Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials automatically checked and downloaded the latest virus definitions from Microsoft Update which was updated three times a day. Users may alternatively download the updates manually from the Microsoft Security Portal website. On 30 September 2011, a faulty definition update caused the product to incorrectly tag Google Chrome as malware. The issue was resolved within three hours. MSE originally ran on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, although versions 4.5 and later do not run on Windows XP and Microsoft stopped producing automatic definition updates for Windows XP on 14 July 2015 (however, manual definition updates are still available for Windows XP users who run older versions of MSE). MSE was built upon the same foundation as other Microsoft security products; they all use the same anti-malware engine known as Microsoft Malware Protection Engine (MSMPENG) and virus definitions. It does not have the personal firewall component of OneCare and the centralized management features of Forefront Endpoint Protection. MSE provided real-time protection, constantly monitoring activities on the computer, scanning new files as they are created or downloaded from the Internet. It quarantines detected threats and prompts for user input on how to deal with them. If no response was received within ten minutes, suspected threats are handled according to the default actions defined in the application's settings. Depending on those settings, it may also create System Restore checkpoints before removing the detected malware. As a part of real-time protection, MSE reports all suspicious behaviors of monitored programs to Microsoft Active Protection Service (MAPS, formerly Microsoft SpyNet) by default. If the report matches a newly discovered malware threat with an unreleased virus definition, the new definition will be downloaded to remove the threat. Hardware requirements for the product depended on the operating system; on a computer running Windows Vista or Windows 7, it requires a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, a computer monitor with a display resolution of at least 800 × 600 pixels, 200MB of free hard disk space and a stable Internet connection. == Development ==

On 18 November 2008, Microsoft announced plans for a free consumer security product, codenamed Morro. On the same day, Microsoft announced that starting with this version, Windows XP would not be supported. Older versions would continue to receive automatic virus definition updates until 14 July 2015 (afterwards the users of older versions may continue to manually update definitions using Microsoft's site). and Windows XP. Older versions still function on those systems; however, the latest definition updates are no longer compatible. Although support for Windows 7 ended on 14 January 2020 Microsoft continued to update virus definitions for existing users until 2023. Microsoft Security Essentials does not run on Windows 8 and later, which has its own security subsystem, Windows Defender. On 13 September 2011, at the Build conference in Anaheim, California, Microsoft unveiled the developer preview of Windows 8, which had a security component capable of preventing an infected USB flash memory from compromising the system during the boot process. On 15 September, Windows 8 developer's blog confirmed that Windows Defender in Windows 8 would take over the role of virus protection. In an included video, Jason Garms of Microsoft showed how Windows Defender was registered with Action Center as an AV and spyware protection tool, and how it blocks drive-by malware. On 3 March 2012, Softpedia reviewed the consumer preview of Windows 8 and noted the similarity in appearance of Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials 4.0 Beta. According to Softpedia, Windows 8 Setup requires Microsoft Security Essentials to be uninstalled before upgrading from Windows 7. == Licensing ==

The product's license agreement allowed home users to download, install and use it on an unlimited number of computers in their households free of charge, as long as each computer had a legitimately licensed copy of Microsoft Windows. Since October 2010, small businesses were also allowed to install the product on up to 10 devices, but use in academic institutions and governmental locations was forbidden, as was reverse-engineering, decompiling or disassembling the product or working around its designed limitations. MSE requires no registration or personal information to be submitted during installation; however, the validity of the operating system's license was verified during and after installation using the Windows Genuine Advantage system. If said license was found to be invalid, the software will notify the user and will cease to operate after a period of time. == Reception ==

Industry response The announcement and debut of Microsoft Security Essentials was met with mixed responses from the AV industry. Symantec, McAfee and Kaspersky Lab, three competing vendors, claimed it to be inferior to their own software. Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 was tested and certified in March 2011. The product achieved a protection score of 2.5 out of 6, a repair score of 3.5 out of 6 and a usability score of 5.5 out of 6. Report details show that although version 2.0 was able to find all malware samples of the WildList (widespread malware), it was not able to stop all Internet-based attacks because it lacks personal firewall and anti-spam capabilities. In the 2012 review, it came last in protection and best in usability; however, having lost its certificate, it was not qualified for the usability award. In June 2013, MSE achieved the lowest possible protection score, zero. == Market share ==

On 29 September 2010, a year after its initial release, Microsoft announced that MSE had more than 30 million users. The Security Industry Market Share Analysis report of June 2011, published by OPSWAT, describes it as one of the most popular AV products in the world, with 10.66 percent of the global market and 15.68 percent of the North American market. The same report shows Microsoft as the number one AV vendor in North America with 17.07 percent market share, and the number four AV vendor worldwide. John Dunn of PCWorld, who analyzed the report, noted that the tendency to use free AV software was something new: "After all, free antivirus suites have been around for years but have tended to be seen as the poor relations to paid software." He named Microsoft Security Essentials as an influence on PC users to adopt free AV software. A September 2011 OPSWAT report found that MSE had further increased its market share to become the second most popular AV product in the world, and remained the most popular in North America. OPSWAT reported in March 2012 that the product had maintained its position, and that Microsoft's market share had improved by 2 percent worldwide and 3 percent in North America. Seth Rosenblatt of CNET News commented on how the product's share rose from 7.27 in 2010 to 10.08 in 2012, stating that "use of the lightweight security suite exploded last year". == Impersonation by malware ==

The popularity of Microsoft Security Essentials has led to the appearance of malware abusing its name. In February 2010, a rogue security package calling itself "Security Essentials 2010" appeared on the internet, carrying the Alureon virus. Designated TrojanDownloader:Win32/Fakeinit by Microsoft, it bears no visual resemblance to the Microsoft product. It reappeared in November 2010, this time calling itself "Security Essentials 2011". A more dangerous rogue software appeared in August 2010. Designated Rogue:Win32/FakePAV or Unknown Win32/Trojan, it closely resembles Microsoft Security Essentials and uses sophisticated social engineering to deceive users and infect their systems, under the guise of five different fictional anti-malware products. == See also ==