh, and unlike Netflix, McAfee is offering this to protect whoever I want. I don’t have to live in the same house as those who I offer this to. I can even choose to add this software to my parents’ computers and phones if I so choose.
If you are looking for a holistic approach to protect you and your family’s assets, you should give McAfee+ Ultimate a hard look. Then make the right decision and go for it.
