Until some time ago, Microsoft Security Essentials ( Windows Defender in Windows 8 and 10 ) was in the top positions of the best antivirus rankings. And even though he had slipped to the last positions in the latest surveys, Microsoft had always maintained that the tests were not significant and that MSE instead worked well by protecting the computers completely.
Personally I have been using this antivirus for 3 years now, both because it is light, and because, once put in Windows 8 and Windows 10, it is found included under the name of Windows Defender Antivirus.
Microsoft itself, for a time, had advised Windows users to use another antivirus.
UPDATE: Windows Defender returned to being an antivirus with good scores in 2016, recommended and recommended.
Microsoft Security Essentials, since its debut has been at the top of the charts.
In 2009, AV-Comparatives.org gave Microsoft antivirus a very high score saying it was the best combination of performance and protection among free antivirus.
MSE has had some success due to its easy to access minimal interface, the fact that it was light on the system, well integrated in Windows and certainly because it is completely free.
Not only is MSE available for free, but it also does not advertise paid versions as other free antivirus Avast, Avita and AVG do.
For these reasons and also counting on the reliability of a large company like Microsoft, in this blog, every time we talked about antivirus I have always recommended using MSE or Windows Defender in the case of Windows 8.
Unfortunately over the past few years, Microsoft Security Essentials has dropped to the malware protection rankings so much so that in October 2012, Microsoft Security Essentials was at the bottom and lost its AV-TEST certification.
AV-Test's June 2013 report is pitiless and scores zero, as low as possible.
Following such poor results, Microsoft replied with a post on his blog claiming that the evidence was not representative and that MSE was an excellent antivirus, capable of ignoring false positives and pecking out real-world threats.
Honestly, I, who have never judged an antivirus based on tests because they are often also manipulated artfully for commercial reasons, I could believe it.
Having not encountered any malware in 3 years of use of Microsoft Security Essentals before and Windows Defender with Windows 8, I have always considered this antivirus reliable, as well as light, not at all intrusive and silent.
Unfortunately, however, like many other people, I must consider myself betrayed by Microsoft who has long since stopped developing and improving this antivirus without communicating anything and indeed, still advertising MSE as complete anti-malware protection on the official website.
In an interview with Holly Stewart, senior program manager of the Microsoft Malware Protection Center where it is clearly stated that Microsoft Security Essentials is only a "basic" protection designed to always be at the bottom of antivirus tests .
He said that Microsoft sees MSE as a first layer of preliminary protection, that MSE has not been improved for some time and that users should be using another antivirus.
It almost seems that Microsoft wanted to disengage in the antivirus field so as not to penalize other developer companies with which, presumably, they also have commercial agreements.
It really looks like Microsoft has taken a step back in the security field.
However, the interview also says that basic protection does not mean that viruses pass and infect your computer without disturbance.
In practice, more than an admission of guilt, it seems more than anything else a disclaimer which makes it clear that the company has thrown in the towel to improve the MSE virus detection engine.
However, in light of this new information, how we behave ">.
Conversely, normal users who are not too experienced in using the computer, who do not really feel they are the masters of the internet and the system, would do well to install another antivirus which, according to the most recent tests, can be Avast antivirus free version, the best choice possible.
Unfortunately, it is heavier than MSE, its interface is more complicated and, like the other free version antivirus, it offers the user to buy the paid version of which, really, there is no need.
Still without buying any paid antivirus, read here to make the best combination of computer security .
