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Microsoft Security Essentials
Logo of Microsoft Security Essential: A blue castle with a flag on the top and two gates A wordmark, showing how the words "Microsoft Security Essentials" are written in the product.
Application main window, showing a health indicator to the right (which can be red, yellow or green) and a group of three radio boxes and a button to the left that allow user to start a quick scan, a full scan or a custom scan.Microsoft Security Essentials version 4.0
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial release29 September 2009 (2009-09-29)
Stable release4.0.1526.0 / 24 April 2012; 12 years ago (2012-04-24)
Preview release4.1.509.0 (Release Candidate) / 23 August 2012; 12 years ago (2012-08-23)
Operating system
PlatformIA-32 and x64
Size
  • IA-32: 9.8 MB
  • x64: 12.0 MB
  • IA-32 definitions: 59.4 MB
  • x64 definitions: 60 MB
  • NIS definitions: 0.9 MB
Available inEnglish, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Slovakian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese
TypeAntivirus and Network intrusion detection system
LicenseFreeware
Websitewindows.microsoft.com/mse

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is an antivirus computer program that provides protection against different types of malware such as computer viruses, spyware, rootkits and Trojan horses. It uses the same antimalware foundation as other Microsoft antivirus products, although it lacks the centralized management features. This product runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, but not on Windows 8, which has a built-in antivirus component. The included license agreement allows home users and small businesses to install and use the antivirus free of charge.

The announcement of Microsoft Security Essentials elicited mixed reactions from the antivirus industry. Symantec, McAfee and Kaspersky Lab, three competing independent software vendors (ISVs) dismissed it as an unworthy competitor. AVG Technologies and Avast Software, however, appreciated it for its potential to expand the consumers' choice of antivirus software. Meanwhile, AVG, McAfee, Sophos and Trend Micro said that the integration of this product into Microsoft Windows would be a violation of competition law.

Despite the industry response, Microsoft Security Essentials has received generally positive reviews. Reviewers praised its user-interface, low resource usage and freeware license. It passed the antivirus lab tests of AV-TEST.org and secured AV-TEST.org certification, having shown the ability to eliminate all widespread malware. According to OPSWAT Inc., on March 2012, it was the most popular antivirus product in North America and the second most popular in the world. Owing to its popularity, several rogue antivirus programs that try to impersonate it have appeared.

Features

Microsoft Security Essentials is an antivirus product that fights malicious software (malware), including computer viruses, spyware, Trojan horses and rootkits. The software runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. It replaces Windows Live OneCare, a discontinued commercial subscription-based antivirus service, and the free Windows Defender, which prior to Windows 8, only protected users from adware and spyware. It relies on virus definitions to combat malware. It automatically checks for and downloads virus definition updates published three times a day on Microsoft Update, the web-based software update service. Alternatively, users may download the updates manually from Microsoft Security Portal website.

The antivirus is built upon the same foundation as other Microsoft antimalware products; all use the same virus definitions and antimalware engine known as Microsoft Malware Protection Engine (MSMPENG). But Microsoft Security Essentials lacks the personal firewall or centralized management features found in OneCare or Forefront Endpoint Protection (FEP).

The antivirus provides real-time protection; it constantly monitors activities on the computer, scanning new files as they are downloaded or created. It disables detected threats and prompts for user input on how to treat them. If no response is received in ten minutes, suspected threats are handled according to the default actions defined in the Settings section of the antivirus product. Depending on the settings, it may also create System Restore checkpoints before removing the detected malware. As a part of real-time protection, the antivirus reports all suspicious behaviors of monitored programs to Microsoft SpyNet, a web-based service. If the report matches a newly discovered malware threat with an unreleased virus definition, the new definition will be downloaded to remove the threat.

According to Microsoft, hardware requirements for the product differ, depending on the operating system. On a computer with Windows XP, it requires at least a 500 MHz processor and 256 MB of memory. On a Windows Vista or Windows 7 system, it requires a 1 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM. It also needs an 800 × 600 pixels or larger display screen, 200 MB of free hard disk space and an Internet connection.

Development

On 18 November 2008, Microsoft announced plans for a free consumer security product, codenamed Morro. This development marked a change in Microsoft's consumer antivirus marketing strategy: Instead of offering a subscription-based antivirus product with a host of other tools, such as backup and a personal firewall, Morro would offer free antivirus protection with a smaller impact on system resources. Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division at Microsoft, announced that Morro would not directly compete with other commercial antivirus software; rather it was focused on the 50 to 60 percent of PC users who did not have or would not pay for antivirus protection. By 17 June 2009, the official name of Morro was revealed: Microsoft Security Essentials.

On 23 June 2009, Microsoft released a public beta to 75,000 people in the United States, Israel, China and Brazil. At the time, Microsoft stated that it would be released before the end of 2009, in 20 markets and 10 languages; the final build was released on 29 September 2009.

