Aug 17, 2010 16:22 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft’s free security solution for Windows has earned high scores from an antivirus testing company, putting it on par with paid security suites.

Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 earned a certification from AV-Test, after the firm evaluated the product in three categories, protection, repair, and usability.

The test were carried out during the second quarter of 2010, namely in April, May and June 2010.

According to AV-Test, the default settings were used for Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0, and the platform of choice was 32-bit (x86) Windows 7.

“The "Protection" covers static and dynamic malware detection, including real-world 0-Day attack testing. In case of "Repair", we check the system disinfection and rootkit removal in detail,” AV-Test noted.

“The "Usability" testing includes the system slow-down caused by the tools and the number of false positives. A product has to reach at least 12 points total in order to receive a certification.”

Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 earned no less than 4.0 for Protection, 4.5 for Repair, and 5.5 for Usability. The maximum score that version 1.0 of MSE could have received in all three categories was 6.0.

“We always used the most current publicly-available version of all products for the testing,” AV-Test stated.

“They were allowed to update themselves at any time and query their in-the-cloud services. We focused on realistic test scenarios and challenged the products against real-world threats.

“Products had to demonstrate their capabilities using all components and protection layers.”

AV-Test tested no less than 19 security products in Q2 2010, 13 of which received the company’s certification. Of course, Microsoft Security Essentials is one of them.

The Redmond company is planning to update the antimalware engine in Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 later this week. In fact, users will be able to refresh their free security solution come August 19th, according to the software giant.

Microsoft Security Essentials is available for download here.