It leaked last week, but it didn't take long for Microsoft to follow up with a legitimate download for interested testers: the download page for Microsoft Security Essentials (formerly Moro) is now live.

You'll need to sign in with your Connect account or register for a new one to gain access to the download - for now. There will no doubt be hundreds of happy seeders sharing the Beta on torrent trackers later today.

Microsoft had originally slated only 75,000 spots for beta testers, though they have since announced that the number will be increased to accomodate demand. Interest will likely be high considering the generally positive reviews SE has generated since we first got our hands on it.

We've got a big gallery of screenshots of SE in action, including it detecting the trojan that I *ahem* intentionally left on my machine so I could test the program fully. I've been very happy so far with SE's level of protection and low impact on system performance.

Remember yesterday when I said we all knew a Morro leak was coming? Ba-da-bing!

Less than 24 hours later, there's a torrent available on one of the Internet's favorite sites (which shall remain nameless until someone inevitably posts it in the comments). At last, we've got a leaked MS antivirus tool to remove trojans from our leaked Windows 7 builds!

The download is tiny. The XP version is just under 8MB while Vista's installer is less than 5MB. It looks as though SE will provide solid protection for Windows systems, and it includes all the features you'd expect from this type of app like scheduled scanning and updates, customizable default actions, context menu integration, and exclusions. Idling, SE uses less than 4MB memory when idle and between 2-6% CPU and no more than 8MB when running a full scan on Windows 7.

I've got some more screenshots today as a result, but be warned: they're really not that much more exciting than what you saw yesterday. You can check them out after the break.

Edit: because of my recent irresponsible surfing, you can see SE catching and removing a trojan. w00t!
Edit: Worth mentioning that my system was running NOD32 up until now. Unsure why it never spotted the trojan.

Make sure you read the EULA before installing - it clearly states that you'll only be able to recover $5US if something goes horribly wrong with the program.

Thanks for the heads up, Paul @ MoDaCo!

One thing that I always like to see in a corporate entity is the ability to have a little fun from time to time. If I was going to give an award for "Best Comedic Performance by a Software Vendor," it would go to antivirus developer Sophos, hands down.

Why? For their brand-new Klingon antivirus application.

The program is no joke - it's real Sophos AV, but it may not be a real benefit for you if you can't read Klingon. Of course, you can always improve your linguistic skills over at the Klingon Language Institute. Just make sure you pay attention to the compatibility notes:

"Runs on Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista.
This software has compatibility issues with the version of msxml4.dll used by cloaking devices on Romulan-modded D7-class battle cruisers. Installing this software on such vessels is punishable by ordeal of Ginst'a'Ed."

Sophos scores additional bonus points for the product's web page, which boasts such excellent touches as untouched "Lorem" text, the rarely-used <blurb> tag, and, of course, copious references to Star Trek.

Pics or it didn't happen, you say? Check out a few more screens after the break. Sorry for the lack of explanations, but my skills are limited to three human languages - English, Spanish, and bad English.

Panda has been working on Cloud Antivirus for nearly three years, and it's now available to the public in beta form.

The application aims to leverage the power of the cloud to better and more quickly detect and analyze new threats as they appear - which can be done in as little as six minutes, according to Panda. Called "Collective Intelligence," Panda's system utilizes anonymous data from users running the application and processes about 50,000 new threats each day.

In exchange for your participartion in Cloud, you're given totally free virus protection for your personal computer (sorry, no commercial use). That's a pretty good deal for a tool that is able to provide near-realtime detection and analysis. Temporarily off the 'net? No problem. Cloud maintains a local cache to keep you protected when you're apart from the Collective, Locutus.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to take Cloud Antivirus for a spin on my personal laptop. Not only is it not available as a native 64-bit application, but it won't even install on Windows 7 or Vista x64. I had to snag the screencap above via TeamViewer on my XP Pro system at work.

While running the scan, Cloud's processes consumed about 90Mb of memory total on my system, but CPU utilization was very light - rarely spiking above 10% and humming along at 4-6% most of the time. CNet reported much lower RAM use, but their number may have been referring only to Cloud's main process. (update: my system is now reporting about 20Mb idle).

If you're running a 32-bit version of Windows, Cloud Antivirus is a good, lightweight option.

[via webware]

We're now less than a week away from the scheduled activation of the latest variant of the Conficker worm and experts are still unsure if this is all a hoax or a set-up for security disaster.

The worm, which targets an exploit in all versions of Windows from Windows 2000 forward, including Windows 7, started spreading last fall and several variations have subsequently appeared. Although Microsoft released a security patch in October, unpatched machines can still be infected and newer variants make removing the worm more difficult.

To add insult to injury, the worm attaches itself to USB devices like thumb drives, making it that much easier to infect machines on a large scale.

But it's not all doom and gloom. If you or someone you love has a machine infected with the Conficker worm, there are plenty of resources out there to get things back under control.

BitDefender has a tool that can remove the latest Conficker variant from both single PCs and a Windows network. From what I've read, the BitDefender tool is the best at getting the latest variant, and it would be my go-to pick. Symantec, Kaspersky and ESET also have removal tools and McAfee and AVG can grab the virus from on-demand scans.

To help stop the spread of worms, you can also disable AutoRun so that worms and other malicious code can't spread through external media.

And of course, it's crucial to stay on top of the latest security updates and to run an anti-virus program, if you are a Windows user. You don't even have to buy a program, as Lee pointed out last month, there are lots of great free options available.

Have you had to clean-up a Conficker infected PC? What are your tips and tricks?

