14 DAY TRIAL // The beta development milestone of Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 continues to be available for download, the company indicated, noting that the initial version of its free security solution for Windows received a new certification attesting the quality of the AV product.
Earlier this week, antivirus test firm AV-Test.org revealed that Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 was among the 13 security products to receive the AV-Test certification, following the latest series of tests conducted in the second quarter of 2010.
“Anti-virus research and data security organization AV-Test recently spent three months testing 19 security products in the areas of protection, repair and usability,” revealed Microsoft’s Eric Foster.
“On Monday, August 16th they released the test results, and we’re excited that Microsoft Security Essentials has received another certification, this time from AV-Test.org,” Foster added.
Just ahead of receiving the certification from AV-Test.org, Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 was also tested and certified by Virus Bulleting, being VB100 certified.
MSE 1.0 is available for download to users worldwide, provided that they are running a genuine release of Windows.
Microsoft has been working on an update to the AntiMalware engine of MSE 1.0. The refresh was initially supposed to drop on August 16th, 2010, at the start of this week.
However, the software giant postponed the update for just a few days. According to the Redmond company, the antimalware engine update for Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 will be offered to customers today, August 19.
“According to the AV-Test Product Review and Certification Report, the ‘Protection’ category covers static and dynamic malware detection, including testing for real-world 0-Day attacks,” Foster explained.
“’Repair’ evaluates the system disinfection and rootkit removal in detail, which is critical for ensuring AV solutions effectively clean malware off of consumers’ computers".
“The ‘Usability’ testing criteria includes the amount of system slow-down caused by the tools and the number of false positives,” he added.
In mid-July 2010, the Beta Build of Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0 became available for download and testing.
Early adopters that want to take the release out for a spin can continue grabbing the bits from Microsoft Connect even at this point in time.
“With the current version of Microsoft Security Essentials and the new version now available in beta, our commitment remains constant: to provide security you can trust that is easy to use and provides protection that runs quietly and efficiently in the background, ensuring a great Windows user experience,” Foster concluded.
Microsoft Security Essentials is available for download here.