McAfee and Intel partner to create DeepSAFE security system for PCs

In the quest to find the best security system, McAfee has teamed up with Intel to develop the first ever hardware assisted security system to eliminate threats at the sub-Operating System level. The new technology is called DeepSAFE which protects a PC or any device it’s installed on, at the hardware level which is even before the OS has had a chance to load. By doing so, it’s able to provide protection in real time to prevent malicious activity and not just detect it.

Hardware level security will oon be commonplace

McAfee DeepSAFE enables new protection technologies including proactively detecting and preventing stealthy advanced persistent threats (APTs) and malware. Many APTs include stealth techniques such as rootkits that embed themselves deep in the OS to evade current security solutions, which DeepSAFE will be able to detect and prevent. It’s expected to launch in products later in 2011. Some key points include:

• Builds the foundation for next generation hardware-assisted security operating beyond the operating system

• Provides a trusted view of system events below the operating system

• Exposes many attacks that are undetectable today

• New vantage point to block sophisticated stealth techniques and APTs

• Provides real time CPU event monitoring with minimal performance impact

• Combines the power of hardware and flexibility of software to deliver a new foundation for security