Intel reportedly mulls sale of McAfee security unit

About six years ago Intel puzzled a lot of enthusiasts as it decided to buy security firm McAfee for $7.68 billion. At the time, the goal was to provide a hardware and software based solution to prevent zero-day malware and to detect threats at a deeper level.

Not much of this came to fruition and now rumors are popping up that Intel is planning to sell its Intel Security division. According to FT, the chip has been in talks with bankers and may sell the unit to a group of private equity investors.

Private equity buyers are increasingly interested in cyber security companies, anticipating strong cash flow as corporate customers become increasingly worried about protecting their business from cyber attacks. A group of PE firms might club together to buy Intel Security if it is sold for the same price or higher than the $7.7bn Intel originally paid for it.