Newsletter Archives

• Microsoft Defender could be your free antivirus fix

  Posted on October 21, 2024 at 02:44 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Microsoft Defender — a free antivirus app that’s included in Windows — provides a highly rated service, but it’s rarely mentioned in comparative reviews of AV programs by security blogs. Why not?

  Ever since Windows 8 came out in 2012, a service originally called Windows Defender (WD) has been enabled by default in the OS. Prior to that, you might remember, was Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), a free download that Redmond first released in 2009. MSE is no longer with us, because WD — renamed Microsoft Defender in 2018 — has completely replaced it to block viruses, rootkits, Trojan horses, spyware, you name it.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.43.0, 2024-10-21).

  Public Defender Antivirus, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Security Essentials, Newsletters, Windows Defender

• DefenderUI — Windows Defender is great, when turned on fully

  Posted on July 29, 2024 at 02:42 CDT by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  Microsoft’s first attempt at antivirus software was Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), released in 2009 to Windows XP and later to Windows Vista and Windows 7.

  Then it was replaced by Windows Defender.

  MSE was not great. It updated just three times a day. Although its 2009 certification from AV-TEST was a big win for Microsoft, the certification was lost in 2012. That’s probably because it tagged Google Chrome as a virus in 2011, a memorable day at our computer shop. To make things even worse, in 2013 it received the lowest score possible for an antivirus product. It wasn’t until 2018 that MSE was able to win a top score, with an 80% detection rate from AV-TEST.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.31.0, 2024-07-29).

  Freeware Spotlight DefenderUI, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Security Essentials, Newsletters, User Interface, Windows Defender

• Microsoft blinks: MS Security Essentials will be supported after Win7 hits end-of-life next month

  Posted on December 18, 2019 at 07:43 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  

  At least, that was the promise.

  Nobody’s fixed the official documentation yet.

  Details in Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  Antivirus Apps, Windows 7 Microsoft Security Essentials

• Buying Win7 Extended Security won’t get you MS Security Essentials updates. Or will it?

  Posted on December 13, 2019 at 07:57 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  I’ve read the blog posts. I still don’t believe it.

  Will Microsoft really, for sure, cut off Microsoft Security Essentials malware signature updates on January 14? Even if you’re paying for Extended Support?

  Why I’m skeptical, in Computerworld Woody on Windows.

  Windows 7 Microsoft Security Essentials

• How frequently is Microsoft Security Essentials getting updates?

  Posted on March 1, 2018 at 17:04 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  While I wasn’t watching, it looks like the frequency of MSE updates has increased.

  GL just wrote to me:

  Microsoft security essentials use to have one up date a day. Recently I`ve been getting 2 a day. Now today it looks like I`ll be getting morning , afternoon and evening. Whats up with that?

  Have you seen any odd behavior?

  Windows Patches/Security Microsoft Security Essentials, MSE

• Microsoft’s Malware Protection Engine Vulnerable

  Posted on December 7, 2017 at 02:23 CST by Kirsty • Comment in the Forums

  Gunter Born has posted a new topic here on a vulnerability in Defender & Security Essentials:

  I received this night (Germany) a notification from Microsoft about a critical vulnerability in Microsoft’s Malware Protection Engine (CVE-2017-11937). All Windows versions using either Defender or Microsoft Security Essentials or Forefront are affected. But there are no updates available – and the link within Microsoft’s Update Catalog are broken.

  He is calling for information and insights. Can you help?

  Check it out here:
  Critical vulnerability in Microsoft’s Malware Protection Engine (CVE-2017-11937)

  UPDATE:

  Defender and MSE are updating itself – and it seems that yesterday the Security module has been updated.

  Windows Patches/Security CVE, CVE-2017-11937, Forefront, Microsoft Security Essentials, Vulnerability, Windows Defender

• Microsoft Security Essentials finally fixed

  Posted on April 6, 2017 at 13:02 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  For several days we’ve been nursing a list of woes with MSE, primarily a completely bogus “preliminary scan results show that malicious or potentially unwanted software might exist on your computer” followed by a clean bill of health.

  Yesterday, it seems, Microsoft released a new version – and it’s fixed the problem.

  Join the discussion here.

  Other 1.239.837.0, Microsoft Security Essentials

• Microsoft Security Essentials warning about end-of-support for Vista

  Posted on January 10, 2017 at 17:57 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Support for Vista will end on April 11 – three months from now. Apparently Microsoft Security Essentials is getting a little pushy about it. This from EB:

  This morning MSE (4.9.218.0) greeted me with a popup warning on my fully updated Vista SP2 X64 system with a questionable warning about operating system end of support, fixed itself in “Potentially Unprotected” status and provided a link to a Kb article that thinks I’m running XP!

  Following is a screen shot of the MSE interface.

  

  And clicking the link takes me to a completely irrelevant https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14223/windows-xp-end-of-support

  I also updated MSE to the latest version (in a virtual machine) and received the same results.

  Sometimes it seems to me that MS documentation is handled by poorly programmed bots and the accuracy of information is not checked before it is released to the public.

  Windows News Microsoft Security Essentials, vista
• « Older Entries