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The fact that Microsoft is the one offering the new service bothers me greatly. The reason is that it will create a conflict-of-interest. In my opinion, Microsoft has failed to make Windows as secure as it should be and now they have an incentive to continue failing in that regard.
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According to this article on Cnet, Microsoft is releasing a new anti-malware solution this June. The subscription based software will contain anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall components.
Another anti-virus program on the market isn’t a terrible thing, since much of what is available is junk (I'm not impressed with the anti-virus offerings from Symantec and McAfee). More competition should make other vendors offer more for less money.
However, the fact that Microsoft is the one offering the new service bothers me greatly. The reason is that it will create a conflict-of-interest. In my opinion, Microsoft has failed to make Windows as secure as it should be and now they have an incentive to continue failing in that regard.
Current anti-virus offerings simply do not provide adequate protection against viruses. With the many new viruses appearing in the wild each day, it is not possible to make a completely effective anti-virus program. Time and time again I clean viruses from computers “protected” by up-to-date anti-virus software. Without changes to Windows, Microsoft OneCare will be as ineffective as all the rest.
Here are two specific things Microsoft could do to make Windows more secure:
1. Lock down the startup process
Nearly every piece of mal-ware in existence configures certain processes to start automatically when the computer is powered on. Even legitimate software annoys users and technicians by placing worthless or troublesome processes in the background. Windows should prohibit the installation of a background process until the user is prompted for the administrator’s password, given an explanation of the purpose of the process, and warned that installing it may affect speed and stability.
2. Make the Windows folder off limits
Microsoft should make it impossible for software applications to install files in the Windows folder. It’s a simple step that would eliminate many hard-to-clean viruses. For even better protection, all programs should be forced to install files in a folder of their own. Programs should not be allowed to create or modify files in locations that belong to other applications.
In the past, I told customers a technician worth his pay will never have to reformat a computer hard drive just to get rid of a virus. These days, I find myself using the reformat option more and more often. The reason is that many viruses and spyware place DLL files in the Windows system folder, which contains hundreds of files. Searching for a virus there is like searching for a needle in a haystack and anti-virus programs many times don’t help with the task.
Unless Windows is made more secure, Microsoft OneCare Live will be plagued by the same problem as other anti-virus programs: the inability to protect a computer from all viruses. Before long I expect virus-infected computers will be showing up in my workshop with Microsoft OneCare Live happily reporting that everything is OK.
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