Microsoft announces free anti-virus service for Windows
Leading anti-virus software producers Symantec and McAfee will face new competition in the lucrative market for fixing Windows when Microsoft launches its own free security service, dubbed Morro, sometime in the second half of 2009.
Three years ago, Microsoft unveiled Live OneCare, the corporation?s first attempt at entering the billion-dollar market for software to protect Windows PCs. It tanked as a paid subscription service, which offered users a free 90 day trial period before forcing them to activate the product and begin paying annual fees.
The service was criticized for being unable to detect a significant number of threats, with one site ranking the service dead last among a comparison of 17 anti-virus services. Last spring, Microsoft acquired Komoku and merged its computer security software in the OneCare service.
Now, the company hopes to provide a stripped-down version of the product for free in order to counter the issue of viruses, spyware, rootkits, and trojan malware that plagues the company's software platform, a problem Apple has regularly cited in its advertisements as a reason to "Get a Mac."
Amy Barzdukas, the senior director of product management for Microsoft's online services stated, "this new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware."
Symantec and McAfee are experiencing strong growth trends and have for years, despite the availability of software like Microsoft?s OneCare and other free alternatives. However, with Microsoft bundling a free version of its anti-virus service with Windows on PCs before they hit the shelf, consumers will have fewer reasons to look for paid anti-virus services or other free alternatives.
That might likely result in the collapse of a viable commercial market for delivering Windows malware tools, eventually giving the company the ability to charge for the product it could not successfully sell in the presence of competition. Both Symantec and McAfee cried foul over changes Microsoft made to secure Vista which they worried would impact their business. However, both companies are now expressing official confidence that the new Morro won't affect their sales, even as the announcement caused dips in their stock.
The two companies also just settled a complaint that claimed they had "renewed software subscriptions without customers' knowledge or authorization" according to an article published by Reuters citing New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Reuters reported that under the terms of the settlement "both companies will make detailed disclosures to consumers about subscription terms and renewal policies, and each company will pay $375,000 in penalties and costs."
Anti-virus vendors have recently eyed growth in the Mac platform as a potential opportunity for expanding outside of Windows, but the lack of any significant malware threats and the problems associated with installing third party security services has largely kept Apple's customers out of reach. Apple bundled McAfee's Virux tool with its .Mac service until the flood of complaints from users resulted in the buggy, performance sapping product being pulled.
Leading Mac security experts, including CanSecWest winner Charlie Miller, have recommended against installing extra security software on the Mac due to the cost and performance overhead it eats up. "I don?t think it protects me as well as it says," Miller told Computerworld in an interview. "If I was worried about attacks, I would use it, but I?m not worried."
Three years ago, Microsoft unveiled Live OneCare, the corporation?s first attempt at entering the billion-dollar market for software to protect Windows PCs. It tanked as a paid subscription service, which offered users a free 90 day trial period before forcing them to activate the product and begin paying annual fees.
The service was criticized for being unable to detect a significant number of threats, with one site ranking the service dead last among a comparison of 17 anti-virus services. Last spring, Microsoft acquired Komoku and merged its computer security software in the OneCare service.
Now, the company hopes to provide a stripped-down version of the product for free in order to counter the issue of viruses, spyware, rootkits, and trojan malware that plagues the company's software platform, a problem Apple has regularly cited in its advertisements as a reason to "Get a Mac."
Amy Barzdukas, the senior director of product management for Microsoft's online services stated, "this new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware."
Symantec and McAfee are experiencing strong growth trends and have for years, despite the availability of software like Microsoft?s OneCare and other free alternatives. However, with Microsoft bundling a free version of its anti-virus service with Windows on PCs before they hit the shelf, consumers will have fewer reasons to look for paid anti-virus services or other free alternatives.
That might likely result in the collapse of a viable commercial market for delivering Windows malware tools, eventually giving the company the ability to charge for the product it could not successfully sell in the presence of competition. Both Symantec and McAfee cried foul over changes Microsoft made to secure Vista which they worried would impact their business. However, both companies are now expressing official confidence that the new Morro won't affect their sales, even as the announcement caused dips in their stock.
The two companies also just settled a complaint that claimed they had "renewed software subscriptions without customers' knowledge or authorization" according to an article published by Reuters citing New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Reuters reported that under the terms of the settlement "both companies will make detailed disclosures to consumers about subscription terms and renewal policies, and each company will pay $375,000 in penalties and costs."
Anti-virus vendors have recently eyed growth in the Mac platform as a potential opportunity for expanding outside of Windows, but the lack of any significant malware threats and the problems associated with installing third party security services has largely kept Apple's customers out of reach. Apple bundled McAfee's Virux tool with its .Mac service until the flood of complaints from users resulted in the buggy, performance sapping product being pulled.
