Join Microsoft Essentials Prerelease program

As a Microsoft Security Essentials Prerelease user, you will have the opportunity to explore and test new builds of Microsoft Security Essentials before they are publically available and provide feedback to Microsoft. Your feedback helps Microsoft to make its software and services the best that they can be. As a Microsoft Security Essentials Prerelease user, Microsoft Security Essentials updates will automatically be installed on your computer through Microsoft Updates.

To help improve the software, you will be enrolled in the Microsoft Error Reporting, Customer Experience Improvement Program, and Microsoft Active Protection Service. To learn more about these programs, see the Microsoft Security Essentials privacy statement at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=195299 .
Leaving the program: If you wish to leave the prerelease program at any point in time, you can do so by uninstalling the program from your computer.

If you wish to be able to submit feedback to Microsoft about this program you have to register to the Security Essentials Prerelease program on Microsoft Connect: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=254220.

Important: If you are running any version of Security Essentials, you have to uninstall first before installing the Pre-release version of Security Essentials.

You must be running a Genuine Windows to install Microsoft Security Essentials. Supports Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), Windows Vista (Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2), Windows 7

I have been running & testing this Prerelease since couple of months and now its been made available publically too.

You can download it from here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=29942 

Download the files appropriate for you depending on your running a x86 or x64 version of Windows

New antimalware engine planned for release today !

Microsoft Malware Protection Center (MMPC) is planning to release a new antimalware engine on 28 Nov 2011. Engine Version will be in the range of 1.1.790x.0.

Affected products: Microsoft Security Essentials, Forefront Client Security, Forefront Endpoint Protection, Windows Intune Endpoint Protection.

So I think, the new Beta of Microsoft Security Essentials will be made available only after this is released. Register for New Beta of MSE.

UPDATE:01/12/2011 The new Public Beta of Microsoft Essentials is available and also the New Antimalware Engine updated to v1.1.7903.0

Registration opens for Next ver of Microsoft Security Essentials Beta

The Registration for the Next version of Microsoft Security Essentials Beta is now Open. If you want to try the latest in Security from Microsoft and want to help improve Security Essentials, you can register.

The number of users who can participate in the Beta is limited, so register now! The availability will be notified once you sign up. Microsoft Security Essentials beta is expected to be made available to the general public by the end of the year.

New features in the Beta of Microsoft Security Essentials include:

• Enhanced protection through automatic malware remediation - The Beta will clean high-impact malware infections automatically, with no required user interaction.
• Enhanced performance - The Beta includes many performance improvements to make sure your PC performance isn’t negatively impacted.
• Simplified UI - Simplified UI makes Microsoft Security Essentials Beta easier to use.
• New and improved protection engine - The updated engine offers enhanced detection and cleanup capabilities.

Register at : http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=233172

(Source:Microsoft Malware Protection Center)

UPDATE (30/11/11) : The Microsoft Security Essentials Beta is ready for download on the public Beta program page. if you had registered earlier, please check the link & download for beta testing.

Bootable Free malware cleaner from Microsoft - Standalone System Sweeper Beta1

Microsoft has released a beta version of Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta, a recovery tool that can help you start an infected PC and perform an offline scan to help identify and remove rootkits and other advanced malware.

This tool will help you create Standalone System Sweeper on a bootable device (on a CD, DVD, or USB drive) that will provide a safe environment from which you can start your computer and attempt to remove threats. It can be used if you cannot install or start an antivirus solution on your PC, or if the installed solution can’t detect or remove malware on your PC.

“Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper Beta is not a replacement for a full antivirus solution providing ongoing protection; it is meant to be used in situations where you cannot start your PC due to a virus or other malware infection. For no-cost, real-time protection that helps guard your home or small business PCs against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software, download Microsoft Security Essentials*. (* Your PC must run genuine Windows to install Microsoft Security Essentials.)”

To get started, please make sure that you have a blank CD, DVD, or USB drive with at least 250 MB of space. Next, download and run the tool – the tool will help you to create the bootable media required to run the software on your PC.

