Download Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 Beta

The first Beta development milestone of the next generation of Microsoft Security Essentials is now available for download. Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 Beta is offered to early adopters through Microsoft Connect. For the time being, the Beta Build, version 2.0.0375.0, is only offered to testers in the United States, Israel (English), and Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese). It is important to underline that Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 is in Beta stage at this point in time, and as such designed for testing exclusively, and not for deployment in production environments.

“New features in the beta of Microsoft Security Essentials include:

- Windows Firewall integration – During setup, Microsoft Security Essentials will now ask if you would like to turn the Windows Firewall on or off.

- Enhanced protection for web-based threats – Microsoft Security Essentials now integrates with Internet Explorer to provide protection against web-based threats.

- New protection engine – The updated anti-malware engine offers enhanced detection and cleanup capabilities with better performance.

- Network inspection system – Protection against network-based exploits is now built in to Microsoft Security Essentials,” revealed Brandon LeBlanc, Windows Communications Manager on the Windows Client Communications Team.

According to the software giant, Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 Beta will also be served to testers in the People’s Republic of China in Simplified Chinese, later this year. For the time being, only people in the U.S., Israel, and Brazil have access to the Beta bits. However, they too have to hurry, as Microsoft is only looking for a limited number of testers.

“To download the beta of Microsoft Security Essentials, click here to visit the Microsoft Connect page to register for the beta. Once completed – you will find the instructions for downloading and installing the beta. We value your feedback – beta participants are encouraged to provide feedback about their experiences with Microsoft Security Essentials through Microsoft Connect,” LeBlanc said, adding that the Beta is “available to genuine Windows users on a first come, first serve basis until the allotted spots for the beta have been reached.”