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Microsoft Security Essentials Misses 39% of Malware

Posted by timothy on from the talked-harshly-with-the-other-61-percent dept.

Barence writes "The latest tests from Dennis Publishing's security labs saw Microsoft Security Essentials fail to detect 39% of the real-world malware thrown at it. Dennis Technology Labs (DTL) tested nine home security products on a Windows 7 PC, including Security Essentials, which is distributed free to Windows users and built into Windows 8 in the form of Windows Defender. While the other eight packages all achieved protection scores of 87% or higher — with five scoring 98% or 99% — Microsoft's free antivirus software protected against only 61% of the malware samples used in the test. Microsoft conceded last year that its security software was intended to offer only "baseline" performance"."

4 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. In other news by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft Windows hosts 99.999% of malware.

    1. Re:In other news by Stormwatch · · Score: 4, Funny

      Obligatory blast(er worm) from the past...

      Is Windows a virus?

      No, Windows is not a virus. Here's what viruses do:

      1 - They replicate quickly - okay, Windows does that.
      2 - Viruses use up valuable system resources, slowing down the system as they do so - okay, Windows does that.
      3 - Viruses will, from time to time, trash your hard disk - okay, Windows does that too.
      4 - Viruses are usually carried, unknown to the user, along with valuable programs and systems. Sigh... Windows does that, too.
      5 - Viruses will occasionally make the user suspect their system is too slow (see 2.) and the user will buy new hardware. Yup, that's with Windows, too.

      Until now it seems Windows is a virus, but there are fundamental differences: viruses are well supported by their authors, are running on most systems, their program code is fast, compact and efficient and they tend to become more sophisticated as they mature.

      So Windows is not a virus. It's a bug.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
    2. Re:In other news by tlambert · · Score: 4, Funny

      Windows is malare.

      no it's not. stop being dramatic. it only makes you look like an idiot.

      How exactly is Windows making him look like an idiot?

  2. Re:Bullshit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Norton failed to detect itself. That's why it only got 99%.