The Hindu Business Line : Marketing cyber security

Microsoft (MS) has done it again! This high-profile Redmond (US)-based computer giant has an enormous appetite for innovation and a supreme ability to surprise its customers and competitors alike. While the former are normally pleased with what MS does to go the extra length to anticipate their needs, competitors do not conceal their ire or their endeavour to generate cynicism over any new venture that MS undertakes. As a result, basic facts become garbled.

This is my feeling as I try to record my thoughts on the anti-virus software Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) released last week. These are very early days to say something positive or negative on what is otherwise a welcome initiative to lend more protection to computer users the world over. Coming as it does, however, at a time when a new security issue crops up each day, it is preposterous to decry any move made by an organisation of the stature of MS to fortify cyberspace against marauders and fraudsters. The latter are increasing in number and sophistication, and the existing law and enforcement machinery has proved itself inadequate.

Here are some basic facts and a few claims made by MS itself. A brand new programme, MSE, seeks to fill in the space created by the company’s decision last June to abandon its OneCare security software that had a reasonably good reputation but had to be paid for. MSE, whose beta version was made available in June, is a free service for Windows users. The only condition is that whoever wants to download MSE will first have to clear MS’s Genuine Validation check.

The idea is that the package is denied to those having a pirated version of Windows, a stand that is unexceptionable, because any company that had spent enormous resources and time to develop a durable operating system is well within its rights to protect its commercial interests. Of course, there is the genuine fear that MS may ultimately have a monopolistic design while launching MSE. To allay any such misgivings, the company has categorically stated that this technology will not come bundled with Windows 7, the new OS to be released later this month by MS - the beta version of which is already available - or tagged on to any ongoing Windows patching process. Let us hope that MS adheres to this apparent ethical assurance.

Another claim made by MS is that the software is easily downloadable – one that is endorsed by many who are knowledgeable in the field - and is light, in the sense that it will not hog the system. In the company’s words, MSE is “designed to run quietly in the background alerting the user only when there is an action for them to take.” Also, updates take place unobtrusively without the annoying distraction of pop-ups. Further, scanning is said to take place only when the PC is idle. There is also the report that as MSE occupies the CPU only partially, even when it is active, the PC can still be used without a hassle. However, one expert sounds a note of caution. This is with regard to the feeling of many computer users that security solutions often slow down the system. This is why if you want to test the utility of MSE by installing it in your system, and you already have some other anti-virus software, your system could start crawling, because two software packages cannot ordinarily coexist. You will have to temporarily uninstall the older programme you have. I cannot offer any alternative to the much harassed modern manager who just does not have the patience for such a time-consuming trial and error exercise!

Coming down to brass tacks, what kind of protection does MSE claim to offer? It is no panacea for all the evils of cyberspace. It extends fundamental and elementary protection against a range of malware, such as Trojans, computer viruses, spyware and rootkits. This list may not look comprehensive, but is generally adequate to the routine computer user who does not have that kind of sensitive data which, if wiped out or corrupted, will spell ruin to his profession. The one criticism is that MSE has no built-in firewall. This is countered by the fact that recent versions of Windows already carry a firewall that is more than adequate for the individual user or a relatively small system.

One distinguishing feature of MSE is that it offers real-time protection that operates at the kernel level. It can detect and sandbox a malware irrespective of where it hides itself in the system. MSE incorporates a new Dynamic Signature Service which enables it to query online any unusual phenomenon witnessed on the PC.

In sum, it is going to be interesting times, with claims and counter-claims. MS may be expected to do some aggressive marketing for which it is so well known. Its competitors in the security sector, especially McAfee and Symantec, may work overtime trying to find chinks in MSE. MS’s stand, however, is that it is targeting the millions of computers which do not now have any protection at all. Its philosophy is that it is these unprotected systems which provide the opportunity to hackers to strike at those with protection. This seems logical. If this objective is achieved, half the battle against cyber criminals may have been won. In balance, MSE offers an attractive proposition to those who just cannot afford the expensive security packages which well established anti-virus software companies offer. For the others, it may perhaps be too soon to convert themselves to MSE patrons.

The writer is a former CBI Director who is currently Adviser (Security) to TCS Ltd.

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