Microsoft's Free Antivirus Officially Named

Microsoft's upcoming anti-virus software gets named and dated.


Last week, we reported that Microsoft plans to launch a free anti-virus service in the near future, and that the company is currently testing an early version of the product internally with company employees. Code-named Morro, the service will offer protection comparable to low-end, $40-per-year products offered by companies such as Symantec and McAfee. The software will supposedly include protection against trojans, spyware, viruses, and even rootkits... all for free.

According to Neowin.net, Morro is now officially named as Microsoft Security Essentials, and a trial version is expected to reach the public sometime this September, with a full-blown release by the end of the year. Based on a recent build, the site states that MSE will not be a "suite" like offerings provided by McAfee and Symantec, but rather a very basic form of anti-virus. Janice Chaffin, Symantec's Consumer division president, said last week that MSE is a stripped down version of its OneCare product. "A full Internet security suite is what consumers require today to stay fully protected," she said.

Along with Neowin, Ars Technica is reporting the same information, verifying that the pre-beta anti-virus was actually leaked, and now comes with a newer user interface than one offered in previous builds. The report also indicates that MSE will be available as a standalone download for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Additionally, the leaked version also provided separate installers for XP 32-bit, Vista 32-bit, Vista 64-bit, and more. The file sizes are also rather small, ranging from 3 MB to 7 MB.

Eventually, end-users wanting to use the program will need a validated copy of Windows, as MSE has implemented a built-in validation tool into the software. "Microsoft Security Essentials is available to customers running a genuine and properly licensed copy of Windows," reads the disclaimer. "Using Genuine Windows can help avoid the risks associated with counterfeit software, such as malware, viruses, spyware, and phishing scams."

Ars added that while the installer is (currently) quite small, MSE isn't overly complicated, and doesn't consume large chunks of resources. Expect more information to come forth soon--hopefully from Microsoft itself in the form of an official press release--detailing specific capabilities and actual availability.