Version 2.0

Almost a year after the initial release, Microsoft quietly released the second version. This version entered the technical preview stage on 19 July 2010. The final build was released on 16 December 2010. It includes Network Inspection System (NIS), a network intrusion detection system that works on Windows Vista and Windows 7, as well as a new antimalware engine that employs heuristics in malware detection. It integrates with Internet Explorer to protect users against web-based threats. NIS requires a separate set of definition updates.

Version 4.0

Sixteen months after the release of version 2.0, Microsoft skipped version 3.0 and released Microsoft Security Essentials 4.0. A public beta program started on 18 November 2011 when Microsoft sent out invitations to potential participants, without announcing a version number. The first beta version was released on 29 November 2011. The final build was released on 24 April 2012. Subsequently, Microsoft initiated a pre-release program that provides volunteers with the latest beta version and accepts feedback.

Future

Microsoft Security Essentials does not run on Windows 8, which has its own antimalware subsystem. On 13 September 2011, at BUILD conference in Anaheim, California, Microsoft unveiled the developer preview of Windows 8 which had an antimalware component capable of preventing an infected USB flash memory from compromising the system during the boot process. Later on 15 September, Windows 8 developers blog confirmed that Windows Defender in Windows 8 would take over the duty of antimalware protection. In an included video, Jason Garms of Microsoft showed how Windows Defender is registered with Action Center as both an antivirus and an antispyware tool and how it blocks drive-by malware. On 3 March 2012, Softpedia reviewed the consumer preview of Windows 8 and noted how Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials 4.0 Beta were similar in looks. According to Softpedia, Windows 8 Setup demands Microsoft Security Essentials to be uninstalled before upgrading Windows 7.

Licensing

A message that reads "You may be a victim of software counterfeiting. Microsoft Security Essentials will stop working in 29 days. To continue using Microsoft Security Essentials and help protect your computer against malware, your copy of Microsoft Windows must be validated as genuine."
A popup notification that alerts the user of a Windows license problem that will prevent Microsoft Security Essentials from working, unless resolved

The product's license agreement allows home users to download, install and use it on an unlimited number of computers in their households free of any charges, so long as each computer has a "genuine" (legitimately licensed) copy of Microsoft Windows. The license agreement, however, forbids usage in academic institutions and governmental locations. It also forbids reverse-engineering, decompiling or disassembling the product or working around its designed limitations. Since October 2010, small businesses are also allowed to install this product on up to 10 devices.

Microsoft Security Essentials checks for validity of the operating system's license during and after installation. If it is not found to be valid, the software will notify the user of the issue and will cease to operate after a period of time. It requires no registration or personal information.

Reception

Industry response

The announcement and debut of Microsoft Security Essentials was met with mixed responses from the antivirus industry. Symantec, McAfee and Kaspersky Lab, three competing antivirus vendors dismissed it, claiming that it is not as good as their own software. Jens Meggers, Symantec's vice president of engineering for Norton products dismissed it as "very average—nothing outstanding". Tom Powledge of Symantec urged his customers to be mindful of what protection they chose, bearing in mind that OneCare offered "substandard protection" and an "inferior user experience". Joris Evers, director of worldwide public relations for McAfee stated "with OneCare's market share of less than 2%, we understand Microsoft's decision to shift attention to their core business." Justin Priestley of Kaspersky stated, " continued to hold a very low market share in the consumer market, and we don't expect the exit of OneCare to change the playing field drastically."

AVG Technologies and Avast Software, two other competitors, viewed Microsoft Security Essentials positively. An AVG Technologies representative stated, "We view this as a positive step for the AV landscape. AVG has believed in the right to free antivirus software for the past eight years." Avast Software said that it has an ambivalent view towards the product. Vincent Steckler, Avast Software CEO said "MSE is not the silver bullet but it is also not the bad sequel to One Care that some claim."

Some antivirus vendors expressed concerns over Microsoft's distribution method. AVG raised the issue of distributing the software product and said, "Microsoft will have to do more than simply make the product available." AVG Technologies stated that integration of this product with Microsoft Windows would be a violation of competition law. McAfee, Sophos and later Trend Micro affirmed that an antitrust lawsuit would surely have followed if Microsoft had bundled the product with Windows.

The announcement of Microsoft Security Essentials affected the stocks of antivirus vendors. On 19 November 2008, after Microsoft announced codename Morro, Symantec, McAfee and Microsoft shares fell 9.44, 6.62 and 6 percent respectively. On 10 June 2009, after announcing an upcoming beta version, Microsoft shares rose 2.1 percent. Symantec and McAfee shares, however, fell 0.5 and 1.3 percent respectively. Daniel Ives, an analyst with FBR Capital Markets said Microsoft Security Essentials would be a "long-term competitive threat", though near-term impact would be negligible.

Reviews

A message that reads: "Microsoft Security Essentials detected 2 potential threats. Click 'Clean computer' to remove these threats."
A pop-up notification stating malware was found

The public beta version received several positive reviews, citing its low resource usage, straightforward user interface and price point. Brian Krebs of The Washington Post reported that a quick scan on a Windows 7 computer took about 10 minutes and a full scan about 45 minutes. Ars Technica reviewed it positively, citing its organized interface, low resource usage, and its status as freeware.

