What we do
At McAfee Advanced Threat Research (McAfee ATR), our goal is to identify and illuminate a broad spectrum of threats in today's complex landscape. McAfee ATR researchers are responsible for research in nearly every vertical of threat, including those targeting banking, retail, medical, and other industries. We have experts in vulnerability and threat research who find and report critical vulnerabilities in popular hardware and software and who use a global network of endpoints to track malware campaigns as well as the nation-states and malicious actors behind them. Our red team incorporates and builds upon the techniques, tactics, and procedures (TTPs) uncovered by our researchers while performing engagements where the robustness of both our products and infrastructure are continuously being tested. And our Operational Intelligence team operates globally around the clock, keeping watch of the latest cyber campaigns and actively tracking the most impactful cyber threats. These findings are fed back into the solutions that ultimately power McAfee's products.
McAfee Advanced Threat Research Lab
The Advanced Threat Research Lab provides our researchers access to state-of-the-art hardware and equipment targeting the discovery, exploitation, and responsible disclosure of critical vulnerabilities. The lab also showcases demos of research projects, such as attacks against medical devices, cars, and more.
Watch VideoMcAfee Labs Threats Report: November 2020
In this report, McAfee Labs takes a closer look into the threats that surfaced in the second quarter of 2020. After a first quarter that led the world into a pandemic, the second quarter of 2020 saw enterprises continue to adapt to unprecedented levels of employees working from home and the cybersecurity challenges the new normal demands.
Read ReportResearch spotlight
McAfee ATR Uncovers Major Vulnerability in Agora Video SDK
McAfee ATR released findings on a significant vulnerability in call setup for the Agora Video SDK, used extensively by major applications worldwide for audio and video conferencing. Read more here on the implications of the vulnerability and impact to industry.
Read BlogOperation (노스 스타) North Star A Job Offer That’s Too Good to be True?
McAfee Advanced Threat Research observed an increase in malicious cyber activity targeting the Aerospace & Defense industry. In this campaign, ATR discovered a series of malicious documents containing job postings taken from leading defense contractors.
Read BlogCall an Exorcist My Robot’s Possessed!
ATR researchers disclosed four unique vulnerabilities leading to full remote control of a popular robot, providing remote control over the Internet and spying capabilities through the camera.
Read BlogDoppleganging up on Facial Recognition Systems
Researchers on ATR emulated state of the art passport systems, and adapted model hacking techniques to bypass facial recognition.
Read BlogHVACking: Understanding the Delta Between Security and Reality
McAfee ATR investigated a major building controller and discovered a critical, zero-day vulnerability.
Read BlogMcAfee Researchers Expose Insights into Netwalker Ransomware
McAfee Operational Intelligence Team researchers provide analysis of enhancements to the Netwalker ransomware, telemetry insights and deep technical analysis.
Read BlogIndustry research
The McAfee ATR team continually conducts leading-edge research into the threats that impact a variety of industries. Below are a few of the key areas we are currently focused on. They will be updated as new research is released.
Automotive
McAfee ATR investigates the attack surfaces in autonomous vehicles as well as the machine learning algorithms and physical-to-digital attacks related to them.
Learn MoreSCADA & Industrial Control Systems
McAfee ATR investigates multiple areas of SCADA and ICS implementations, including human machine interface (HMI) software, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and network protocols, such as MODBUS, ICCP, and others.
Learn MoreHealthcare & Medical Devices
Our research explores medical devices, networks, protocols, and security practices to help healthcare organizations innovate securely.
Learn MoreSoftware-Defined Radio
Our research looks at radio frequency, including near-field communications (NFC and RFID) and wireless transmissions to determine potential impacts to network and proximity devices.
Learn MoreBrowser, Operating System & Enterprise Software
By discovering and disclosing these critical vulnerabilities in the world’s most popular software, the McAfee ATR team continuously reduces the overall attack surface for one of the most attractive targets for cybercriminals.
Learn MoreConsumer Electronics & IoT
Our researchers look for vulnerabilities in consumer devices to identify threats and guide manufacturers toward more secure products, reducing the potential for attackers to gain access to home or business networks.
Learn MoreNews & events
Check out the McAfee ATR team in the news and at various security conferences around the world.
Media Coverage
- Bug in shared SDK can let attackers join calls undetected across multiple apps
- The hack that could make face recognition think someone else is you
- Tech workforce in defense and aerospace targeted in latest phishing attack
- NetWalker ransomware gang has made $25 million since March 2020
- Time to Tame the Ripple Effect
- Hackers can remotely hijack enterprise, healthcare Temi robots