Sophos and Microsoft Agree: You Need to Protect Windows 7
If you’re a Windows user, then you certainly know that you must use a genuine, properly good security software application to protect your operating system. Windows 7 may be the latest and best Windows version to come out of Redmond, but this does not mean you can use it without adequate protection. You need to get an antivirus!
This is precisely the point made by Sophos, company that specializes in providing antivirus, anti-spam, spyware removal software, network and internet security, data protection, and computer security solutions. Earlier this mont the company put Windows 7 to the test and found out that the OS (operating system) was vulnerable to 8 out of 10 viruses. It must be said that Sophos ran these viruses on a Windows 7 machine that had no antivirus solution in place. The only thing protecting it was UAC (User Account Controls).
“UAC's default configuration is not effective at protecting a PC from modern malware. Lesson learned? You still need to run anti-virus on Windows 7,” commented Senior Security Engineer with Sophos, Chester Wisniewsk.
Director of Windows 7 Client Enterprise Security, Paul Cooke believes the test Sophos ran on Windows 7 is inconclusive. In the test, Sophos ran known malware code; regular users do not do such a thing. Most Windows 7 users do not intentionally run known malware on their system. Paul Cooke does agree with Sophos on one thing: users need to get a antivirus and keep Windows 7 protected.
“So while I'm not a fan of companies sensationalizing findings about Windows 7 in order to sell more of their own software, I nevertheless agree with them that you still need to run anti-virus software on Windows 7. This is why we've made our Microsoft Security Essentials offering available for free to customers. But it's also equally important to keep all of your software up to date through automatic updates, such as through the Windows Update service. By configuring your computers to download and install updates automatically you will help ensure that you have the highest level of protection against malware and other vulnerabilities,” commented Cooke.
This is precisely the point made by Sophos, company that specializes in providing antivirus, anti-spam, spyware removal software, network and internet security, data protection, and computer security solutions. Earlier this mont the company put Windows 7 to the test and found out that the OS (operating system) was vulnerable to 8 out of 10 viruses. It must be said that Sophos ran these viruses on a Windows 7 machine that had no antivirus solution in place. The only thing protecting it was UAC (User Account Controls).
“UAC's default configuration is not effective at protecting a PC from modern malware. Lesson learned? You still need to run anti-virus on Windows 7,” commented Senior Security Engineer with Sophos, Chester Wisniewsk.
Director of Windows 7 Client Enterprise Security, Paul Cooke believes the test Sophos ran on Windows 7 is inconclusive. In the test, Sophos ran known malware code; regular users do not do such a thing. Most Windows 7 users do not intentionally run known malware on their system. Paul Cooke does agree with Sophos on one thing: users need to get a antivirus and keep Windows 7 protected.
“So while I'm not a fan of companies sensationalizing findings about Windows 7 in order to sell more of their own software, I nevertheless agree with them that you still need to run anti-virus software on Windows 7. This is why we've made our Microsoft Security Essentials offering available for free to customers. But it's also equally important to keep all of your software up to date through automatic updates, such as through the Windows Update service. By configuring your computers to download and install updates automatically you will help ensure that you have the highest level of protection against malware and other vulnerabilities,” commented Cooke.
