Gates: Microsoft to offer anti-spyware

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Microsoft plans to offer its own anti-spyware software, Chairman Bill Gates said Friday.

Gates said Microsoft will offer software to detect malicious applications and that the company will keep it up-to-date on an ongoing basis. He did not say when the software would be available or whether Microsoft would charge for it.

Although progress is being made against spam and viruses, Gates said the adware and malware problem is getting worse.

"This malware thing is so bad," he said in a speech at the Computer History Museum here. "Now that's the one that has us really needing to jump in."

It's also a problem that has affected Gates personally. He said his home PCs have had malware, although he has personally never been affected by a virus.

"I have had malware, (adware), that crap" on some home machines, he said.

Gates' comments came at the end of a busy Bay Area tour. Earlier Friday, Gates addressed a group of engineering students at the University of California at Berkeley.

Microsoft has been testing a for-fee antivirus product, though the company has not announced details of how it will offer it. The company purchased technology from Romanian antivirus firm GeCad in 2003.

A Microsoft representative did not immediately have further details on the company's plans.

Another looming problem, Gates said, is the password.

"People hate changing their password," Gates said. "They pick very guessable passwords."

The industry will have to move to smart cards or some kind of biometric recognition for authentication.

"It will take five or six years," he said. "There's no doubt that has to come."

[Tex Murphy PI]

Let me beat everyone to the punchline

Will the Microsoft anti-spyware tool also clean out the spyware in Windows XP and their respective Microsoft Ads?

I thought I'd get a jump on the Mac/Linux/Unix fans to that question!

:)

Some obvious advice for Mr. Gates...

Quote: "I have had malware, (adware), that crap" on some home machines, he said.

Should have been using Linux then!

[techesq]

You've gotta be kidding...

Microsoft's horrible security holes are the reason spyware exists in the first place. If this is a fee based service then it's not much different than a car dealership charging you extra to install the engine in your car.

Golly, Bill, maybe we should have thought twice about integrating IE into every facet of the O/S. Maybe we should have thought about the security implications of Active X controls and Browser Helper Objects before we unleashed these wide open back doors on an unsuspecting public...

Nah... Let's release a terrible product and then charge its users to fix it. Thanks Micro$oft. Your're swell!

[simcity1976]

I don't

Blame MS for This crap, I blame the spammers and advertisers for it. They started it. As for the holes in windows, there are also holes in linux / Mac for these spyware companys to attach to. don't think for a min that it doesn't exist.

Microsoft---> Anti-Malware---> No Way

I for one will nto be rushing out to get any anti-maleware produt that Microsoft releases, let alone any anti-virus program. They are Big, and Rich, but think about what that has already cost us as consumers.

I am waiting for the Induce act to go through if it does... It will be Interesting the nuber of lawsuits filed against Microsoft for creating and maintaining the operating platform that allows such copyrght infringement software and hardware both to run. This is inevitable if this law passes... If the hardware manufacturer is responsible, So is every software vendor that makes software that could possibly be used to copy or circumvent copy protection...

This is all getting out of hand....
Gates and his claim for biometrics... what will that accomplish.... oh yeah it will generate more money for him, since he already has stuff in place and rteady to market..

[metmichallica]

This is great news

I can't wait till get rid of PestPatrol to get this. PestPatrol what do they know about spyware? (sarcasm people)

The only way I would end up using this other anti-spyware product by microsoft if it were free, and it probably won't be.