Get it from https://connect.microsoft.com/systemsweeper

(Thanks for the HT: ZDNet )

 

EDIT : Few screenshots  -

Download & creating ISO file screenshots -

 

Running Bootable CD screenshots -

So after creating a Bootable CD from ISO, when booted from this CD we get -

Beware! Fake Microsoft Security Essentials software on the loose

A new trojan that is disguising itself as Microsoft’s Antimalware program Microsoft Security Essentials is on the prowl. This imposter is known in the technical world of antimalware combat as “Win32/FakePAV” .

 

FakePAV is a rogue that displays messages that imitate Microsoft Security Essentials threat reports in order to entice the user into downloading and paying for a rogue security scanner. The rogue persistently terminates numerous processes such as Windows Registry Editor, Internet Explorer, Windows Restore and other utilities and applications.

 

This fake software is distributed by a tactic commonly described as a “drive-by download” and shows up as a hotfix.exe or as an mstsc.exe file. Additionally, after the fake Microsoft Security Essentials software reports it cannot clean the claimed malware infection, it offers to install additional antimalware rogues (with names such as AntiSpySafeguard, Major Defense Kit, Peak Protection, Pest Detector and Red Cross). Lastly, this fake program will try to scare you into purchasing a product.

 

Here’s a detailed look at FakePAV. While different FakePAV distributions have different payloads, here is how the current one imitating Microsoft Security Essentials works:

1. It modifies the system so that it runs when Windows starts

2. When you go to execute something it’s watching for, it opens the alert window claiming the program is infected and blocks it from running.

3. You can expand it out for “additional details”

4. If you click “Clean computer” or “Apply actions”, it simulates an attempt to clean the claimed infection

5. You’ll then get an ‘unable to clean’ alert and be instructed to click ‘Scan Online’

 

6. Clicking this, a list of antimalware programs appears, including several fake removal tools, and you’d need to click Start Scan

7. Once the simulated scan completes, it will claim a solution was found and list products that can ‘clean’ the system (the listed products are fake removal tools).

 

8. Clicking ‘Free install’ on one of those downloads will download its installer and start installing

This software is a fake. Do not be fooled by this scam. If you have not already updated your security software please do so. Making sure your security software is up-to-date and has the latest definitions is the best way to prevent infections. 

If you believe your machine has become infected, we encourage you to use Microsoft Security Essentials to check your PC for malware and to help remove them from your system. You can also find out how to get virus-related assistance at no charge from Microsoft here: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/support/default.mspx.

For more information on this FakePAV please visit the encyclopedia entry at http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal/Threat/Encyclopedia/Entry.aspx?Name=Rogue%3aWin32%2fFakePAV. It contains a lot of information that may help answer questions about this rogue.

And remember: Microsoft does not charge for Microsoft Security Essentials. You can find the legitimate version of Microsoft Security Essentials at http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials. Microsoft Security Essentials can be downloaded and used at no cost by users running genuine Windows.

(Source: Windows Security Blog )

Microsoft Security Essentials celebrates First Birthday across 74 countries with 30 million customers

 

It has been One Year since Microsoft Security Essentials has been made available to general public. And now it has over 30 million customers in 74 different countries around the world enjoying the trusted security and quiet protection that Microsoft Security Essentials provides.

Happy Birthday Microsoft Security Essentials!  And thanks for working quietly behind the scenes protecting my PC. Microsoft Security Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background and its Free! You can get it from http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/ 

For more details on the highlights from the past year and about the impact Microsoft Security Essentials is having on the Windows ecosystem , please check Windows Security Blog.

MSE (1959) now available on Microsoft download center

Microsoft has released the Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) current build 1959 on the Microsoft download center today.

“…this makes it a bit easier for those who need to go through
re-installs...no longer needing to start from scratch with the beta (1676)
build listed on Connect, and then waiting for it to upgrade.”

You can download it from here -

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=e1605e70-9649-4a87-8532-33d813687a7f

 

Btw for those who are new to MSE -

Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.

I would highly recommend this as its very light, one of the best in catching viruses, spyware and it provides high quality anti-virus protection and its FREE.

Watch videos to help you get the most from Microsoft Security Essentials -

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/support.aspx

Microsoft Security Essentials available now

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is out of beta and have been released now. Get it from here :

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

I am upgrading my beta version of MSE, a detailed post will be soon followed.