Free Morro Antivirus from Microsoft

Microsoft will complete the development of free antivirus software, code-named "Morro" in a few months. It is expected that the new antivirus will replace the Windows Live OneCare service . June 30, Microsoft plans to stop selling licenses for it. Let me remind you that Windows Live OneCare includes: an antivirus with automatically updated databases, spyware detection tools, a firewall, information backup tools, and utilities for fine-tuning Windows operating systems.

A little bit about the development of "Morro"

Microsoft started making the first statements that anti-virus / anti-spyware should be free back in November 2008. It was then that the corporation decided to develop its own product in order to meet the growing need for security solutions.

The new Microsoft software is named after the village of Morro de São Paulo in Brazil:

It was planned that Morro will be available free of charge in the second half of 2009. The developers claimed that the product will be optimized for low-bandwidth networks and Windows-based mobile computers. In order not to spray on the existing Windows Live OneCare service, the company announced the termination of its subscription on June 30, 2009.

It was also noted that the new solution will be able to cope with corporate tasks. However, Morro will not include additional tools (as it was in OneCare) - backup tools and fine-tuning of the system that are not related to security.

In order not to impose an antivirus on users, it will be distributed as an independent package, which can be downloaded from the Microsoft website at will. Support for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 has been announced.

Morro on the way

At the moment, according to the corporation, Morro is undergoing internal testing by Microsoft since June 1 of this year. However, it is promised that the beta version (or something like that) will also be available on the company's official website. Microsoft sees the main competitors for its new product in software from Symantec and McAfee. But, given that the annual subscription for them is ~ $ 40 per year, and Morro will be distributed free of charge, then Microsoft has a chance to gain a certain share of the antivirus software market. Naturally, the future anti-virus product will provide basic protection against various viruses, spyware, rootkits and Trojans.

First screenshots?

Recently, Morro screenshots have appeared on the web. But, I think so far they should not be particularly trusted. It is believed that screenshots reflect only the early stage of product development. Below are the options for scanning the disk (fast, full and arbitrary), the status of the relevance of the virus databases and the schedule for automatic scanning.







You may notice that the Morro interface is similar to the current Windows Defender, the Windows Vista firewall. Microsoft does not deny this. Simon Bisson said that Morro is based on the Defender code, which is why there is a similarity in the interface.

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The new Microsoft antivirus will be called Microsoft Security Essentials

Last night it became known that the new product will be called Microsoft Security Essentials. Microsoft Security Essentials is positioned by Microsoft, as it became known, as a basic protection against malware, so you should not compare this package with products from Kaspersky Labs, Symantec and McAfee.

Yesterday, one of the Microsoft Security Essentials assemblies hit the network, in all likelihood the exact one that Microsoft tested with its employees.

Download Microsoft Security Essentials x64 (Windows Vista / Windows 7)
Download Microsoft Security Essentials x86 (Windows Vista / Windows 7)
Download Microsoft Security Essentials x86 (Windows XP)