McAfee will soon include a new skill in Alexa to allow the user to keep a check on the security of the network and router through voice command. At the MWC 2018, the security products provider talked about a capability that does not require the user to open the app to make the required settings to ensure or check the security of the network.
According to McAfee, all the routers running on the McAfee Secure Home Platform will automatically get the Alexa functionality. McAfee’s Secure Home Platform was announced during CES 2018 and it lets the user extend desktop security scans across all the network connected devices including smart home devices.
In a press release, McAfee’s executive VP, John Giamatteo, said the company’s security solutions “must fit seamlessly into the way they already live their lives. With the McAfee Secure Home Platform skill for Alexa, we are giving customers the added convenience of simply managing their home’s network security using their voice.”
For instance, just by uttering “Alexa, ask McAfee to scan my network” or “Alexa, ask McAfee to pause the internet for {kid1},” a user would be able to ensure the safety of the network. This new capability would allow Alexa to fix the time limit on the kid’s iPad or save against the botnet attacks among other things.
McAfee stated that router manufacturers can integrate its platform into their network devices so that consumers can use the new feature soon. D-Link, which announced its DIR-2680 security router at the CES earlier this year, claimed that it would have the McAfee Secure Home Platform integrated when it goes on sale in the second-quarter of 2018. And, once the voice commands are available, a user would need to download it onto the Amazon smart speaker by visiting Amazon’s skill page.
Separately, McAfee notes that 2018 could be the year of mobile malware. This has led the company to enter several mobile industry partnerships and work towards protecting the devices. In its latest mobile threat report, the company stated that it detected 16 million malware infections in the third-quarter of 2017, two times the number announced in the same quarter the previous year.
McAfee noted that new threats are emerging from all over the world including Afghanistan and Algeria to Sweden, the UK, the US and Cuba. The motivation in the attacks is the financial gain, but recently, targeted attacks have also gained ground. Therefore, the security company believes that it’s now very important for the entire ecosystem to work together to fight such threats.
“No one company can do it alone,” Giamatteo said. “Our partners share our belief that security must be built in from the start and prioritised to canvass all devices and networks.”
At the MWC, McAfee also revealed its intentions to broaden it’s global security reach. The company stated that its anti-malware software VirusScan will be pre-installed on the Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 8 and Samsung Secure Wi-Fi a virtual private network (VPN) provided by McAfee to increase internet privacy. Also, McAfee would partner with the Spanish phone company Telefónica to have its security platform built into all of its routers, according to CNET.
