Microsoft plans to drop OneCare in order to offer free security

by Steve Ragan - Nov 19 2008, 18:25

Microsoft has announced plans to offer a free security application to consumers. Codenamed Morro, the new security suite will replace the paid security application Windows Live OneCare, which is set to fade to nothing on June 30, 2009.

Microsoft will introduce Morro in the second quarter of 2009, the free product is a stripped down version of OneCare, focusing strictly on Malware protection. This is done, “as part of Microsoft’s move to focus on this simplified offering,” Microsoft said.

The application is promised to ship with lower system resource usage, partly due to the reduction of features seen in OneCare, such as printer sharing and automated PC tune-up,  and will work on older systems, rounding out the coverage footprint. (Older systems often have issues running the newer security software.)

Yet, the problem many see with this new offering is that it is based on OneCare, something confirmed by Microsoft when they said Morro is built on their “malware protection engine.” This leads to the adage of just because something is free, does not always mean it is better.

Windows Live OneCare, while using all of the backing and support Microsoft could throw at it, failed a 2007 VB100 test, and has had only three passing grades out of four total VB100 tests. (Microsoft OneCare was not included in more than fifty VB100 tests.)

AV-Comparatives gives OneCare a passing grade, 84.6 percent, for the August 2008 testing (Malware samples from October 2007 to July 2008), and overall a grade of 92.6 percent when scanning over 2-million samples. With that said, OneCare has only reached a rank of STANDARD, finishing fourteenth overall for August.

On a positive note, the technology used in OneCare has seen some improvements. AV-Comparatives noted that OneCare has low false positives, raising just one false alert during testing.

Roger Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates, points out another spin on this announcement when he weighs in on the release news.

“Because uptake of standard anti-malware is low around the world, particularly in developing nations, the availability of basic protection for anyone who wants it is all the more important,” he said.

“By offering such basic protection at no charge to the consumer, Microsoft is promoting a safer environment for PCs, service providers and e-commerce itself, since it is through unprotected PCs that the worst threats are introduced to the system as a whole.”

This is true. It is better to have some security, than no security at all. However, for the average consumer, Morro will be used as a single line of defense, an all-for-one type of security that will leave them at risk. This will happen, because Microsoft will release a free security product and market the hell out of it.

The lack of layers offered, as Morro will only watch for known and established Malware (Viruses, Spyware, Rootkits, and Trojans), means that several vectors of attack are still wide open. Also, since Morro is based on OneCare’s engine, the “live” protection is bound to be less than what the other security vendors are offering.

Remember, Microsoft is a software company who is entering the security sector, not a security company entering the software market. The security efforts that normally come from Redmond are based on patching gaps and flaws in Windows, not protecting a consumer from Zero-Day threats. Microsoft is not an Anti-Virus company, they never will be.

There are companies who presently offer the same coverage Microsoft will offer, and more. McAfee, Symantec, Sophos, Kaspersky, Panda, ESET, all of them spend their time and money developing scanning engines and malware signatures, not visually appealing GUI’s and – pardon the pun – windows.

If you chose to use the Morro product, remember that it is only one layer, and that if you want to focus on free security there are offerings out there from established security companies (AVG, Comodo, etc.).

Morro will be a stand-alone download and offer malware protection for the Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 operating systems. There is no official release date or public beta at this time.

OneCare is $49.95 per year and covers three computers.

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