Microsofts Free Anti-Virus Morro

Still looking for Free Antivirus? antispware? a protector for your system, the wait might just be over now . Theres good news as Microsoft unveiled its first Free Antivirus ‘Code Name : Morro‘. A Microsoft spokesman said on Wednesday that the world’s biggest software maker is testing an early version of the product with its own employees. Microsoft would “soon” make a trial version, or product beta, available for Download via its website, he added, but declined to provide a specific date.

The impact of this announcement resulted in Symantec shares falling 0.5 percent on Nasdaq and McAfee falling 1.3 percent on the New York Stock Exchange, while Microsoft was up 2.1 percent. The Nasdaq composite index was down 0.47 percent.

Investors are closely monitoring the free service, code-named Morro after Brazil’s Morro de Sao Paolo beach, amid concern it could hurt sales of products from Symantec and McAfee, which generate billions of dollars of revenue a year protecting Windows PCs from attacks by hackers.

Three years ago, Microsoft entered that market with Live OneCare, which turned out to be a commercial flop. It announced plans in November to kill that product suite, saying it would launch the free Morro service by the end of 2009. Analysts said they are looking forward to Morro’s beta to see exactly how its features compare to those in products from competitors.

Microsoft has said it will provide protection from several types of malicious software including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans. Officials with Symantec and McAfee have said they do not see Morro as a threat.

“Microsoft’s free product is basically a stripped down version of the OneCare product Microsoft pulled from the shelves. A full Internet security suite is what consumers require today to stay fully protected.”

Symantec Consumer division president Janice Chaffin

Source: Reuters , Times of India