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Microsoft Plans To Sell Anti-Virus Software

Posted by timothy on from the takes-one-to-know-one dept.

EvilCowzGoMoo writes "From the makers of our favorite OS comes: Anti-Virus! Yes you heard me right. According to an article on Reuters.com Microsoft is developing its own brand of anti-virus software. Asked if that would hurt sales of competing products, such as Network Associates' McAfee and Symantec's Norton family of products, Nash (chief of Microsoft's security business unit) said that Microsoft said that it would sell its anti-virus program as a separate product from Windows, rather than including it in Windows. My only question is: If they can't seem to patch their OS fast enough, what makes them think they can keep their AV software up to date?"

3 of 830 comments (clear)

  1. Perhaps It Belongs in the OS by Jorj+X.+McKie · · Score: 5, Interesting

    While I'm not certain that I completely trust Microsoft on this, it might make sense to have the antivirus scanner as a part of the OS. Better low-level access, as well as being able to intercept attempts by something like Outlook to execute arbitrary files. Having a unified place to control such actions might help security.

    On the other hand, the major effect might just be to introduce a single point of failure/attack. It's certainly possible to argue that the variety of security software in use makes it harder to attack any given system. For evidence, look at the list of processes that the more sophisticated viruses try to stop.

    Background: I do not customarily use an on-demand scanner. On occasion, I have loaded up a scanner because of suspicious behavior. My Windows box (patched up to date, firewalled) has had only one virus, a backdoor program that was installed when my daughter clicked a "video clip" that she received in an e-mail, before she understood what a spoofed address was. So I'm not convinced that antivirus software is as necessary as it is built up to be.

    --
    I remember your eyes, on the twelfth of July...
  2. paranoia mode enabled. by garcia · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Asked if that would hurt sales of competing products, such as Network Associates' McAfee and Symantec's Norton family of products, Nash said that Microsoft said that it would sell its anti-virus program as a separate product from Windows, rather than including it in Windows.

    So? The same thing that happened to WordPerfect is likely going to happen to NAV.

    I am more afraid that MSFT will purposefully allow holes to exist in its OS so that more and more people will buy their AV software. Perhaps that's a bit paranoid but I certainly wouldn't put it past them.

  3. Well, since you asked.... by khasim · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "Yeah? And how exactly?"

    Make it easily and completely removable and publish the API. Again, during the trial, Microsoft claimed that IE could not be removed because removing those .dll's would "cripple" Windows.

    "If they could do that, then they'd have more than 3 apps that held monopoly status. Frontpage? Nope. IIS? Nope. Exchange? Nope. Media Player? Nope. Gee, I guess their monopoly isn't all that strong unless people actually want their stuff?"

    So far, they've only been ruled a monopoly in one market. The desktop x86 market (Windows). Like I said, you need to read more.

    It was cute how you tried to toss in two server apps (IIS and Exchange). Hee hee. :D

    Oh well, you Microsoft apologists are all the same.