Leading Mac security experts, including CanSecWest winner Charlie Miller, have recommended against installing extra security software on the Mac due to the cost and performance overhead it eats up. "I don?t think it protects me as well as it says," Miller told Computerworld in an interview. "If I was worried about attacks, I would use it, but I?m not worried."
Comments
While its good of M$ to finally address one of the main faults with their product with out trying to get even more money from it, it also highlights said fault.
Althought I do wonder on how well this will preform given their history at antivirus software.
This may also add to Windows reputation for being RAM heavy.
Wonder if symantec or mcafee will flag Morro as a virus?
2. Bundle no-frills anti-spyware
3. Bundle no-frills anti-virus
4. ?????
5. Profit
Surely there's massive anti-trust issues here?
Not if they are giving it away for free... With your argument, I could argue that Apple is also wide open for anti-trust concerns for many of the new features of Leopard. Many of them were offered by 3rd parties.
Not if they are giving it away for free... With your argument, I could argue that Apple is also wide open for anti-trust concerns for many of the new features of Leopard. Many of them were offered by 3rd parties.
Actually... Microsoft gave Internet Explorer away for free, too. And that put Netscape out of business. There is nothing wrong with having a monopoly. It's when companies try to use that monopoly to stifle competition that the problems arise.
The US government and Europe will certainly be keeping their eyes on this one...
Microsoft launches its own free security service, dubbed Morro, sometime in the second half of 2009.
Shouldn't this be dubbed MORON?
Actually... Microsoft gave Internet Explorer away for free, too. And that put Netscape out of business. There is nothing wrong with having a monopoly. It's when companies try to use that monopoly to stifle competition that the problems arise.
The US government and Europe will certainly be keeping their eyes on this one...
Yeah but they were bundling IE with the OS which was the problem.
If they included Netscape and others and gave users a choice I don't think that would have been a problem or maybe they included a way for users after installing to choose between IE and others that would have been ok aslo but they integrated IE to leverage it's adoption.
The US government and Europe will certainly be keeping their eyes on this one...
Shouldn't this be dubbed anyone who wastes time and money with Windows only to be horribly disappointed is a MORON?
fixed.
fixed.
XP, Vista and 7 are now rock solid and are very secure. AV is not needed.
I have never used antivirus software on any of my Windows machines and they work just fine. I think that AV causes more problems than it solves (I can't tell you how many friends I've helped out by removing Norton from their machines after it screwed them up) and is definitely unnecessary these days.
XP, Vista and 7 are now rock solid and are very secure. AV is not needed.
But can you find your files?
1. Sell an insecure OS.
2. Bundle no-frills anti-spyware
3. Bundle no-frills anti-virus
4. ?????
5. Profit
Step 4 is "Have hardware partners inject massive bloatware into our OS"
Suddenly everything worked flawlessly again!!
Whenever you are tempted to install AV on a mac: DON'T!! The only thing it does is messing up the system!
shouldn't the antivirus just be an invisible part of the os instead of an add on?
Yes, but that would require the OS designers to include security in their core architecture from the start. That appears to have never been a top priority for Microsoft. I'm sure "partners" like Symantec lobby Microsoft heavily to leave things alone so it doesn't ruin their billion dollar industry.
Surely there's massive anti-trust issues here?
Yep. I see the browsers war all over again here but this time with AV software (maybe not as bad). If McAfee and Symantec does not act now they will loss this battle real fast. And as usual, the government will act after the damage is done. History alway repeats itself.
Shouldn't this be dubbed MORON?
Ahh... Beat me to it. Thinking the same thing.
They "acquired Komoku and merged its computer security software so the company hopes to provide a stripped-down version of the product for free in order to counter the issue of viruses, spyware, rootkits, and trojan malware that plagues the company's software platform".
Is this just going to be a "tease" product to get people's feet in the door and then have to upgrade to some sort of paid service to be truly effective?
Will it cover all variations of software MS puts out like the Home Edition OS, Work Edition OS, Premium Edition OS, etc. with each upgrade the software has more in it then the lower priced versions, wouldn't that mean that there is more that can be effected by the"viruses, spyware, rootkits, and trojan malware that plagues the company's software platform".
No worries for AV companies. If MS AV software is nearly as good as their OS a huge quaternary market will emerge. Imagine "Get Norton Anti-Virus for Swiss Cheese 7's Anti-Virus for $39.99".
Users? Screwed as usual. I now completely unplug my iMac from the net when Bootcamping into Swiss Cheese.