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FAQs for McAfee Ransomware Interceptor - Pilot
Technical Articles ID:   KB87792
Last Modified:  5/1/2018

Environment

McAfee Ransomware Interceptor - Pilot

NOTE: The Ransomware Interceptor tool has initially been released in pilot form to enable users to test its features and stability.

Summary

Recent updates to this article
Date Update
May 1, 2018 Added expandable and collapsible sections.

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Contents
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What is McAfee Ransomware Interceptor?
Ransomware has evolved to be one of the most prevalent threats over the last few years. Once installed it can encrypt or damage data on your system, often making it unrecoverable unless you have a decryption key. Affected users might have to pay the malware authors considerable amounts of money to obtain this key. Failure to do so typically results in permanent loss of data.

McAfee Ransomware Interceptor is an anti-ransomware detection tool. Its purpose is to prevent file encryption attempts by ransomware malware and, as a result, to prevent system damage or data loss.

Where can I download McAfee Ransomware Interceptor?
You can download McAfee Ransomware Interceptor from the McAfee Free Tools site.

Where can I get information about upcoming releases of McAfee Ransomware Interceptor and additional release information?
See the McAfee Ransomware Interceptor Community page at: McAfee Ransomware Interceptor - PILOT.

Where can I send feedback regarding McAfee Ransomware Interceptor? 
You can provide feedback on the McAfee Ransomware Interceptor Community page at: McAfee Ransomware Interceptor - PILOT.

How do I report an issue with McAfee Ransomware Interceptor?
Report all issues or feedback regarding this tool through the McAfee Ransomware Interceptor Community page at: McAfee Ransomware Interceptor - PILOT.

The McAfee Ransomware Interceptor tool is in pilot, and is not supported by Technical Support.

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How do I install McAfee Ransomware Interceptor?
McAfee Ransomware Interceptor comes with two installers:
  • x86 (or 32-bit) version for installing the tool on 32-bit operating systems.
  • x64 (or 64-bit) version for installing the tool on 64-bit operating systems.
Use the appropriate installer for your target operating system. We recommend Windows 7 or later. The computer also needs a connection to the Internet while McAfee Ransomware Interceptor is running to be more effective and to decrease the potential of false positives.

NOTE: Review KB87658 if Host Intrusion Prevention 8.0 Patches 5, 6, or 7 are installed in your environment. Ensure that you read and understand this article before installing this tool. McAfee Ransomware Interceptor includes Syscore 15.5.

When the installation process is complete, a restart is recommended. McAfee Ransomware Interceptor will be visible via this taskbar icon, and the process is named McAfeeRansomwareInterceptorWin32.exe.

How do I uninstall McAfee Ransomware Interceptor?
The installer includes a built-in Uninstaller that gives you the option to uninstall the software when you run the installer again after installation. Or, you can remove McAfee Ransomware Interceptor through the standard Windows Programs and Features or Apps & features applet.

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How do I use McAfee Ransomware Interceptor?
When you right-click the McAfee Ransomware Interceptor taskbar icon, you are able to perform various tasks:
  • Start/Stop Monitoring: Enables/disables monitoring of the entire system by the tool.
  • Whitelist a File: Adds files to a whitelist. This option allows you to disable monitoring of specific files/processes. 
    IMPORTANT: Use this feature with caution. When a file is whitelisted, it cannot be removed from the whitelist. Interceptor generally identifies clean processes automatically.
  • View Detection Log: Allows you to view the log containing prior detections.
  • About: Provides details about the McAfee Ransomware Interceptor tool.
How does McAfee Ransomware Interceptor display detections?
When a threat is found, the detection is made visible via a balloon pop-up and a detection window as shown below:




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  • Interceptor is in pilot. As with beta products, it is always advisable to try any new tool on non-critical endpoints first to ensure that it does not cause any unanticipated or negative issues.
  • Unlike some of our other free tools, such as Real Protect and Stinger, McAfee Ransomware Interceptor is not expected to be an exhaustive generic malware tool. But, the tool does contain features to help our customers in detecting more than just ransomware.
  • Because this is a pilot, there might be certain limitations in the detection abilities of McAfee Ransomware Interceptor. We are aware of these limitations and, as with our other products, will continually strive to improve detection in future releases. While we have tried to ensure that this product is usable, has good performance, and has no quality issues, we do expect occasional issues.
  • McAfee Ransomware Interceptor is not a static detection tool.
  • McAfee Ransomware Interceptor does generate some network traffic. But, McAfee does not gather any user or system-specific information from this traffic.
  • From time to time, you might need to update the tool. Technical Support recommends that you uninstall the previous versions before installing any new builds.
  • If you have any recommendations, feel free to post them to the McAfee Ransomware Interceptor Community page at: McAfee Ransomware Interceptor - PILOT.
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