There are those who refuse to wear a seatbelt, get a flu shot, or run anti-virus software on their computer. They feel the aggravation of using protection trumps the need for security and they’re willing to risk exposure for a degree of comfort and the sanity it brings. In the case of Anti-Virus software the complaints are not wholly irrational. It can be expensive, over-complicated, and can cause your computer to slow down or seize just as badly as the viruses themselves. With the number of fake websites and pop-ups advertising fraudulent “anti-virus” or “PC Tune-Up” software, themselves viruses in sheep’s clothing, it can be difficult for someone who simply can’t pay attention to the computer industry to know whom to trust and whom to be wary of. Microsoft Security Essentials (http://www.microsoft.com/Security_essentials/) is for these individuals. It is simple, quick, painless, and free. It’s by the same company who created Windows, the software you already have running on your computer. It’s anti-virus software for people who can’t stand anti-virus software. To a certain extent, I think we all fall into that camp.

  

It takes mere moments to download and install. The first initial scan of your computer is unexpectedly quick and then, rather unusual for a Microsoft product, it remains wonderfully quiet. Aside from placing a Castle-shaped shortcut on your Desktop and a little notification icon in your taskbar, it leaves you alone. Several days go by without even so much as a peep. In terms of your computer’s performance, it’s as if it doesn’t exist.

This is very surprising considering that it runs real-time protection, constantly scanning your computer and inspecting each downloaded file and attachment for both viruses, spyware, and all forms of malware. Other anti-virus packages do this, of course, but with all the ones I’ve tested, there’s always some degree of slow-down or added load to the computer as a result.

Although Microsoft has thoroughly explained the new innovations they’ve come up with to achieve this level of unobtrusiveness, you still have to wonder if the program, as quiet as it is, is actually doing anything.

I’ve tested Microsoft Security Essentials across a number of systems running Windows XP, Vista, and 7, on systems both sick and healthy, and I find it works very well, detecting and eliminating viruses and malware, and leaving nothing behind for other comparable anti-virus packages to find. However, I don’t have access to a computer virus lab to perform conclusive tests and so must defer to the results of security organizations that do. AV-Test.org has released the first set of such results, subjecting Microsoft Security Essentials to a collection of samples of more than half a million known viruses, worms, backdoors, bots, and Trojans. It was successful in detecting 98.44% of those samples. They also subjected it almost 13,000 known ad-ware and spyware programs, and again Microsoft’s software passed with flying colours, detecting 90.95 %.

These tests also revealed a clear advantage for Microsoft as their software delivered no false positives. This is when anti-virus software accidentally mistakes a section of code with Windows or Microsoft Office to be a virus itself. Clearly Microsoft knows their own products well enough to keep their own anti-virus software from making this mistake. As a slight weakness, the virus lab tests showed that Microsoft’s program had trouble detecting viruses based on suspicious displays of dynamic behavior. This is comparable with other free anti-virus software, such as AVG or Avast, that also share the same difficulty. Another advantage for Microsoft is the simplicity of their software. There are just four menu screens to visit, each presented with clear instructions and simple options. You can schedule and perform scans, check for updates, and specify how you want detected files handled (removed or quarantined). Most of the settings you need never change.

What is lacking are all the added features included in paid anti-virus suites. These can include additional security tools for combating phishing and other web-based threats, monitoring software for families, and “tune-up” utilities designed to keep your computer organized and efficient.

There is great debate within the industry as to whether all these extras are really needed or if they merely cause more harm through confusion, complexity and extra processing demands.

I argue against the extras. Computer security has come a long way over the years and the home computer is no longer the first line of defense. Internet Service Providers and IT Departments now run security software across their networks, routers provide hardware-based firewalls, web-based e-mail services such as Gmail now include scanning of attachments, web browsers include their own pop-up blockers and anti-phishing features, plus Windows itself includes both a software-based firewall and anti-spyware application with Windows Defender. Add to that the constant flow of Windows Updates designed to block the exploits used by many viruses, and most of the security is already in place. Without buying Anti-Virus software, you already have extras on your computer.

All that any home user “needs” is a program that can detect and remove viruses and malware and Microsoft Security Essentials does an excellent job.

The real issue I think that needs to be explored is Microsoft’s decision to limit their free software to computers that can pass their “Windows Genuine Advantage” utility, which is designed to see if a computer is running a valid version of Windows or a pirated copy.

The biggest concern with computer viruses today is not that they will damage home computers, but that they will force them to secretly participate in large, illegal computer networks that are used to run criminal schemes to steal personal information and financial data.

As we saw in the last major attack with Conficker, its computers running pirated versions of Windows, that are the first to become infected participants in these criminal computer networks. By limiting their free anti-virus software only to valid versions of Windows, Microsoft is giving priority to their battle against piracy around the globe over their battle against viruses and spyware.