Microsoft

A day after making a beta of its free security program available, Microsoft has said it already has the number of testers it needs and has halted new downloads.

(Credit: CNET)

Well, that didn't take long.

A day after making available a free beta of its Microsoft Security Essentials software, Microsoft has stopped offering new downloads, saying it has reached the number of participants it was looking for, at least here in the U.S. The software maker had said it was only looking to initially have about 75,000 downloads of the product, formerly code-named Morro.

"Thank you for your interest in joining the Microsoft Security Essentials Beta. We are not accepting additional participants at this time," Microsoft said in a posting on its Web site. "Please check back at later a date for possible additional availability."

Microsoft Security Essentials is the free product that Microsoft promised it would create last year, at the same time the software maker said it was discontinuing its paid Windows Live OneCare product.

The program hits the antivirus basics, including built-in and customizable scan options, a scheduler, automatic definition file updates, a real-time defense shield, and rootkit protection. It's also similar to other free products on the market, such as those from AVG and Antivir.

Download.com's Seth Rosenblatt contributed to this report.

Click on the image above to see Download.com's look at Microsoft Security Essentials.

(Credit: CNET)

SAN FRANCISCO--Microsoft's operating systems are still vulnerable to attacks, but more often than not it's older versions that are taking the big hits.

That was the message from Scott Charney, corporate vice president in Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing group, when he sat down with me on Tuesday. We chatted about the latest threats, including Conficker. The much-maligned Windows Vista, he noted, wasn't hit in the way that older versions of the operating system were.

"Some of those widespread exploits take advantage of older platforms," Charney said in an interview, following his keynote speech at the RSA 2009 conference here.

With Windows 7, Microsoft is trying to take security into a few more areas, such as extending encryption to removable devices.

Charney also noted that, as a whole, the Internet still should be safer than it is.

"There is still a sense that it is not safe enough," Charney said. "It was not built for the uses that we currently use it for, all these commercial transactions."

One of the answers, he said, is adding more security features into the PC hardware.

"In a nutshell, software is malleable and hardware is harder to tamper with," he said.

For my complete interview with Charney, check out the video below:

Microsoft shocked the security industry on Tuesday by announcing that it will stop selling its consumer-focused Microsoft OneCare security software. Instead, Microsoft said that it will offer a new free alternative dubbed "Morro" in mid-2009. What does this sudden change in direction mean?

1. Microsoft is cutting its losses
After two years of hawking OneCare, the company barely made a blip in consumer security market share and was probably bleeding red ink. It is cheaper to give away Morro than to package, distribute, and promote OneCare.

Windows Live OneCare logo

(Credit: Microsoft)

2. There's a reason to remain in the market
So why not kill endpoint security altogether? Good question. As long as Microsoft continues to offer Forefront (i.e., its commercial endpoint security product), Morro is a relatively easy thing to support. Alternatively, I can't see Microsoft walking away from any PC software. The PR implications of doing so are too dire.

3. Morro won't kill other alternatives
Free is pretty compelling, but it is nothing new. Users could opt for a strong free alternative today called Clam AV, but Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, and Kaspersky still do pretty well with consumers. Users either don't know about Clam or believe that "free" software must have a catch. On another note, about 40 percent to 50 percent of consumers still buy security software at their local Best Buy, Frye Electronics, or Staples. With no revenue stream, I can't see Microsoft boxing up Morro and paying for shelf space, so Morro won't even be available to a large percentage of the potential market.

4. Microsoft won't bundle Morro in consumer Windows
Ten years ago, I have no doubt that Microsoft would have made security part of the operating system. Heck, Microsoft gave away its antispyware software as recently as 2006. Pursuing this course of action doesn't make sense in this case, however. Aside from the obvious antitrust issues, there is another strategic reality here. Netscape and Internet computing threatened the Microsoft franchise. Symantec Endpoint Protection does not.

Whether industry pundits admit it or not, Microsoft has made great strides in security over the past five years, both in terms of products, processes, and industry leadership. These advances are extremely visible in the enterprise market, but even Microsoft couldn't extend this momentum into the brutal and fickle consumer space. There are too many other fast-growing, highly profitable market segments for Microsoft to pursue, so it simply makes no sense to keep fighting in a crowded market with dwindling margins.

Microsoft consumer security may become free, but expect to hear a lot less about Morro once Microsoft pulls OneCare from retailers' shelves.