McAfee plans new Apple, iPhone security products

McAfee Inc plans to develop new security software for the iPhone and other Apple Inc products, Chief Executive David DeWalt said on Thursday.

McAfee, the world's second-largest maker of security software, already supplies security products for Apple computers and is in the process of expanding its offerings for the consumer electronics giant.

"We are working on a much more comprehensive suite for the Apple family," he said in an interview in New York ahead of the Reuters Global Technology Summit. "Through the course of 2009, we'll have a lot more technology for them."

McAfee provides a range of security technology including encryption, safe Web surfing, and protection from malicious software such as viruses.

DeWalt did not give a specific date for the launch of iPhone security products, or say which products it would provide for the popular smartphone. He said users of advanced devices like the iPhone tend to use a wide range of applications.

"The more applications become available, the more the threat of security and the threat of identity and data loss is there," he said.