Renewal information: if you already have a McAfee.com account and need to renew McAfee Internet Security at our current discounted price, simply create an account with us using the same email address (and optionally the same password) then purchase McAfee Internet Security on our site and download it - you're done!
McAfee Internet Security 2012 is McAfee's mid-level offering, situated between McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2012 and McAfee Total Protection 2012 in the product lineup. So, what do you get with this product that you're not already getting with McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2012? And what features do you miss by not buying McAfee Total Protection 2012 instead? Read on!
First and foremost,
with McAfee Internet Security 2012 you get all the features offered by McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2012. That means you get the same strong
protection against the most prominent forms of malware, a powerful two-way firewall, McAfee's SiteAdvisor technology that warns you about dangerous websites showing up in your search results and
PC tune-up capabilities. As with all McAfee 2012 products, you benefit from the same
fast, no-nonsense installation and
streamlined user interface.
Automatic updates bring you the latest virus definitions, product upgrades and bug fixes without you having to download anything additional.
First, McAfee Internet Security 2012 protects you against Spam so your email Inbox doesn't fill up with unwanted messages.
Second, the product is able to automatically backup your data to your own 1 GB online storage space "in the cloud". Why would you want backup capabilities with an antivirus suite? Simply because it adds an extra layer of security for your data; if your computer is seriously damaged, by a hard drive failure for instance, or you work on a laptop that gets stolen, then you know you can always retrieve your most important data from your online storage space, anywhere, anytime.
Third, you get Parental Controls. These are important if you have young children who do spend time browsing the Internet as they allow you to set time limits on their surfing habits, block unknown email addresses and monitor Instant Messaging (IM) communications so they cannot get in touch with strangers, filter YouTube videos for obvious reasons, and much more.
If you do need these extra features then you can skip
McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2012 and purchase
McAfee Internet Security 2012; however, if on top of this you also want twice the amount of online backup storage space, protection against phishing attempts, be able to secure your sensitive files in an encrypted "vault" and block access to files on your home network, then
McAfee Total Protection 2012 is the better option.