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New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday computer security software firms Symantec Corp. (SYMC) and McAfee Inc. (MFE) have agreed to pay $750,000 to end a probe by his office into their practices regarding automatic renewals of consumer software subscriptions.

In a statement, Cuomo said the companies will each pay $375,000 in penalties and costs and will make detailed disclosures regarding their subscription terms and renewals.

"Companies cannot play hide the ball when it comes to the fees consumers are being charged," Cuomo said. "Consumers have a right to know what they are paying, especially when they are unwittingly agreeing to renewal fees that will not appear on their credit-card bill for months."

An investigation by Cuomo's office found that Symantec and McAfee failed to adequately disclose to customers that subscriptions would be automatically renewed and that consumers would be charged for subsequent subscriptions. Information about automatic-renewal charges wasn't clearly disclosed, but was instead hidden at the bottom of long Web pages or in the fine print of license agreements, Cuomo said.

As part of the settlement, Symantec and McAfee will clearly disclose to consumers any automatic-renewal program and provide a transparent and automated means to opt out of renewal, Cuomo said. The companies will provide electronic notification to consumers before and after renewal of the subscription and will provide refunds to consumers who request them within 60 days of being charged, he said.

In a statement, Symantec said it has worked hard over the past two years to improve its auto-renewal process "to make it more transparent and visible for our customers" and to improve its disclosures to ensure the process is clear, particularly the ability to opt out.

"We will continue to work in the future to comply with the office of New York's attorney general to make sure their concerns are fully addressed," the company said. "Customer service is our top priority and we will continue to look for opportunities to improve our auto-renewal process and make it as user-friendly as possible for our customers."

McAfee didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

-By Chad Bray, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-227-2017; chad.bray@dowjones.com