McAfee, a top computer security firm, on Friday admitted that it had accidentally fixed a potentially dangerous flaw in its technology for managing security software in large organizations and businesses six months ago, and apologized for not alerting companies or government agencies until last week, the Associated Press reports via BostonHerald.com.The security software firm issued an apology to its customers on Friday and suggested that all of its users upgrade to the most recent version of the software to prevent future security issues, according to the AP.Siobhan MacDermott told the AP that there have been no reports of attacks exploiting the now-patched flaw.The flaw affects McAfee’s ePolicy Orchestrator tool, which is employed for managing security software on thousands of computers at McAfee customers’ organizations or agencies, the AP reports. McAfee said its chief software architect, John Viega, unknowingly fixed the flaw—which could have allowed malicious users to obtain sensitive information, delete information or hide dangerous malware on users’ computers—six months ago while performing additional modifications to the software at issue, according to the AP.“We didn’t really realize we fixed the problem,” Viega told the AP. “We fixed one, but it was by accident.” Last week, eEye Digital Security staffers found the flaw and brought it to McAfee’s attention, the AP reports. Only corporate users of the software were affected, as consumer versions don’t employ McAfee’s centralized software management application to update antivirus definitions or other threat warnings, according to the AP.Earlier in the week, McAfee Chief George Samenuk criticized Microsoft for the many recently uncovered flaws in its software, and said McAfee is ready to hold its own with the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant in the security space.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content news Concerns remain even as the EU reaches a landmark deal to govern AI Experts believe the new regulation would add a significant compliance burden on businesses as some argue it could even stifle the growth of the rapidly developing technology. By Gagandeep Kaur Dec 11, 2023 7 mins Regulation Regulation Government feature CIOs grapple with the ethics of implementing AI With ethical considerations around AI use increasingly top of mind, IT leaders are developing governance frameworks, establishing review boards, and coming to terms with the difficult discussions and decisions ahead. By Esther Shein Dec 11, 2023 13 mins Generative AI Data Governance IT Governance feature Reed Smith turns to AI for lawyer staffing solution The legal firm’s Smart Resourcing tool helps balance workloads and ensure partners find associates with the right skills and experience, while empowering employees to make connections across the firm’s global footprint. By Sarah K. White Dec 11, 2023 8 mins CIO 100 Legal Digital Transformation news Emirates NBD drives sustainability goals with Microsoft partnership By Andrea Benito Dec 10, 2023 2 mins CIO Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe