Microsoft’s Free Antimalware beta on the way
August 7, 2009 Software Review
Microsoft is set to launch a public beta of its anti-malware service, ‘Microsoft Security Essentials’, as it phases out its 
Live OneCare suite in favor of a simpler free consumer security offering.
Microsoft Security Essentials, which will be compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7, will be available in the U.S., Brazil, and Israel in English and Brazilian Portuguese.
A public beta version for Simplified Chinese is set to be available later in the year.
The service works like traditional antivirus products in which client software monitors programs on a PC. As soon as a system change occurs on the computer, for example: the downlaodign of files or software, or the attempt at modifying files; the system tends to check against a set of malware signatures within the client program (to see if the code matches the signature for known malware). If so, MSE will block it from getting downloaded or applyign the modifications to any file in question.
If no signature match is found, the system will ping the server-based Dynamic Signature Service to see if any new signatures are available and, if so, it removes the malware. If it appears to be new malware, the Dynamic Signature Service may request a sample of the code in order to create a new signature.
The service updates its anti-malware database constantly and publishes new antivirus signatures to Microsoft Update three times a day, Alan Packer, general manager of Microsoft’s Anti-Malware team, said in an interview on Thursday.
“The hope is that people who install Security Essentials and enable auto updates in their Windows configuration will be protected” automatically, he said.
The service also includes new technologies that help protect against rootkits, programs that are designed to hide the fact that a PC has been compromised, and is also designed to run efficiently by scanning when the PC is idle and conserving on memory usage.
If you already have antivirus software installed you probably don’t need this service. Security Essentials doesn’t detect if you have security software installed but does provide a message upon install that says two antivirus products aren’t necessary and could interfere with each other, Packer said.
The new service lacks the following features which Live OneCare posesses:
- managed firewalls
- performance-tuning
- backup and restore
- printer-sharing
- multi-PC management
Accordign to a spokeperson: “We don’t see Security Essentials as a direct competitor to other free products and suites,” which try to “upsell” users, or get them to eventually pay for a product. We’re targeting people who aren’t protected already.”
A spokeswoman for AVG, likely the main rival to Microsoft’s service, said “AVG offers a free Internet security suite that has advantages because it is operating system agnostic and was developed by a company that specializes in security products.”
Microsoft Security Essentials is set to be available for download from Microsoft’s Web site. (http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/market.aspx)
