• Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware is now……”Windows Defender”

    Posted over 9 years ago
    by stevedod}
    Over the last few months we have been working hard on creating the next version of the Microsoft anti-spyware technology. Today, we are announcing the new name for this technology… Microsoft Windows Defender. Does this mean a lot is changing?? Well... YES – and all for the better!! As part of our development process, we have been lurking in the newsgroups, listening and talking to customers to hear how we can make this release better.
     
    It is going to be a part of VISTA!
    The biggest announcement we are making is that Windows Defender will be a part of Vista when it releases. You will be able to run another spyware product instead of Windows Defender if you would like. Although I may shed a small tear, you will be able to disable or turn off Windows Defender and install whichever 3rd party anti-spyware application you would like. The really cool thing is that the Windows Security Center in Vista will be redesigned to detect if an Anti-Spyware application such as Windows Defender is running and operating normally. 
     
    New Signature Update Mechanism.
    That’s great and all, but what about some technical info about Windows Defender? Well I have something for you folks as well…Instead of writing our own update engine for this technology, we have teamed up with Windows Update to deliver signatures to you through Automatic Updates. This is an excellent way of us utilizing an existing Microsoft technology to deliver spyware signature updates to you –neat!
     
    There are many more cool items coming soon which I will blog about later. In the meantime, look for more announcements here and on the antimalware team blog (    http://blogs.technet.com/antimalware).
     
    -steve

  • AntiSpyware and OneCare Live

    Posted over 9 years ago
    by stevedod}

    Today when I came in to the office, I was made aware of an issue which stated that a Microsoft Representative was quoted as saying Windows AntiSpyware would no longer be available for free.

     

    The statement quoted in many forums is not true.

     

    As we have been saying since day one, Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware will be available at no charge to licensed users of Windows. Users who validate their Windows install through WGA will be allowed to download the AntiSpyware beta, as well as the full standalone version of AntiSpyware when it releases to the web. This has not changed since Bill Gates announced this information at the RSA conference in February. The enterprise version of Windows AntiSpyware is targeted to companies who want to centrally manage their Windows AntiSpyware infrastructure. The enterprise version of Windows AntiSpyware will be available for a cost (which has not been determined yet).  For users who want more services including AntiVirus, computer backup, and AntiSpyware we will be offering Windows OneCare live. Windows OneCare Live is currently in beta, but when it releases to the web it will be available to users with a cost.

     

    There are many exciting security offerings coming from Microsoft over the next year and I am just glad they let me blog about these exciting things happening at Microsoft!

  • Command Line Options for Microsoft AntiSpyware (beta 1)

    Posted over 9 years ago
    by stevedod}

    It has been a busy few months on the Anti-Spyware team, and I have learned a lot about the product while supporting millions of users in a newsgroup format. Here is a cool feature I ran into the other day…executing antispyware with switches through the command line!

     

    To do this, open up a command prompt and change to the c:\program files\microsoft antispyware directory. Then use the switches below:

     

    GIANTAntiSpywareMain.exe [-parameters] [-parameters]

     

    -update : start an update check

    -scan : scan [-optional scan parameters]

    Optional scan parameters:   [-withMainUI]
                                [-schedule]
                                [-withUI]
                                [-withResultUI]

     

    Here is an example: “GIANTAntiSpywareMain.exe -scan –withui -withresultsui -schedule ”

     

    Feel free to play with the switches and let me know if it is beneficial to be able to do this.

  • AntiSpyware (beta) Build 613 Released Today

    Posted over 9 years ago
    by stevedod}

    Just a few minutes ago, we released the latest build of Windows Antispyware to the public. This build will resolve issues which will make using this product better for users. Starting today, users will start to see the automatic update mechanism fire off and advise users know they have a new update available. Some of the big improvements are:

     

    1)      Software expiration will be extended to December 31, 2005.

    2)      Alerts Moving Quickly Across the Screen : Messages which move quickly off the screen when the start bar is not docked horizontally are also fixed. Users who dock their start bar on the sides of their screen will now be able to read messages generated from Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (beta).

    This issue is what we dubbed the “Flying Toast Issue” and one which I was passionate about getting fixed in this refresh build.

    3)      Support for Long Descriptions:  Users of older builds only have access to the short descriptions which ship as part of the signatures. These short descriptions only provide limited information about potentially unwanted software. Long descriptions in build 613 will help users by giving them more information about the potentially unwanted software detected on their PCs.

    4)      Improved Winsock LSP removal mechanism:  In some cases, removing spyware LSPs, or can disrupt network functionality. Through enhancements made in this beta refresh, we’ve lessened the chance that this problem will occur.

     

    This is a very exciting release, and one which will greatly improve the user experience on this excellent product.

     

    -steve

  • Microsoft Malware Removal Starter Kit

    Posted over 7 years ago
    by stevedod}

    Yesterday evening, the antimalware team shipped a new tool which should be helpful to small and medium sized orgs. This guide is designed for IT professionals (who may be wearing many hats) in the small business setting. The kit provides recommendations and tools to assist in removing problematic malware from your environment.

    You can find this tool at the following URL:
     http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/guidance/disasterrecovery/malware/default.mspx

    If you have suggestions about this tool, send us e-mail to secwish@microsoft.com

    While you are at it, feel free to also visit the Malware Protection Center Portal at the following URL:
    http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal

    I hope to make more posts as new technology is released to help our customers get and stay secure.

    -steve