Microsoft Security Essentials loses AV-Test certificate

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M

MadScientist

Platinum Member
Jul 15, 2001
2,183
63
91
So is Windows Defender in Win 8 that replaced MSE an upgraded version of MSE or the same repackaged???

Did a little searching and found this:
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/security/what-you-should-know-about-windows-8-security-features/7900

It states that "This version of Windows Defender will also have improved performance and a smaller memory/CPU footprint." Versus what, the old Defender, which was worthless, or MSE???

And this:
http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-8-defeated-85-of-malware-out-of-the-box
 
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M

MustISO

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,927
12
81
It's fine for very basic protection but as the tests show it's detection and clean rate is pretty poor. I recommended it when it first came out but haven't in a very long time. Avast is usually my go-to for free AV.
 
colonelciller

colonelciller

Senior member
Sep 29, 2012
915
0
0
they spent $1.5 billion on advertising windows 8 and yet they are letting the antivirus go to waste?

it kinda looks like they aren't taking security seriously... or could this be one more move towards 'souring the milk' on windows 7?

* DirectX 11.1 (not in 7)
* Taking Bulit in security seriously (not in 7?)
* What's next?
 
Steltek

Steltek

Diamond Member
Mar 29, 2001
3,338
1,083
136
colonelciller said:
they spent $1.5 billion on advertising windows 8 and yet they are letting the antivirus go to waste?

it kinda looks like they aren't taking security seriously... or could this be one more move towards 'souring the milk' on windows 7?

* DirectX 11.1 (not in 7)
* Taking Bulit in security seriously (not in 7?)
* What's next?
Click to expand...

Microsoft has always had ADD related to consumer security stuff. They'll act like they are getting serious about it for a time, then their attention flags and the products will totally disappear.

In short, business as usual. . . .
 
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FalseChristian

FalseChristian

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2002
3,322
0
71
That makes me feel great. Now I'm scared shitless about malware and viruses that MSE can't deal with. Ignorance is (was?) bliss.
 
N

nemesismk2

Diamond Member
Sep 29, 2001
4,810
5
76
www.ultimatehardware.net
MustISO said:
It's fine for very basic protection but as the tests show it's detection and clean rate is pretty poor. I recommended it when it first came out but haven't in a very long time. Avast is usually my go-to for free AV.
Click to expand...

I would never use avast for the simple (wrong) reason it sounds like it's something to do with pirates lol ;)

I live on the coast so avast me hearties i don't do pirates :)
 
D

Dstoop

Member
Sep 2, 2012
151
0
0
vailr said:
Avira Free Antivirus 2013 new version 13.0.0.2890 just released; now with Windows 8 compatability:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Avira_Free_Antivirus_d955.html
Click to expand...

I dumped Avira when they started putting in those nagging advertisement boxes in the corner that *steal focus from all other programs*. The once-a-day splash screen was tolerable, my AV stealing program focus to advertise to me every 30 minutes causing some fullscreen apps to crash? No thanks.

Their official response? Not a bug, buy the full version!

The other thing to keep in mind from the article is that MSE's score was only .5 points below certification, and it lost most of its points due to lack of detection on zero-day threats. Zero-day threats only stay "zero-day" for between a day and a week before all major AV products have updated detection signatures for that threat. Could you make an argument that zero-day threats are the most important part of AV? Sure, but i'd say the counter argument in this case is that practically every zero-day threat is detected by some AVs and not by others, and which AVs detect each new threat is completely different. They all miss stuff, none of them are perfect, and it only makes sense that the dedicated AV research firms like Kaspersky and Norton/Symantec are better at catching more of those zero-day threats than a side-project of Microsoft. The rest of them are simply a definition update away from catching the latest threats, and these benchmark test scores can shift drastically from week to week depending on when they test and how they choose to test with *all* products tested.

For those serious power users doing all sorts of online banking, shopping, and potentially unsafe browsing, yeah, they should probably have some sort of paid-for protection. For keeping grandma's PC safe while she browses allrecipes.com and plays solitaire? There's still nothing wrong with MSE.
 
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Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,559
248
106
As I age, I start laughing at myself for listening to all the crap about 'this AV is better protection' or 'this one caught 2% more viruses than that one.'

I haven't had a virus in forever. Why? I don't download questionable material. I don't go to questionable sites. I don't open emails from people I don't know or don't expect to receive email from.

It's not really that hard.
 
Mem

Mem

Lifer
Apr 23, 2000
21,476
13
81
ketchup79 said:
As I age, I start laughing at myself for listening to all the crap about 'this AV is better protection' or 'this one caught 2% more viruses than that one.'

I haven't had a virus in forever. Why? I don't download questionable material. I don't go to questionable sites. I don't open emails from people I don't know or don't expect to receive email from.

It's not really that hard.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of people use common sense however some don't ,however AV is just another added layer of protection/security,also remember some AVs have lighter footprints(use less resources) then others so its not all about detection rates,as a gamer myself this is an important aspect with regards to using low resources.
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,559
248
106
Mem said:
I think a lot of people use common sense however some don't ,however AV is just another added layer of protection/security,also remember some AVs have lighter footprints(use less resources) then others so its not all about detection rates,as a gamer myself this is an important aspect with regards to using low resources.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is why I switched to Microsoft this year. I used Avira for years, but it kept getting bulkier and bulkier.
 
Engineer

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
ketchup79 said:
As I age, I start laughing at myself for listening to all the crap about 'this AV is better protection' or 'this one caught 2% more viruses than that one.'

I haven't had a virus in forever. Why? I don't download questionable material. I don't go to questionable sites. I don't open emails from people I don't know or don't expect to receive email from.

It's not really that hard.
Click to expand...

I don't drive fast and practice defensive driving but I'm damn glad that I have airbags and seatbelts! ;)

(Point being: All it takes is one wrong click, especially by someone else using your PC (like my children)).
 
Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,559
248
106
Engineer said:
I don't drive fast and practice defensive driving but I'm damn glad that I have airbags and seatbelts! ;)

(Point being: All it takes is one wrong click, especially by someone else using your PC (like my children)).
Click to expand...

That's why I have a virtual machine, and a user password. But I do see your point.
 
GrumpyMan

GrumpyMan

Diamond Member
May 14, 2001
5,780
266
136
Engineer said:
I don't drive fast and practice defensive driving but I'm damn glad that I have airbags and seatbelts! ;)

(Point being: All it takes is one wrong click, especially by someone else using your PC (like my children)).
Click to expand...


That's why I only allow my kids to be on the Guest account on my computer, which is locked down tight. :colbert:
 
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