I'm going to say yes it is, at least it appears that way from current use. For me it's on par with NOD32, I noticed no hit in performance when I switched over after my license ran out.
MSE is probably more odious than a minimal avast install (that's with everything disabled except for the Standard Shield) but, again, it is far more pleasant to work with
So been running MSE for a day now, had a play with it, run a couple scans. Really liking what it does, it's so tiny and stays out of the way. Nice piece of software. I can't believe how bad anti-virus software used to be. Norton can die! AVG too, for that matter, although only ever used that at work, and it was nothing like as bad as Norton.
In addition to the anti-virus, I've gotta chime in on a couple of other things if you really want to be careful (day job creeping in here...):
1. Browse with Firefox + NoScript. http://noscript.net/ . Yes this can be a pain until you get your normally visited sites whitelisted but it will save your butt when
"MyFavoriteTrustedWebsiteIVisitAllTheTime.com" will redirect you to "LotsOfMalwareUpYourButt.Shady.ru" without your realizing it.
2. If you're really paranoid, use a second browser to do your banking/finances and never use FF to visit these sites. Only use this browser for banking/finances. If your day-to-day browsing gets your browser compromised, they won't have access to your banking/finances without getting some malware on your machine.
3. Follow the rules you tell your grandma. (Strong passwords, use different passwords for different sites especially your email, don't download from strangers, etc.)
here's a screenshot of Task Manager while MSE runs a full scan
Generally this process (which is only visible if you hit "View Processes From All Users") hovers between 30 and 80 megs. CPU usage is negligible. I don't know how this compares to other AV clients but you get the idea.
2. If you're really paranoid, use a second browser to do your banking/finances and never use FF to visit these sites. Only use this browser for banking/finances. If your day-to-day browsing gets your browser compromised, they won't have access to your banking/finances without getting some malware on your machine.
I know a few people who actually have Ubuntu virtual machines in place for doing online banking. That's probably the best route.
Oh, and I must say, I've been running MSE for several days now. I barely even notice that it's installed. It's pretty cool so far.
I'm using MSSE at the moment, never had any problem with it. Seems to be very responsive, happily sits in the background and keeps quiet and requests a quick scan every Friday by turning the icon Orange, which is nice enough. Seems to be getting good reviews as well.
TetraNitroCubaneThe DjinneratorAt the bottom of a bottleRegistered Userregular
edited October 2009
Has anyone seen any head-to-head comparison of MSE and NOD yet? MSE seems to be getting nothing but positive responses, and the guys over at Wilder's seem to be down on NOD lately for having less-than-stellar ratings when it comes to new stuff.
I'm running NOD currently, but I figure MSE might be a better bet seeing as its bound to be more compatible. Plus, their labs are supposedly really quick when it comes to submission/false positive.
MSE hasn't been tested in any of the major av comparatives AFAIK; it's too new.
edit: also I'm not sure what tests those guys are looking at, but NOD was still top tier in the past few I've seen.
I hadn't thought of that, but I guess MSE really is fresh on the market and these tests take time. Unfortunately, I almost feel like the time it takes to assess a product's efficacy in these matters is enough for the entire game to change.
Most of the problems NOD seems to run into these days are with Day0 infections, largely rogue A/V malware. It's probably just a case of 'Trouble in River City', but I never do have a good grasp of what's real and what's hype.
Just remember this, Windows Live OneCare actually did a good job. MSE was designed to do better.
yea, one care was decent, it's biggest problem was that it nagged you every 5 minutes letting you know it was doing something, wanted you to do something, or was letting you know it just did something. I ran the Beta of OneCare way back in the day and I un-installed it after 2 days because of that.
From the last article posted, it seems MSE is lacking heuristic detection and only uses signatures. Even with frequent updates, there is a good chance something new could slip in. It should be fine for that little extra bit for people who generally don't have issues with viruses, but there is no way I would choose it over nod32 for repeat offenders.
eidt: misread that - it was hips / behaviour not heuristics. I'd still be remiss in recommending it over nod for people who just keep getting infected.
Posts
but as far as antivirus software goes MSE is very lightweight and more importantly it is completely silent
once you complete the initial setup process you won't even know it's there
I'm going to say yes it is, at least it appears that way from current use. For me it's on par with NOD32, I noticed no hit in performance when I switched over after my license ran out.
Yes AVG has been going down hill for awhile now. It's gotten bloated and has issues with detecting & removing some of the nastier stuff.
and yeah AVG is awful
Thanks thread!
In addition to the anti-virus, I've gotta chime in on a couple of other things if you really want to be careful (day job creeping in here...):
1. Browse with Firefox + NoScript. http://noscript.net/ . Yes this can be a pain until you get your normally visited sites whitelisted but it will save your butt when
2. If you're really paranoid, use a second browser to do your banking/finances and never use FF to visit these sites. Only use this browser for banking/finances. If your day-to-day browsing gets your browser compromised, they won't have access to your banking/finances without getting some malware on your machine.
3. Follow the rules you tell your grandma. (Strong passwords, use different passwords for different sites especially your email, don't download from strangers, etc.)
-Mazlo
Generally this process (which is only visible if you hit "View Processes From All Users") hovers between 30 and 80 megs. CPU usage is negligible. I don't know how this compares to other AV clients but you get the idea.
I know a few people who actually have Ubuntu virtual machines in place for doing online banking. That's probably the best route.
Oh, and I must say, I've been running MSE for several days now. I barely even notice that it's installed. It's pretty cool so far.
My second recommendation would be NOD32.
Security Essentials? Yes, it's supported on XP (32 Bit), Vista (32 & 64 Bit), and 7 (32 & 64 Bit).
Cool. I'm really thinking about removing the AVG 9.0 suite I have.
I'm running NOD currently, but I figure MSE might be a better bet seeing as its bound to be more compatible. Plus, their labs are supposedly really quick when it comes to submission/false positive.
edit: also I'm not sure what tests those guys are looking at, but NOD was still top tier in the past few I've seen.
I hadn't thought of that, but I guess MSE really is fresh on the market and these tests take time. Unfortunately, I almost feel like the time it takes to assess a product's efficacy in these matters is enough for the entire game to change.
Most of the problems NOD seems to run into these days are with Day0 infections, largely rogue A/V malware. It's probably just a case of 'Trouble in River City', but I never do have a good grasp of what's real and what's hype.
yea, one care was decent, it's biggest problem was that it nagged you every 5 minutes letting you know it was doing something, wanted you to do something, or was letting you know it just did something. I ran the Beta of OneCare way back in the day and I un-installed it after 2 days because of that.
eidt: misread that - it was hips / behaviour not heuristics. I'd still be remiss in recommending it over nod for people who just keep getting infected.