Our commitment to Microsoft antimalware

We are fully committed to protecting our consumer and business customers from malware. Our strong solutions provide the comprehensive defense needed against malicious code and attacks. Our support of antimalware partners helps in building a strong and diverse ecosystem to fight malware.

Over the past year, we’ve continued to make investments in our protection technologies:

  • We’ve created new methods to identify emerging threats earlier and defend against them faster. Although around 80 percent of the malware our customers encounter are known or proactively blocked threats, new threats emerge every day. We’ve developed early warning telemetry and faster signature delivery systems to respond to these threats.
  • We’ve focused our resources on activities that directly contribute to customer protection. We exist to serve and protect our customers, so our research and response efforts focus on real threats that affect customers. Today millions of customers have voluntarily opted to let their computers share telemetry data with us on encountered threats, helping us identify and prioritize new malware files. If you are interested in learning more about our approach, I encourage you to read my previous blog and check out this paper which details our outcomes. Our public monthly report shows our trends and the progress we’re seeing.
  • We share our telemetry and samples with the industry to collectively make all of us stronger against our true adversaries - the malware writers. Our commitment to collaboration and sharing programs for antivirus (AV) partners and AV testers is stronger than ever. Through these programs, we encourage the ecosystem to address real world threats that impact all customers.
The end result is that, over the past year, our investments have increased the protection quality we deliver to our customers. As of the middle of 2013, we’ve increased our protection quality – that means less incorrect detections and less misses - by a significant rate since we first started measuring these metrics in the last quarter of 2011.

We are proud of the protection capabilities we provide for well over 150 million computers worldwide with our real-time antimalware products. We believe in Microsoft antimalware products and strongly recommend them to our customers, to our friends, and to our families.

Dennis Batchelder
Partner Group Program Manager
Microsoft Malware Protection Center


Source: Our commitment to Microsoft antimalware - Microsoft Malware Protection Center - Site Home - TechNet Blogs
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
Whatever, I'm not that much confident in Microsoft these days and I've already switched to Avast free. Just turned silent mode on to stop it from nagging me unnecessarily.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 + StartIsBack + AeroGlass
    Computer type
    Laptop
Yes but where have Microsoft actually said they don't recommend their own software...?

I think journalists have misquoted and misunderstood what Microsoft said (and the blog article at the top of the thread is a response to that).

This is another interesting post on the topic. (Credit to another Forum member - I can't remember who or where :eek: - for posting it.)
Do I Need to Stop Using Microsoft Security Essentials? ? Ask Leo!

Microsoft can't win here.

If they built the perfect security product into Windows, they'd get grief from AV vendors for anti-competitive practices or whatever.

If they built nothing at all into Windows, people would give them grief for having an insecure system.

I think building a product into Windows 8, and switching it on by default, is a big thing that they don't get enough credit for, as it helps reduce the number of botnets etc. that fire spam and malware around the internet.

Microsoft have got it about right in my view.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10
I agree. MSE is a great product that you don't even know is there unless you get a warning. Same with Defender. It just silently works, and is so non-intrusive it's amazing. The second I start running any other anti-virus I notice a huge drop in disk performance, slowdowns in almost every application, and in particular the applications I use most which are very file heavy (Visual studio, etc..)

I think reporters love to jump to a conclusion, and then it echos around the news chamber and everyone reports everyone elses interpretation. I remember when Microsoft announced the new WinRT architecture, some reporter jumped to the conclusion that .NET was dead, and this echoed around the newswire as well. This has proven, of course, to be a completely wrong interpretation.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    CPU
    Intel i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77X-UD4 TH
    Memory
    16GB DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GTX 650
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 + 2x 2048x1152
    Hard Drives
    Corsair m4 256GB, 2 WD 2TB drives
    Case
    Antec SOLO II
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech MX
If they built a more secure system, there would be no need for AVs and such. As it is, my experience with systems protected by only MSE/Defender are dismal, specially with inexperienced users that get into the trouble really fast.
Of course, MS is not going to say "Our product and Defender are not safe enough" but in a diplomatic way they are saying that there's a need for more security than they are willing to provide and if somebody gets into a trouble they can get away with " I told you so". At very least, MS' response to threats is slow comparing to "real" AVs, some AVs, like for instance Avast, have database updates 5 times a day comparing to MS with updates every few weeks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
Any system that is secure enough to prevent all forms of malware intrusion would be unusable. You think UAC is bad? It would require administrative approval to click the mouse just about. It wouldn't allow you to install any software.

A lot of people like to point to other OS's s and say "Look, they don't have viruses" but that's simply because they aren't as large of a target, and thus not as big of a payday for the malware authors. We've seen that MacOS has started to get some malware as it's become more popular.

You are completely wrong about MS's updates... They update several times a day as well. Go ahead, open Windows Defender, and click update several times per day, you will see that the virus definition versions change. Most people only download them once a day, however.

As an example. I just brought up defender. Now, keeping mind that it's sunday... It says they were last updated this morning at 2am. Version number 1.159.2087.0. I just clicked Update and it says virus definitions last updated at 4:27pm version number 1.159.2116.0, so there have been 29 updates since 2am. On a sunday.

