Microsoft Security Essentials rated best free antivirus for Windows

Slightly old news but still worth noting...

Microsoft Security Essentials rated best free antivirus for Windows

In AV Comparative's most recent report on malware removal, MSE was the only free antivirus rated Advanced+. That ranking placed it alongside big names like Norton, Kaspersky, and F-Secure. Security Essentials also beat out technician favorite ESET, which managed only an Advanced rating.

It's also worth noting that only three antivirus apps - Norton 2010, eScan, and Security Essentials - scored marks of good or better in removal of malware and removal of leftovers. So not only has MSE beaten free competitors like AVG (version 8.5 tested, not 9.0), Avira, and Avast, it also posted test scores equal to or better than a dozen antivirus programs you'd have to pay for.

MSE is very good. Worked very well on my 64-bit OS, although it did slow my system down to a degree, as it caused several programs to "hang" while it scanned them as they were launching.

The only other issue I encountered with MSE was it flagging my USB drive as a "malicious worm" (Worm:Win32/Autorun.GY!inf) - which from Microsoft's Malware Protection Center Site explains that - "It should be noted that 'autorun.inf' files on their own are not necessarily a sign of infection, as they are used by legitimate programs."

Other than a little system slowdown and false positive alert about my USB drive, it seems to be a good program that is more comprehensive than Windows Defender.

etalmar said:

MSE is very good. Worked very well on my 64-bit OS, although it did slow my system down to a degree, as it caused several programs to "hang" while it scanned them as they were launching.

The only other issue I encountered with MSE was it flagging my USB drive as a "malicious worm" (Worm:Win32/Autorun.GY!inf) - which from Microsoft's Malware Protection Center Site explains that - "It should be noted that 'autorun.inf' files on their own are not necessarily a sign of infection, as they are used by legitimate programs."

Other than a little system slowdown and false positive alert about my USB drive, it seems to be a good program that is more comprehensive than Windows Defender.

I'd question why you have a USB device with an autorun.inf file on it. That's a bit out of place. An autorun.inf file merely points to an executable, and that's a big issue.

The Malware Protection Center actually shows no information on that but Win32/Autorun.GY finds a nasty result on the web: Worm:Win32/Autorun.GY is a malicious virus. Remove it in 60 seconds with these simple instructions

Doesn't sound like a false positive to me.

Hi, etalmar,

I agree with JonM33 and BCXtreme. It doesn't sound like a f/p to me either. Microsoft is not the only vendor that detects that worm. See W32/Autorun.worm.gen.za!1f65e215c852.

I suggest that you first disable autorun, see this tutorial: AutoPlay - Enable or Disable AutoRun - Windows 7 Forums. Following that, update MSE and scan the USB drive and allow MSE to quarantine the file.

Originally Posted by JonM33 - The Malware Protection Center actually shows no information on that but Win32/Autorun.GY finds a nasty result on the web:" Worm:Win32/Autorun.GY is a malicious virus. Remove it in 60 seconds with these simple instructions

Beg to differ ...

The Malware Protection Center link can be found here .. Encyclopedia entry: Worm:Win32/Autorun.gen!inf - Learn more about malware - Microsoft Malware Protection Center

And I quote ...

"Worm:Win32/Autorun.gen!inf is a detection for 'autorun.inf' files that may be used by worms when spreading to local, network, or removable drives."

"When copying themselves to a drive, these worms also create a file named 'autorun.inf' in the root of the targeted drive. The 'autorun.inf' file contains execution instructions for the operating system which are invoked when the drive is viewed using Windows Explorer, thus executing the copy of the worm."

"It should be noted that 'autorun.inf' files on their own are not necessarily a sign of infection, as they are used by legitimate programs and installation CDs."

You are linking to Worm:Win32/Autorun.gen!inf and not Worm:Win32/Autorun.GY!inf, which you originally referenced in your first post. Which one is it?

When you look at the notes for Win32/Autorun.gen!inf you see some very dangerous information:

Worm:Win32/Autorun.gen!inf is a detection for 'autorun.inf' files that may be used by worms when spreading to local, network, or removable drives.

When copying themselves to a drive, these worms also create a file named 'autorun.inf' in the root of the targeted drive. The 'autorun.inf' file contains execution instructions for the operating system which are invoked when the drive is viewed using Windows Explorer, thus executing the copy of the worm.

That's not a false positive. The other part about "autorun.inf" files are not an indication of an infection means just that. If you load a CD or DVD you will see an autorun.inf file.

What makes it a true positive is the fact that a virus signature matched the particular autorun.inf file on your USB drive to a known virus. Other AV programs identify it as the following.

• INF/Frethog (CA) Worm.Win32.AutoRun.rja (Kaspersky)
• Mal/AutoInf-B (Sophos)
• INF.Autorun.Gen (VirusBuster)
• Trojan.AutorunINF.Gen (BitDefender)

I have been using MSE for a while now, and have nothing but praise for it. Microsoft have done quite a good job with it, and so they should, they know their OS better than anyone else.

Regards,
Thorn