Microsoft Security Essentials last in banking trojan detection test

[Jack]

Content source

http://www.myce.com/news/microsoft-security-essentials-last-banking-trojan-detection-test-75262/

Microsoft Security Essentials is amongst the most popular Windows virus scanners but scores low on detection of malware that tries to steal money from bank accounts, according to security researchers from MRG Effitas. They tested Security Essentials with 300 banking trojans that were found “in the wild”.



Banking trojans are malware specifically designed to steal data for internet banking. With the stolen data, cybercriminals can make fraudulent payments, e.g. to their own bank accounts. The banking trojans often are also able to steal other data, like Paypal and social networking login data. Of the 18 tested antivirus applications, only 5 detected all malware. Microsoft Security Essentials didn’t detect 38 of the 300 malware samples (87.3%), followed by ThreatTrack Vipre (95.3%) which missed 14 samples. The percentages indicate the detection rate.

MRG Effitas also performed a botnet-test in which they tested how well virus scanners detected “droppers” of financial malware. Droppers are malware components designed to “install” some sort of malware (virus, backdoor, etc.) to a target system. Droppers are created with “malware builder kits” which allow cybercriminals to easily develop malware, well known examples are PowerZeus, SpyEye and Citadel.


Read more: http://www.myce.com/news/microsoft-security-essentials-last-banking-trojan-detection-test-75262/

 

[Soorya]

I used it untill I read it !

 

[jerzy601]

not the best security program our system.
of identity thefts occur in August is often not detected against malicious software.
Personally it would not install this program at home.

 

[Blackhawk]

No surprise with MSE, but surprised that some of the better AV didn't do so well. My favorites being Kaspersky, Avira, Bitdefender, F-Secure, and Avast free.

 

[frogboy]

No big surprise there but a bit disappointed in Norton being so low on the ranking.

 

[Piteko21]

disappointed by Bitdefender and Avira, but surprised by Avast and Webroot

 

[cruelsister]

The real issue with MSE is not so much that it isn't any good, but instead that people assume that it is good (and the same can be said about Windows Firewall).

A false sense of security is very, very dangerous.

 

[jamescv7]

It must be considered that MSE (baseline AV) is totally different compared on other security software and its a recommendation to install an AV (third party) to maximize the protection.

 

[cLcL]

yea. webroot is awesome

The real issue with MSE is not so much that it isn't any good, but instead that people assume that it is good (and the same can be said about Windows Firewall).

A false sense of security is very, very dangerous.

why windows firewall is not good? i think it's pretty good. it does its job. the interface is a bit difficult (for novice) when add custom rules though, but it's learn-able

 

[Blackhawk]

yea. webroot is awesome


why windows firewall is not good? i think it's pretty good. it does its job. the interface is a bit difficult (for novice) when add custom rules though, but it's learn-able

Webroot, from what I have seen IRL, isn't so swift. It's Sophos AV the last I knew. This is a situation where some AV excelled in a particular area that others didn't.

 

[Deleted member 21043]

At least Microsoft Security Essentials blocked 262 samples. Better than it detecting nothing (which is always a possibility).

I suspect Microsoft, will improve their Antivirus and Antispyware for the next release of Windows 10.

If they wanted, they could automatically detect and block any software attempting to delete the system files, tamper with Internet Explorer (registry keys for example), and so on.

Microsoft have the upper hand advantage to other companies like Google, Opera, Mozilla... They own Windows, their browser is pre-loaded. They could implement self protection for their browser built into Windows. Meaning, preventing modifications of the registry keys, source files, injections to the browser (through DLL injection as an example).

They most likely don't, since the other AV companies wouldn't like them to win over them... But at the end of the day, Microsoft should forget about them and the other AV companies thoughts (if that is why they don't) and go for it.

 

[Secondmineboy]

Sometimes i would like to use Kaspersky

 

[Tony Cole]

Zemana always does well in these tests. They had a program on the BBC and Zemana came 1st in the prevention of financial malware. I wish Emsisoft was included in the test.

 

[Viking]

I never heard of Quarri POQ

 

[jackuars]

Did anyone notice that every other software that was tested was not free and the only free one was MSE?

I'm sure this test wasn't meant to show the weakness of MSE but simply as a baseline score for out of the box protection.

So is many other tests conducted at independent labs where Freeware and Internet Security versions are compared against each other in a single review with the final verdict being favorable for IS version of a product compared to freeware version of another which I find obnoxious.

Although I'll still say that MSE is just good only when you are sure about you are doing. Else it's worthless even if it says "System Protected"

 

[omidomi]

Zemana have very Fp

 

[tekir06]

I've never used MSE. I think I did well.

I never heard of Quarri POQ

Me too.

 

[Tony Cole]

It surprises me, Microsoft it one of the biggest companies in the world, and one of the richest, yet they cannot produce a good, quality antivirus???

 

[h00lks]

I've never used MSE. I think I did well.



Me too.

just send email to test it

 

[Enju]

It surprises me, Microsoft it one of the biggest companies in the world, and one of the richest, yet they cannot produce a good, quality antivirus???

They are only allowed to provide a baseline AV, otherwise the competition would sue them. It's quite logical if you think about it, why use a thrid party AV if the integrated one is as good. The EU would flip their ##### as well, using a monopoly to their advantage and so on, just like they did with IE.