EDIT:

3 hours later, I updated again, now it says Definitions Last Updated 7:49pm and version number 1.159.2127.0 so it's been updated 11 more times in 3 hours.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    CPU
    Intel i7 3770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z77X-UD4 TH
    Memory
    16GB DDR3 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia GTX 650
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Auria 27" IPS + 2x Samsung 23"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440 + 2x 2048x1152
    Hard Drives
    Corsair m4 256GB, 2 WD 2TB drives
    Case
    Antec SOLO II
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
    Mouse
    Logitech MX
If they built a more secure system, there would be no need for AVs and such.

As long as there is computer code, there will be viruses.

This is sort of like saying if they built a better society, there would be no crime. There will always be crime because there will always be the haves and have-nots. History has proven this. Likewise with computers.... as long as we have them, there will always be hackers who in turn tends to create those viruses.

BTW I've been using MSE since inception and haven't had an issue or virus (knocks on wood). That said, for my laptop I decided to get something a bit "stronger" since I use it in public places where free Wi-Fi is available.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built by me
    CPU
    Haswell i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 (BIOS F9)
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator Platinum 32 gig (1866MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire R9-280 Vapor X
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster ZXR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242W - 24 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 512gig 850 Pro SSD (OS), Samsung 256gig 840 Pro SSD (photo editing), Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB HD
    PSU
    EVGA Supernova 1000 G2
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF X
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i Closed Loop Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance MX
    Internet Speed
    High Speed
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security
    Other Info
    RAM Speed: 1866MHZ @ 9-10-10-27-2T, 1.5v
Fully agree with DavidY and Mystere
Security through Obscurity... but even some are now recommending AV for Mac's and Linux
And Firefox is not all too safe anymore either.
Heck, you need AV for your iPhone and Android ,,, but found this....

Android antivirus apps are useless, here?s what to do instead | ExtremeTech

So, I wouldn't put too much stock in the second article posted.

As for MSE, or any AV for that matter. No single solution is 100%. And they are not always the best on the market at the same time or any given time.

I also wouldn't touch AVG if you paid me, nor would I Mcafee or trend.
and, Norton is a direct target anyway.

What would I recommend? Not sure,, MSE minimum. And that is all I run on my systems.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    I7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77
    Memory
    CORSAIR 8GB 2X4 D3 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX680 4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 24" LED VG248QE
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG E 256GB SSD 840 PRO -
    SAMSUNG E 120GB SSD840 -
    SEAGATE 1TB PIPELINE
    PSU
    CORSAIR GS800
    Case
    CORSAIR 600T
    Cooling
    CORSAIR HYDRO H100I LIQUID COOLER
    Keyboard
    THERMALTA CHALLENGER ULT GAME-KYBRD
    Mouse
    RAZER DEATHADDER GAME MS BLK-ED
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    APC 1000VA -
    LGELECOEM LG 14X SATA BD BURNER -
    CORSAIR SP120 Fans x 3 -
    NZXT 5.25 USB3 BAY CARD READER -
    HAUPPAUGE COLOSSUS
The best protection against infection is good security measures along with an AV kept up to date, and situational awareness. Utilize those and you dramatically minimize your risk of infection.

As for which AV... everyone has their fav and fud so...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built by me
    CPU
    Haswell i7-4770K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte G1 Sniper 5 (BIOS F9)
    Memory
    Corsair Dominator Platinum 32 gig (1866MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Sapphire R9-280 Vapor X
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster ZXR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC PA242W - 24 inch
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 512gig 850 Pro SSD (OS), Samsung 256gig 840 Pro SSD (photo editing), Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB HD
    PSU
    EVGA Supernova 1000 G2
    Case
    Cooler Master HAF X
    Cooling
    Corsair H100i Closed Loop Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance MX
    Internet Speed
    High Speed
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security
    Other Info
    RAM Speed: 1866MHZ @ 9-10-10-27-2T, 1.5v
A combination of a few programs does the job for me.
1. Defender (MSE)
2. SuperAntiSpyware (for scans as you see fit)
3. MalwareBytes (for scans as you see fit)
4. Your head
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Black Shadow
    CPU
    i7-4790K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H
    Memory
    8GB Trident X 2400mhz cas9
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus GTX 970 Strix
    Sound Card
    X-FI Extreme Music
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2412M
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    850 Pro 256GB / Vector 150 240GB / Evo 250GB
    PSU
    Seasonic SS-660XP2
    Case
    Fractal Design R4
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U14S
I use Defender (MSE), Malwarebytes (free version) and I have a paid version of Hitman Pro. Malwarebytes finds things MSE and Hitman haven't and Hitman has found things MSE and Malwarebytes didn't.

Sam
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 Pro x64 w/MC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASRock
    CPU
    i7-3770k
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Pro4
    Memory
    16Gb DDR3-1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 780
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus VN247 x2
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080 on both
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 840 EVO 500Gb SSD (boot drive), WD 1Tb Caviar Black data drive, Hitachi 3Tb media storage drive
    PSU
    OCZ 700w
    Case
    Rosewill Armor
    Cooling
    Hyper 212 evo
    Keyboard
    Azio LED backlit
    Mouse
    Logitech TrackMan marble trackball
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
    Browser
    Firefox Nightly
    Antivirus
    Hitman Pro
    Other Info
    Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1225 PCIe TV tuner card
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