Neowin.net - Windows anti-spyware to come free of charge

Windows anti-spyware to come free of charge

Posted by malebolgia on 16 February 2005 - 16:26 · 81 comments & 5934 views

Ending speculation about whether it was shifting to a paid model, Microsoft said on Tuesday that it will provide customers with its new anti-spyware software for free.

The pledge, made by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates during his keynote speech kicking off the RSA Conference 2005 here, comes after the company had been testing its AntiSpyware application--technology it acquired with its purchase of security software maker Giant Software.

"Just as spyware is something that we have to nip down today, we have decided that all licensed Windows users should have that protection at no charge," Gates said. The initiative is part of Microsoft's efforts to strengthen security for home and business users of its Windows desktop software. Consumers are not always aware of the dangers of such threats as spyware, viruses and "phishing." A study published last October found that more than 80 percent of consumers had been infected by spyware.

News source: C|Net News.com

The announcement in full (also available at the IE Team Web Blog)

Featured Community Site Owners,

Today at RSA, Bill Gates talked about Internet Explorer 7. As the guy responsible for IE, I wanted to say a couple of things about it.

First, some basics: we’re committing to deliver a new version of Internet Explorer for Windows XP customers. Betas of IE7 will be available this summer. This new release will build on the work we did in Windows XP SP2 and (among other things) go further to defend users from phishing as well as deceptive or malicious software.

Why? Because we listened to a lot of customers, analysts, and business partners. We heard a clear message: “Yes, SP2 makes the situation better. We want more, sooner. We want security on top of the compatibility and extensibility IE gives us, and we want it on XP. Microsoft, show us your commitment.”

I think of today’s announcement as a clear statement back to our customers: “Hey, Microsoft heard you. We’re committing.”

Why are we talking about it today? Because our customers have asked us, with increasing urgency, what our plans are. We want to convey our intentions to our customers clearly and in a timely way.

I’ve gotten questions about the ship date. We know that feedback from customers and partners is crucial. We’re going to release a beta and listen, then refresh the beta and listen some more. We’ll ship when the product is right.

I’ve gotten other questions about support for Windows 2000. Right now, we’re actively listening to our major Windows 2000 customers about what they want and comparing that to the engineering complexity of that work. That’s all I can say on that topic.

Please know that the IE team is working hard. We’re eager to improve and better secure the web experience for the hundreds of millions of IE users around the world. We delivered on XP SP2. We are actively delivering on our part of a great 64-bit Windows client. We continue to deliver on security updates for customers who have not moved to XP SP2. We’re going to deliver on IE7.

Dean Hachamovitch

General Manager, IE Core Development Team

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(2 replies) #1 Posted by joseph0324 on 16 Feb 2005 - 16:31: Go Microsoft!!!!

(1 reply) #2 Posted by b0m8er on 16 Feb 2005 - 16:32: Excellent. So what's the release date?

#3 Posted by rajputwarrior on 16 Feb 2005 - 16:34: that is good to here, but the beta they are running now is still the best so i am in no real rush to get it

(1 reply) #4 Posted by CeruleanCowboy on 16 Feb 2005 - 16:36: that's great news. its about time Microsoft offered something really good for free!

#5 Posted by Daninku on 16 Feb 2005 - 16:39: Yay... I like this. I can see some improvements from Microsoft lately Wee need more hehe!!

(2 replies) #6 Posted by WinMacLin on 16 Feb 2005 - 16:45: This is so cool!!

Now all we need is a free Antivirus! (I bet Microsoft could give better antivirus since well they did make windows the system being infected)

#7 Posted by mcman on 16 Feb 2005 - 16:51: This is good news.

Hopefully they will not try and add it into windows, or they will find them self's in court again

(2 replies) #8 Posted by PeteWhite on 16 Feb 2005 - 16:53: hmmm, I don't want to be the pessimistic one, but I can see another law suit on it's way!!

(1 reply) #9 Posted by Oogle on 16 Feb 2005 - 17:00: Free is great. Just don't force-bundle it on me like Windows Movie Maker. Give me a choice to not install it. (There's no way in hell that someone can convince me that a movie maker is an integral part of the OS.)

#10 Posted by Jason on 16 Feb 2005 - 17:01: Why not quote the real source to where it reported the Antispyware program was free ??

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/feb05/02-15RSA05KeynotePR.asp

"expanding anti-spyware protection by including the Windows® AntiSpyware technology at no additional charge as part of the Windows value proposition"

(7 replies) #11 Posted by Pabs(Sco) on 16 Feb 2005 - 17:07: free!!! Good!!! Cause they messed up the OS in the first place, if the OS was better secured then we wouldn't need it.

#12 Posted by koocha on 16 Feb 2005 - 17:08: lovely stuff. I was using GIANT before Microsoft bought it

(10 replies) #13 Posted by sdkaneda on 16 Feb 2005 - 17:18: the best anti-spyware measure you can get has been out for free for some time now!

#14 Posted by bangbang023 on 16 Feb 2005 - 17:19: Hmm, now maybe I will have to look into using it.

#15 Posted by quick on 16 Feb 2005 - 17:28: Thats great... Very surprising though.

#16 Posted by kronik on 16 Feb 2005 - 17:44: wow Microsoft's recent focus on security has been quite impressive

(2 replies) #17 Posted by nic on 16 Feb 2005 - 17:57: Microsoft should be focussed on security as much as automobile makers need to be focussed on safety.

