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Filed under: Security, Utilities, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware, Windows x64

Microsoft Security Essentials rated best free antivirus for Windows

Thousands of downloads. Countless positive reviews on software blogs around the Internet. It's been quite a ride so far for Microsoft Security Essentials.

In AV Comparative's most recent report on malware removal, MSE was the only free antivirus rated Advanced+. That ranking placed it alongside big names like Norton, Kaspersky, and F-Secure. Security Essentials also beat out technician favorite ESET, which managed only an Advanced rating.

It's also worth noting that only three antivirus apps - Norton 2010, eScan, and Security Essentials - scored marks of good or better in removal of malware and removal of leftovers. So not only has MSE beaten free competitors like AVG (version 8.5 tested, not 9.0), Avira, and Avast, it also posted test scores equal to or better than a dozen antivirus programs you'd have to pay for.

Well done, Microsoft!

[via Ars Technica]

Filed under: Security, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware, Windows x64

Update Microsoft Security Essentials definitions manually - no Windows Update required

While Microsoft Security Essentials has gotten mostly glowing reviews so far, some users are still hesitant to install it. One thing holding up some users is Windows Update.

You can't update your Security Essentials definitions automatically if the Windows Update service is disabled. And while keeping your system fully patched is a necessity, not everyone wants to allow Windows to do it for them - they prefer the going manual route.

Fortunately, Microsoft knows this. After all, Security Essentials is based on Forefront - their enterprise antivirus product. And in the enterprise it's common practice to install updates manually.

To that end, Security Essentials definitions can be downloaded as a standalone executable from Microsoft. They're available from the Malware Protection Center where you'll also find the current defs for Forefront and Defender.

Download the .exe yourself, run it, and your Security Essentials is up-to-date! Better yet, set up an app like Ketarin to handle scheduled downloads for you and save yourself a step.

Filed under: Security, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware, Windows x64

Microsoft Security Essentials enjoys warm reception in first week

I'm a huge fan of Security Essentials (and Windows 7, and a number of other MS products, but I digress). It's quickly become my recommended free antivirus app of choice and protects all three of the laptops in my house. And I've got plenty of company.

The Microsoft Malware Protection Center blog has posted some interesting numbers. After its first week, Security Essentials has already been installed more than 1.5 million times. From the approximately 535,000 machines reporting statistics, MSE has logged over 4 million detections.

44% of MSE users are already running Windows 7 with XP following at 33% and the remaining 23% on Vista. The number of detections per OS is also interesting. 52% of the 4 million reported were found on Windows XP systems compared to only 32% on Vista.

Windows 7 users fared even better. Though they represent the largest group of MSE users, only 16% of detections came from systems running Microsoft's latest OS. The post also reports 1/3 of these machines are using the 64-bit version, which "is even more resistant to malware than 32-bit due to PatchGuard," states Microsoft's Joe Faulhaber.

Security Essentials is a free download, and is available directly from Microsoft.

Filed under: Security, Utilities, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware, Windows x64

Microsoft Security Essentials leaves beta, available for download 9/29/2009


We knew it was coming soon, and now we know when: tomorrow, or - depending on whether you read this post before midnight - today.

Yes, Microsoft Security Essentials is set to shed the beta tag and will be available for public download starting September 29, 2009.

Many of our readers have been using the successor to Live OneCare since it first appeared as a leaked (and then official) beta build back in June of this year. Reviews have generally been very favorable. MSE has been praised for its good detection rates, infrequent false positives, scanning performance, and minimal resource utilization.

Once the download is live, you'll be able get Security Essentials right from Microsoft's web site. Chances are good that you will also be able to get your hands on the final version from Softpedia - just in case you need a backup plan.

MSE will be offered to users in 19 countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

If you've used the MSE beta, share your experience in the comments!

Filed under: Security, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware, Beta, Windows x64

Microsoft Security Essentials tested, passes with flying colors



Regular Download Squad readers already know that I've been testing Microsoft's new Security Essentials since it first appeared in the wild last week and that I've been quite impressed with it so far. Some commenters weren't impressed, however, waving the NOD32 flag even though SE removed threats from my machine that NOD had missed.

AV-Test Labs has now put SE through a slightly more grueling test than scanning my piddly PC. They threw 3,200 different bots, trojans, and viruses along with a slew of items designed to trigger false positives and Security Essentials was up for the task.

In an email to Computerworld, Andreas Marx of AV-Test reported "All files were properly detected and treated by the product," said Marx in an e-mail. "That's good, as several other [antivirus] scanners are still not able to detect and kill all of these critters yet. None of the clean files were noted as malicious." The program was also able to tackle rootkits, though AV-Test will put it through more comprehensive testing before making a verdict on that particular ability.

Marx also addressed the concerns that SE was using Microsoft's own servers for cloud-based scanning. "The scanner works with the locally-installed anti-virus and anti-spyware databases -- it doesn't appear to use 'in-the-cloud scanning' methods," he stated.

If you missed out on the original download from Microsoft, don't fret. The nice folks at Softpedia have mirrored the SE files for you.

Filed under: Security, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware, Beta, Windows x64

Microsoft Security Essentials public beta now available to download


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.

Filed under: Security, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware, Beta, Windows x64

Microsoft Security Essentials (Morro) leaked - here it is in action.

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!

Read more →

Filed under: Security, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware, Beta, Windows x64

Morro screenshots leak...Here are some more exciting Morro images


I like leaks and exclusive news as much as the next guy, but I'm having a hard time getting worked up about this particular one.

It's no secret that Microsoft's follow-up to One Care should be making an official appearance sometime soon, but an anonymous tipster has already provided NeoWin with three screenshots. Three really, really boring screenshots: pre-update, during update, and the green "I'm happy you just ran an update" screen.

More awesome: Brad's screenshot from Google maps of Morro, the beach in Brazil. Or this vintage photo of some men digging clams at Morro Beach in California. Heck, here's a whole bunch of Flickr results from Compfight.

Granted, an antivirus app doesn't need to be exciting to be awesome, but let's see if something with a bit more substance turns up. Like a torrent containing the pre-release - which we all know is coming, amirite?

Filed under: Security, Windows, Microsoft

Microsoft to launch free anti-virus app soon


Word on the street has it that Microsoft is preparing to launch a free anti-virus application for Windows. That's not breaking news - we first reported the project back in November 2008, but Reuters is now reporting that a beta version of the software should be available for download "soon."

Microsoft has reportedly been testing the product internally, and expects it to compete with similar utilities from Symantec, McAfee, AVG, Avast, and other security companies. The Microsoft anti-virus app is code-named Morro (after a beach in Brazil), but it will probably have a different name by the time it's released.

The program isn't expected to be competitive with high priced security software, but it should offer the basic anti-virus functionality you would expect from the entry level anti-virus apps from companies that typically charge an annual subscription fee for updates.

You could make the case that Microsoft is aiming to take business away from those companies. But you could also make the case that Microsoft should have been offering better virus scanning and removal tools all along in order to provide better security for Windows.

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