Anti-Malware Software, Microsoft Security Essentials, Out and Yours for Free

A new anti-malware service from Microsoft has come, and it’s free. Microsoft Security Essentials was recently released and is simple and consumer friendly anti-malware software which is free to download. It will run on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Other operating systems like Linux and Mac aren’t capable of running this service as it’s a Windows only service.

Microsoft Security Essentials works like usual antivirus software in which client software will monitor programs and applications on a PC. When processes are being done, such as downloading or transferring and modifying files, the system will check against a list of malware signatures in the client software to find out if the codes and the signatures match that of a known malware. If that happens, it blocks the file from further processes.

If no matches are found, the system will later ping the server based DSS or Dynamic Signature Service to see if there are any updates on new signatures, if there are new signatures, it will remove the malware. The DSS may also request a sample of the code if ever new malware might be in hand, it will use the code to create a new signature. The service updates is database constantly. It also publishes new signatures to Microsoft Update 3 times each day.

The service itself also includes new features that help in protecting you from rootkits, rootkits are programs designed to conceal the fact that your PC has been infected and compromised. It scans the PC whenever it’s idle to conserve memory usage. If an antivirus software is already installed on your PC, then this service may not be for you.

Though the service lacks features like performance tuning, managed firewalls, backup and restore and multi-PC management, the service is still a good download for those who don’t have any antivirus software installed at all. The company mentioned that they don’t see Security Essentials as a top competitor to other free software, they also claim that the audience they are trying to reach are those who have no protection at all.

Overall, Microsoft Security Essentials will prove useful to those who have no antivirus or anti-malware software at all. It will protect your PC from being compromised and infected, and will continue to protect it. It is advised that all Microsoft OS users who don’t have their PC already protected should download the service free. The download is available on Microsoft’s Website.

cnet