Microsoft Working on Free Vaccine for Windows Viruses
It's no secret that - as the most widely deployed operating system - Microsoft Windows has the ignoble distinction of being the primary target of virus and malware developers everywhere. And when you couple that with the fact that many users of the Windows operating system fail to protect their machines - due to both ignorance of the problem and costs associated with virus protection software - you have the potential for rampant virus outbreaks. We've all seen it, time and time again.
Now, Microsoft is proposing to solve that problem with a new antivirus package. The product, code-named Morro, is slated to hit the market late next year. It will offer protection for viruses, spyware, rootkits, and trojans. Even more important? It will offer that protection for free.
Designed to protect XP, Vista, and Windows 7 operating systems, Morro will be based on functionality that already exists in other Microsoft virus solutions:
"Built on Microsoft's award-winning malware protection engine, 'Morro' will take advantage of the same core anti-malware technology that fuels the company's current line of security products, which have received the VB100 award from Virus Bulletin, Checkmark Certification from West Coast Labs and certification from the International Computer Security Association Labs."
An added benefit? Morro will be designed to run on a much smaller footprint than its predecessor, ensuring that computers receive adequate protection without sapping much-needed processing resources.
As a result of the new offering, Microsoft will be shuttering their paid virus protection service Windows Live OneCare, which has been provided on a subscription basis at a cost of $49.95 US for up to three machines.
Just in Time or Too Little Too Late?
This isn't a new problem, by any means. It has existed ever since users starting pulling a disk or tape out of one machine and putting it in another. The Internet only exacerbated it. Now, more than a decade after the problems started gaining momentum, Microsoft is taking more definitive action. Better late than never.
Microsoft sits among a group of companies who have made a business out of attempting to reduce the number of systems being exploited by nefarious programs. And yet Microsoft holds a unique position compared to the others. As a company, Microsoft actually has the ability to fix the problems and exploits at their source - within the operating system itself - rather than simply covering those holes with band-aids as outsiders have struggled to do.
The release of this free product promises to help Microsoft better bookend that problem, corralling viruses from both sides. But what does giving the product away do to a market that has grown up around Microsoft's vulnerability? And does the potential cannibalization of that market raise red flags from the antitrust watchdogs? Hard to say. It's likely that some of the current antivirus companies will survive by providing additional features and functionality - or by employing their technology in other ways. But - clearly - selling antivirus solutions just got a great deal more difficult.
Regardless of the business and market impact, working to make the antivirus software more accessible to a wider group of users will likely help stave off larger problems. And if the Microsoft solution actually begins to make a dent in reducing the number of costly outbreaks, isn't it worth it? At the very least, it's a step in the right direction.
Comments
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Windows will be ever an easy target for virus and spywares
Posted by: Free-Soft | November 19, 2008 4:05 AM
I smell an antitrust suit from Symantec, McAffee, and the others... Seems to happen every time Microsoft bundles something for "free" that others have created an ecosystem around.
Posted by: webgroupWest | November 19, 2008 5:44 AM
@webgroupWest, I hope not. Seriously. I'm really hoping this is Microsoft stepping up and saying, "Hey we f-ed up, let us try to fix it for free". This is what I'd expect from any vendor. If there is an antitrust suit, the consumer loses.
Besides, isn't everyone tired of anti-virus companies pushing out anti-virus tools that suck? People hate Norton, it crashes PCs, and in general all of these tools are processor intensive. If there is an antitrust suit brought on by AV companies, it's because they have a cash cow that allows them to be lazy.
Guess that's why I don't use Windows :)
Posted by: Michael | November 19, 2008 6:25 AM
Perhaps I just cant see the case litigation, but if someone can explain the 'anti-trust' issue with a company effectively sorting out problems that they mostly created themselves, I would be grateful. Unless there is proof that Symantec was naively seduced like a hapless minor into the 'new PC' bundle-bed with Microsoft, I don't see where the problem lies.
Perhaps Microsoft is actually finally evolving away from the dinosaur mentality they had, into a company that realises they can't take their clients for granted. I say this because the positive gesture concurs with their release a standards compliant browser (which shows the professional designer/developer community that they are listening).
The anti-virus companies have made their packet of money feeding of Microsoft's failings. I for one will be happy to say goodbye to resource-grabbing add ons. I just hope free vaccines will be retrospectively available for all my OAPCs.
Posted by: Paul | November 19, 2008 7:15 AM
A lot of malware is a symptom of something that the Macintosh HIG got wrong and that Microsoft copied. The interface for "run a program" and "open a data file using an existing trusted program" is the same -- a double click.
Posted by: Don Marti | November 19, 2008 9:59 AM
Well I think any thing that Microsoft can do to fix the problem will be good for their users. The release of Windows Defender was also a good thing for PC users. In truth is sad but so many PC users are ignorant of even the free services that Microsoft provides and many refuse to practice any sort of safe computing. Microsoft also is the cause of many of these problems with their frequent Windows Advantage requirements many users think that they are protected with updates if they set their computer to auto update and they are until Microsoft has yet another Windows Advantage update that requires some type of manual user intervention before the computer will download updates again.
Posted by: Greg | November 19, 2008 12:01 PM
What reason would Microsoft have to promote a free item like this unless they are hoping to put this into their browser at one point down the road?
Posted by: Arthur | November 19, 2008 2:24 PM
it's because they have a cash cow that allows them to be lazy.
Posted by: mirc hazır kod | November 24, 2008 4:29 AM
I'm in college and funds are tight. Will this be free for eveyone? Will it be available for established Windows users without having to buy something else? I don't mean to appear rude, only skeptical yet hopeful and curious. Here's hoping. Thanks.
Posted by: Robert | December 8, 2008 2:57 PM
McAffee, and the others... Seems to happen every time Microsoft bundles something for "free" that others have created an ecosystem around.
Posted by: sohbet odaları | December 10, 2008 5:50 PM