Windows 7 - Win Live Messenger 2011 Superior to Messenger 2009 –Worm Protection

The latest version of Microsoft’s instant messaging client is superior to its predecessor when it comes down to protecting users against malicious code that spreads itself through the IM network.

Windows Live Messenger 2009 customers should consider upgrading to Windows Live Messenger 2011, provided that they’re using Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7, in order to take advantage of additional security mitigations capable of blocking the spreading of a self-replicating worm.

But for customers that are stuck running the Wave 3 version of Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft has taken the necessary measures to make it very hard for the worm to infect additional computers by sending links to malicious web pages to all the friends in the list of users with compromised computers.

Essentially, the software giant has switched off Active Links in Windows Live Messenger 2009. According to the Redmond company, this move is temporary.