McAfee update wreaks havoc on enterprise XP systems
updated 08:35 pm EDT, Wed April 21, 2010
Bug said to affect hundreds of thousands of PCs
A McAfee update has reportedly wreaked havoc on businesses using Windows XP machines. The bug potentially affects hundreds of thousands of systems, causing many computers to disconnect from networks and fall into uncontrolled restarts, according to Gizmodo. The glitch appears to be limited to enterprise systems, rather than consumer-level devices.
McAfee confirmed that its DAT 5958 virus definition update is the culprit, causing reactions to a false positive related to Windows system executables. Not all updated systems are said to be vulnerable, as the download is specifically problematic for computers with VirusScan Enterprise's "Scan Process on Enable" setting disabled.
The faulty update was allegedly removed from all McAfee download servers, stopping the problem from spreading. The company has also published an official fix to help restore affected systems.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2010
It's not just corporate
I had to fix a non corporate system that had this same problem.