14 DAY TRIAL // There was a time when Microsoft’s antivirus solutions were considered to be just a waste of time, and it happened for a good reason.
Microsoft Security Essentials, and later Windows Defender, failed in the majority of security tests, and often served as the base protection levels in all researches. This made a third-party security product nearly a must-have on Windows, and needless to say, this is exactly what many users turned to in order to remain protected and keep malware away from their data.
Microsoft’s antivirus solution, however, has evolved a lot, and in Windows 10 it’s the core of an entire arsenal of security features supposed to block hackers and malware, and at the same time, do the whole thing without too much user interaction.
This is finally paying off, as Microsoft’s antivirus is now getting better scores in antivirus tests, and according to Redmond’s very own stats, more and more customers, be they home users or businesses, stick with the default protection just because they don’t need anything else.
Here’s what Microsoft said earlier this month when it revealed that Windows Defender is being used as the number one security product on more than 50 percent of systems:
“Our antivirus capabilities are a fantastic solution! With five months of top scores that beat some of our biggest competitors, you can be confident that our solution can protect you from the most advanced threats.”
And truth be told, Windows Defender has indeed improved its performance in the latest rounds of antivirus tests up to the point where it finally received the top-rated certification. It happened in the January/February 2018 antivirus test conducted by AV-TEST when Windows Defender and Microsoft’s Security Essentials (available for Windows 7) offered nearly flawless performance.
First and foremost, it’s the performance in the Windows 7 test. Microsoft’s antivirus engine received 17.5 points out of a total of 18 points, after earning 6 points for 6 points for protection, 6 points for usability, and 5.5 points for performance. This means Security Essentials might have a more or less noticeable impact on system performance, but nothing to be concerned about.
More specifically, there were two rounds of tests, one performed in January and a second one in February. When it comes to protection against 0-day malware attacks, Security Essentials blocked 100 percent of the samples in both tests, and it accurately detected widespread and prevalent malware discovered in the last 4 weeks.
The performance tests highlighted the area where Microsoft still has some work to do, as Security Essentials contributed to 37% slower installation of frequently-used applications on a high-end PC and 29% for standard PCs. The industry average is 21% and 18%, respectively.
Security Essentials returned 0 false warnings or blockages when visiting websites and only 2 false positives in January and 1 in February.
Windows Defender was tested in a business environment, and again, the results were quite impressive. Microsoft’s Windows 10 antivirus got 17 points, with 6 points for protection, and 5.5 points for performance and another 5.5 points for usability.
This means Windows Defender blocked 100 percent of the 0-day malware and detected 99.9% of the widespread and prevalent malware in January and 100% in February.
Again, it caused substantial slower installation of frequently-used apps, and AV-TEST rated it at 39% on high-end PCs and 53% on standard PCs.
There were two false detections of legitimate software as malware during a system scan in the January tests and another four in February.
Without a doubt, this substantial improvement of Microsoft’s antivirus solution can only be good news for users, especially because on Windows 10 it comes pre-installed. At the same time, it shows that the company has finally managed to build a product that can deliver protection similar to third-party solutions, which in the context of the controversies created around some top names in the last few months, comes in incredibly handy to everyone.