PCWorld noted its "clear-cut" and "cleanly designed" tabbed user interface. At the top of the Home tab, the security status is clearly shown. The other three tabs allow users to manually update the product, review its history, and change program settings. However, PCWorld found some of the settings to be cryptic and confusing. Settings, such as what to do when malware is found, default to "recommended action". There was no explanation of the recommended action except in the help file. The editor was also confused because the user interface did not mention that Microsoft Security Essentials automatically updates itself; some may believe they must manually update the product through the Update tab. However, this explanation was included in the final release.

PC Magazine successfully installed the beta version on 12 malware-infected systems and cited its small installation package (about 7 MB, depending on the operating system) and speedy installation. However, the initial virus definition update took between 5 to 15 minutes and the full installation occupied about 110 MB of disk space on each system. The editor noted that the beta version sets Windows Update into fully automatic mode, although it can be turned off again through Windows Control Panel. Some full scans took over an hour on infected systems; a scan on a clean system took 35 minutes.

Although the beta version did poorly in PC Magazine tests, the final build did significantly better in AV-Test.org tests. According to Neil Rubenking, a PC Magazine author, in an on-demand scan test that he conducted in June 2009, the beta version found 89 percent of all malware samples: It found 30 percent of commercial keyloggers, 67 percent of rootkits and only half of scareware samples. The product's real-time protection found 83 percent of all malware samples and blocked the majority of them: In this test, the product found 40 percent of the commercial keyloggers and 78 percent of the rootkits. In October, AV-Test.org conducted a series of trials on the final build of the product in which it detected and caught 98.44 percent of 545,034 computer viruses, computer worms and software Trojan horses as well as 90.95 percent of 14,222 spyware and adware samples. It also detected and eliminated all 25 tested rootkits. Microsoft Security Essentials generated no false-positives at all.

AV-TEST.org tested Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 on March 2011 and certified that it outperforms the antivirus industry average ratings. Despite having received the certificate, this product received a protection score of 2.5 out of 6, a repair score of 3.5 out of 6 and a usability score of 5.5 out of 6. Report details show that although version 2.0 was able to find all malware samples of the WildList (widespread malware), it was not able to stop all Internet-based attacks because it lacks personal firewall and anti-spam capabilities. Since March 2011, Microsoft Security Essentials has been tested and certified seven more times, showing constant improvements in the results. In an April 2012 test, version 2.1 has received scores of 3.0, 5.5 and 5.0 for protection, repair and usability.

On 30 September 2011, a faulty definition update caused the product to incorrectly tag Google Chrome as malware. The issue was resolved within three hours.

Awards

On 7 January 2010, Microsoft Security Essentials won the PC Advisor's Best Free Software award. Later, in December 2010, it secured AV-Comparatives.org's Bronze award for proactive detection of 55% of new or unknown malware, the Silver award for low false-positives (six occurrences) and the Bronze award for overall performance.

Market share

One year after the initial release, on 29 September 2010, Microsoft announced a number of over 30 million users for the product. The Security Industry Market Share Analysis report of June 2011, published by OPSWAT Inc. states that Microsoft Security Essentials has been one of the most popular antivirus products in the world. According to the report, it had 10.66% of the global market and 15.68% of the North America market. The same report shows Microsoft as the number one antivirus vendor in North America with 17.07% market share, and as the number four antivirus vendor world-wide.

John Dunn of PCWorld, who analyzed the report, noted that the tendency to use free antivirus software is something new: "After all, free antivirus suites have been around for years but have tended to be seen as the poor relations to paid software." He named Microsoft Security Essentials as a source of influence for PC users to adopt free antivirus software.

The product's position has improved ever since. In September 2011, OPSWAT report indicates that it has become the second most popular antivirus product in the world, while remaining the most popular in North America. A March 2012 OPSWAT report indicates that the product has maintained this position, although Microsoft's market share has improved by 2% worldwide and 3% in North America. Seth Rosenblatt of CNET News comments on how the product's share rose from 7.27 in 2010 to 10.08 in 2012 and says "use of the lightweight security suite exploded last year".

Rogue antivirus software

Due to the popularity of the products, malware abuse its name. In February 2010, a rogue security package calling itself "Security Essentials 2010" appeared on the Internet. Designated TrojanDownloader:Win32/Fakeinit, it bears no visual resemblance to Microsoft Security Essentials. It reappeared in November 2010, this time calling itself "Microsoft Security Essentials 2011". A more dangerous rogue, however, appeared in October 2010. Designated Rogue:Win32/FakePAV, it closely resembles Microsoft Security Essentials and uses sophisticated social engineering to deceive users and infect their systems, under the guise of five different fictional antimalware products. It also terminates and prevents the launch of 156 different programs, including Registry Editor, Command Prompt, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Safari and Google Chrome.

See also

References

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