The majoridy of Microsoft's user base would fall under that category of n00b. (Not trying to critisise windows users; it's just that everyone and their dogs use it). They really need to create a safe environment for the n00bs to use their computer's and access the internet w/o the violation of the user's privacy and keeping the user's data safe. This really needs to come before new features, or eye candy is added. So far, Microsoft has failed these n00bs horribly. People, like most of us, that are in the know haven't had many problems.

I just felt like stating the obvious.

#18 Posted by hashonboat on 16 Feb 2005 - 18:15: I've been actually using this at work on production machines and it is VERY promising and already very good in it's current form...

(4 replies) #19 Posted by Mr. Dee on 16 Feb 2005 - 18:38: Any information about IE 8 yet?

#20 Posted by kowcop on 16 Feb 2005 - 19:21: *******s!! there HAs to be something devious behind this, come on it's Microsoft the devil!! How dare they, I am going to sue... hehe..

Good on you MS. :0) I cant wait for the final version

(2 replies) #21 Posted by Help on 16 Feb 2005 - 19:48: Pay version is version 2.
The point: Spread the software (cause they can't ship it with the OS), than make'em pay.

#22 Posted by Another_Paul on 16 Feb 2005 - 20:27: Cool. I hope they were going to do that.

#23 Posted by xUnix on 16 Feb 2005 - 20:28: Finally... Micro$oft is doing something!

(3 replies) #24 Posted by King Rilian on 16 Feb 2005 - 21:18: Um, I downloaded this almost a week ago. Here's the link for the beta.

If that doesn't work, try this. It should be the first one listed. And no, you don't need to validate your Windows, you'll see. You can just download it. I don't know why they have that link there when you don't need to do it.

I can't believe I got the obvious news scoop before Neowin news did. WOOT!

#25 Posted by eilegz on 16 Feb 2005 - 21:46: its good news i expected that they would charge too bad that its only for windows 2000 and up no windows 98 version

#26 Posted by Stunod7 on 16 Feb 2005 - 22:14: I hope that their MMC snap in is free too. That would be the tits.

(1 reply) #27 Posted by olger901 on 16 Feb 2005 - 23:52: As often said Nothing a commercial company offers you is for free (Santa Claus doesn't exist). The only thing you will get for free is Sunrise and Sunset. There is always a fine print. With this case aswell. If you actually read the fine prints in the Windows License Agreement, you would know that you pay for all parts of windows; All apps in Windows are included in the Windows License fee. (You know the 219 dollars you paid for XP Pro?) That is why many people told microsoft to remove IE, Windows Media Player, Windows Movie maker and all other useless bloatware out of windows. Why? Because if it wasn't there, there would have been less developping costs meaning the OS could have had a cheaper price.

(2 replies) #28 Posted by Magallanes on 17 Feb 2005 - 00:51: Everyone saw:

MS tried to push the spywarers out of their windows machine.

And the truth is:
... and MS tried to put themself like the only one spyware, in fact the anti-spyware came (i think so) with automatic update (connecting to redmond microsoft from xxx windows with yyy serial number....) ;-)

Anyways, windows updated, a iexplorer correctly configured and NOT TO SAY "YES" TO ANY QUESTION is enough for stay secure of spywares (at least in browsing). I ran ad-aware (updated) just to check my pc, i found almost 50 o 60 "spywares", checking it i found that the "spywares" was only cookies. Cookies can show datas only of the webpages checked (or from the ads), if you find some paranoid then you can delete the cookies daily, for the rest of the users, cookies means nothing, with the cookies they cannot obtain your datas, your passwords.. they just see "some ip visit x pron page many times".. Using Mozilla is also a solution (updated of course).

Sadly spywares also can be installed by programs, such Kazaa (no lite), Exeem and such, the only protection against it is NOT INSTALL IT. In some cases there are not solution, for example c-dilla macrovision from Autocad (a semi-spyware) without it, autocad don't run.

#29 Posted by snips on 17 Feb 2005 - 02:15: Great news!

(1 reply) #30 Posted by Osiris on 17 Feb 2005 - 02:25: Well I don't see how anyone can not be happy with this news. MS could have made money off this, as the fact is despite their being free ones, people would have paid for this. I think its a good move by MS. I tip my hat to them.

#31 Posted by Xerxes on 17 Feb 2005 - 03:24: This is excellent news, been using the beta version of it for a while now and I'm very impressed by it

(3 replies) #32 Posted by shichiroji4 on 17 Feb 2005 - 05:27: Typical bullying tactic by M$ trying to bundle their stuff together with the OS in an attempt to drive other smaller companies out of business.

"Free!?" No chance. M$ Antispy is about as free as IE or WMP - i.e. you are paying for them when your purchase the OS. It takes a noob not to see pass this silly gimick.

(2 replies) #33 Posted by Samoa on 17 Feb 2005 - 08:04: I forsee the EU suing Microsoft for offering free anti-spyware software with Windows.

#34 Posted by bush on 17 Feb 2005 - 13:56: hate the word phishing

#35 Posted by SniperX on 18 Feb 2005 - 01:40: Same old same old from where I'm sitting. Release it as free, let users get dependant on it, then charge for it in a year or two. Watch this space...

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