14 DAY TRIAL // Almost two years after the introduction of the first preview version of the Malware Protection Center, Microsoft is now previewing its successor. The evolution of the Microsoft Malware Protection Center is being introduced in parallel with the current version of the portal, which continues to be accessible. The Beta made available by the software giant is designed to give a taste of what the company is cooking for version 2 of its portal focused on the global threat landscape. Microsoft emphasized that only a subset of the final v2 features are now live with the Beta release, according to Monilee Atkinson, program manager at Microsoft.
“These features include stream-lined sample submission; which is made possible by creating an MMPC profile,” Atkinson stated. “When logged in, the information saved in the MMPC profile auto-populates the sample submission form, expediting the sample submission process. Another improvement to sample submission, and perhaps the most exciting new feature, is the ability to track submission status on-line. The user can now track the status of any/all sample submissions made while logged in to the portal. The sample submission tracking information includes the current state of analysis done on the sample, any detections found during analysis, and the definitions that will protect the user from any detections found.”
The current version of the Malware Protection Center was launched in July 2007, while the Beta was introduced in April of the same year. At the same time, Microsoft also added features to the portal between Beta and RTW (release to web). The same strategy is now applied to version 2 of the Malware Protection Center, and in this regard, users should expect the final release sometime around mid-2009.
“The Beta also includes a new UI which stream-lines navigation and improves access to content. The MMPC has developed new content including a ‘help’ section and a change log which allows users to see the new and updated detections from one definition to another. The team has also improved content including instructions for updating definitions for all Microsoft Security products, an expanded glossary, and a summary for our threat descriptions which lists aliases, the alert level, when the description was first added and last updated, and what definitions protect the customer from the threat,” Atkinson added.