INTEL IS DISTANCING itself from the founder of its anti-virus software service McAfee after announcing it will be changing its name.

The company’s CEO Brian Krzanich said that it will be replacing the McAfee brand with Intel Security.

The rebranding will begin immediately and the company estimates that it will take a year to complete.

McAfee Security’s founder John McAfee told the BBC that he was happy with the decision.

I am now everlastingly grateful to Intel for freeing me from this terrible association with the worst software on the planet. These are not my words, but the words of millions of irate users.

My elation at Intel’s decision is beyond words.

McAfee founded the company in 1987 as McAfee Associates and left in 1994. Since then, he has been involved in a number of controversies.

In 2012, he went on the run after his neighbour was found dead in Belize in South America. After being jailed in Guetemala, he was later deported back to the US and is now living in Montreal, Canada.

Read: One in five Irish teens have accessed content that disturbed them — survey >

Read: Anti-virus guru McAfee sought by police in murder investigation >

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