Avira has released an updated version of the company's free AntiVirus application. AntiVir 9 comes in free and paid versions. For the first time, the free version includes anti-spyware and anti-adware tools as well as antivirus protection. It also has a new one-click threat removal option.

Avira AntiVir Premium includes all the features in the free software, plus e-mail scanning, a WebGuard feature for "safe web surfing," and the ability to create a bootable rescue CD. The premium version costs 19.95 Euros or about $26 US.

[via CNet]

Keeping your Windows computer virus-free doesn't have to cost you a lot of money. Heck, it doesn't need to cost you any money. There are plenty of good options available for those of you on the hunt for free antivirus software.

Wait - free? Don't companies like Norton make a good business out of selling antivirus protection? Why would someone give it away? Developers of free antivirus solutions like Avast and AVG are counting on a couple of things. First, that you'll like the free offering enough to want to buy an upgraded version of their product. Second, that if enough home users talk about how much they love it that their "computer guy" at work might want to use it on the company's systems.

The free options listed after the break offer the same kind of protection as the boxed software you can buy at the store.

Two things to keep in mind:

First, as with other free software, some of the developers ask for support in the form of a toolbar install. They're all optional, so make sure to un-tick the checkboxes during the install if you don't want the toolbar.

Second, a number of the developers offer a non-free version on the free version's download page via a service called TrialPay. The totally free version is normally on the left, the TrialPay offer on the right - make sure you're clicking the link you actually want.

A number of sites - including Life Rocks 2.0 - are reporting that McAfee is currently offering a free one year license for Virusscan Plus with firewall and anti-spyware protection.

The suite is normally priced at $39.99 for a single pc, but entering the promotional code ****** will apply the discount. Licenses for up to four additional PCs can be added for an extra $10 each. The site is also offering a three system, one year license of McAfee Internet Security 2009 for $34.99 (a $35 discount).

The latest release has gotten fairly good reviews and boasts increased speed as well as improved virus detection and removal. If you're a McAfee fan, this offer is too good to pass up.

The offer expires December 31, 2008.

Update: As indicated in the comments, the offer is only valid for specific people - not the general public. In the interest of saving you some grief, the code and links have been removed.

Eset has released the first public beta downloads of their excellent Smart Security suite. It's available for both 32 and 64-bit Windows systems.

The list of enhancements in the new version is lengthy, including:

• a new device driver has been added which can remove malware at boot time
• improved scanning of files over 2gb, network files, and Microsoft Office documents
• hardened kernel service that better resists malicious tampering attempts
• scanning of SSL-encrypted SMTP and POP3 email, as well as IMAP mail
• support for Windows Live Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird
• better support for Windows Vista's UAC
• a "Watch Activity" pane shows File and Network Activity and can graph by hour, minute, or second
• addition of a text-mode UI with keyboard navigation

Among numerous new features and improvements to the antivirus/malware protection, the suite now also includes Eset's SysInspector, an excellent system diagnostic, monitoring, and reporting tool. Antispam and firewall features are also included in the package, as is the SysRescue tool which can create bootable rescude media.

Though Eset has yet to announce an official release date, my Beta 4 install license reports that it will remain valid until March 2, 2009.

[via CyberNet]

Microsoft announced yesterday that Live OneCare, its anti-virus/malware application, will be put to rest on June 30, 2009. A replacement offering is slated for release around the same time.

Currently codenamed Morro, the new program will be completely free. Microsoft's aim is to "[..]focus on getting the majority of consumers the essential protection they need by providing comprehensive, real-time anti-malware protection, covering such threats as viruses, spyware, rootkits, trojans, and other emerging threats, in a single, focused solution."

That's a fairly altruistic mission statement. Even though Microsoft has received plenty of praise for apps like SteadyState and Live Writer, the public still doesn't perceive Microsoft as a company that gives away good software for free.

And then there's last month's software report by NPD, which showed Live OneCare actually outselling McAffee Virusscan. It's done fairly well in terms of sales, so why change now?

The move makes sense in at least one way: protecting their own OS from malicious applications. Work never stops when it comes to finding exploitable weaknesses in Windows. If the new product is widely adopted and works at least as well as other free protection offerings (like Avast, AVG, Avira, Comodo), Windows might appear a bit more secure.

For full details, visit the Live OneCare team blog.

[ via BetaNews ]

ZoneAlarm has been around for years, and is still one of the most popular Windows firewall programs around (about 1.6 million CNET downloads to date).

As reported on gHacks, Checkpoint will be giving away the 2009 Pro version tomorrow - complete with one year of updates. We're not sure about the exact URL for the promotion, but gHacks thinks it will probably be associated with this address.

ZoneAlarm Pro adds anti-spyware protection to ZoneAlarm's firewall product. Pair that with your favorite antivirus program, and you have a full security suite!

The latest version of the ZoneAlarm family has received good reviews. CNET Australia reviewed ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 2009 and said, "ZoneAlarm Internet Security 2009 provides top-notch fundamental security protection that is light on system resources, allowing you to work unencumbered." It's also a perennial favorite of PC World, winning Editor's Choice awards four years in a row.

If you're not a fan of ZoneAlarm, you may want to check out Comodo's latest offering.

We'll see if the Checkpoint servers can cope with the increased demand. I'm sure we all remember what happened with the Codeweavers giveaway last month.

Update: at 6am Pacific, this page will be changed to offer the free Pro version.

Update: It's 6am Pacific, and still no link. The traffic has started. As I expected, their servers weren't able to handle the influx and there's a "we're sorry!" message up now.

Update: It's Live! Go and get it!