First look: Microsoft Security Essentials impresses

[Slimy]

Microsoft's new antimalware solution, Microsoft Security Essentials, is now available for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Ars puts MSE through its paces and finds an unobtrusive app with a clean interface that protected us in the dark corners of the Internet.

Full Story: First look: Microsoft Security Essentials impresses - Ars Technica

 

[1Bowtie]

+1 for MSE i'm using it and it works very well.

Smitty

 

[Antman]

Does it scan email?

If it does, it does not stamp it like AVG etc.

 

[Adamd]

I have been using it for a while now and have not had it catch anything yet lol.

But I consider myself a "safe" user lol. I take great pride of not getting crap on my computer.

I do a scan at least once a week with it and so far so good. I doubt I have any viruses or spyware.

 

[brummyfan]

What I like about this product is, it doesn't slow down the PC. Another happy customer

 

[saverio]

so, do we also need an antivirus solution or does MSE also fulfill this function?
Sorry to be so thick

 

[Zen00]

It's a great program for the casual internet user, but if you engage in high risk behavior, you might consider another solution. Don't know how well it detects those high level baddies yet.

 

[TheSchaft]

Does it scan email?

If it does, it does not stamp it like AVG etc.

There's been an interesting debate on the merit of scanning e-mail. One side takes the position that malware carried by e-mail cannot be used until it is extracted and therefore there is no need to slow things down as e-mail is received - just wait until the malware tries to go to memory or disk during extraction.

 

[swarfega]

You have a good point there. As soon as malware hits memory, Id have thought MSE should detect it.

 

[TheSchaft]

so, do we also need an antivirus solution or does MSE also fulfill this function?
Sorry to be so thick

You aren't thick - that was a good question...

MSE is an antivirus/malware solution. With it you don't need another antivirus solution.

 

[TheSchaft]

You have a good point there. As soon as malware hits memory, Id have thought MSE should detect it.

All things being equal, it will. No solution is 100% of course.

 

[pparks1]

As another person said, what you need really depends upon what type of user you are. If you visit warez sites, porn sites, p2p sites, and the like...you probably want to invest in something a little stronger. If you don't do those types of things, you use a bit of common sense and keep up on the latest Windows patches....I'm sure the the MSE product will take care of all of your needs.

I fall into the latter category described above and plan to just use MSE. I don't really care if it's detection rate is a tad lower than something else...because I typically don't experience problems with spyware, malware and viruses anyway based on my computer usage.

 

[TheSchaft]

I would also recommend adding on one of the site rating helpers, like Web of Trust or McAfee.

The bad guys are getting smarter, and it isn't just the questionable sites that you cite that can be a problem. I was suprised to see the number of animated screensaver sites that have a very bad reputation for malware.

 

[Antman]

Does it scan email?

If it does, it does not stamp it like AVG etc.

There's been an interesting debate on the merit of scanning e-mail. One side takes the position that malware carried by e-mail cannot be used until it is extracted and therefore there is no need to slow things down as e-mail is received - just wait until the malware tries to go to memory or disk during extraction.

This begs the next question. Does MSE block scripts - like Melissa or IloveYou macro viruses?

I thought the simple act of opening an email, or having it shown in the reading pane (because that is an open email), was enough to trigger the script.

 

[TheSchaft]

This begs the next question. Does MSE block scripts - like Melissa or IloveYou macro viruses?

I thought the simple act of opening an email, or having it shown in the reading pane (because that is an open email), was enough to trigger the script.

Good question. I haven't seen the details of what it has been tested against. That said, the script has to execute, and that is when, presumably, it will be caught.

 

[Lebon14]

I would give it a try if I wouldn't have bought NOD32 for 2 years lol...

 

[TemperingPick]

It takes a long time for a long scan.

 

[SleeStak]

Does it scan email?

If it does, it does not stamp it like AVG etc.

There's been an interesting debate on the merit of scanning e-mail. One side takes the position that malware carried by e-mail cannot be used until it is extracted and therefore there is no need to slow things down as e-mail is received - just wait until the malware tries to go to memory or disk during extraction.

This begs the next question. Does MSE block scripts - like Melissa or IloveYou macro viruses?

I thought the simple act of opening an email, or having it shown in the reading pane (because that is an open email), was enough to trigger the script.

I wondered the same if email was being scanned by MSE since I have used it since the beta and one of the mods in the Microsoft Security Essentials Forums answered it this way: "No, MSE will not scan emails inbound or outbound. It will watch memory if you attempt to launch an attachment." and also it is my understanding MSE scans inside your Outlook PST file for infected attachments so since I use Outlook 2007 I feel pretty confident in the protection MSE provides combined with using some common sense when opening emails

 

[Antman]

... "No, MSE will not scan emails inbound or outbound. It will watch memory if you attempt to launch an attachment." and also it is my understanding MSE scans inside your Outlook PST file for infected attachments...combined with using some common sense when opening emails...

This is consistent with what I have read today.

Where can I download Common Sense?

 

[swarfega]

Sorry CommonSense 0.97 is closed beta.