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Nov 30 2012   3:02PM GMT

Microsoft Security Essentials loses AV-TEST certification



Posted by: Ken Harthun
Malware, Secure Computing, Security

A colleague sent me a link to this article in The Register: Microsoft Security Essentials loses AV-TEST certification. Here is my emailed response:

Well, yeah, but I still recommend it to friends, family and students as one of the best free AV tools. It maintains the VB100 rating. Besides, absolutely NOTHING prevents against malware installing on the PCs of those ID-10-T users who click on links and agree to be infected.

Me, I don’t even run AV on any of my personal computers at home and haven’t for at least 5 years. I have had zero infections of any kind. On the other hand, I have cleaned PCs that were positively toxic with malware and were members of every known botnet despite their running fully updated versions of commercial AV software.

Naturally, I question the efficacy of AV software for the savvy amongst us.

What do YOU think? Hit the comments and let me know.

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LawrenceGarvin  |   Nov 30, 2012  8:51 PM (GMT)

Absolutely agree, Ken.I’ve already commented elsewhere that ALL of the current av software suites have failed to detect zero-day expliots. Let’s be real, they’re all signature-based products, and how, possibly, could a signature-based product detect a piece of malware for which there is not yet a known signature?I run MSE on all of my desktops, and that’s the only AV software I’ve run anywhere since I terminated my reseller partnership with Symantec almost 10 years ago.


 

Xinger  |   Dec 1, 2012  2:00 AM (GMT)

I agree too!  I use Microsoft’s Safety Scanner all the time to clean up what is missed by other brands, and SS cleans up a lot.  Safety Scanner is an on-demand version of Security Essentials: safety.live.com or http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/.  I use Security Essentials on my home PCs.


 

TomLiotta  |   Dec 2, 2012  1:38 AM (GMT)

I would only run MSE for as long as it takes to download/install an appropriate security product. Appropriate is first something not supplied for free by MS. MS functions should not be used as a primary security source for its OS and products. The inevitable consequence would be a weakening of the 3rd-party industry that discovers and protects against the vast majority of vulnerabilities. If “free” MSE displaces a significant fraction of 3rd-party products, it can only harm us all. — Tom