Microsoft OneCare Last in Antivirus Tests

Juha-Matti Laurio writes "PC World has a story reporting that Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare came in dead last out of a group of 17 antivirus programs tested against hundreds of thousands of pieces of malware. The report of an Austrian antivirus researcher was released at the AV Comparatives Web site this week. Several free AV products were included in the test as well." While the top dog was able to find 99.5% of the malicious code, OneCare clocked in at 82.4%. Of course, there's no metric for the severity of the malware in the 17% gap.

It'll get better over time

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

The OneCare team has access to the Windows source code, that's got to give them an edge.

Not really

[Anonymous Coward]

The consistent malware in these tests is Microsoft Windows, everything else is irrelevant.

Hell, MS Onecare detector was effective on me...

[BrentRJones]

it detected some virus MAKING software I had swiped from some guys in Moscow, turned me in with the Genuine Advantage program and now I am paying "royalties" to some WISE GUYS in Tel Aviv who threatened to post my bank account numbers in Nigeria, put me in the Homeland Security database as a terrorist, and take me off the Do-Not-Call list.

It may be 17% behind the leader, but it is damned effective.

Re:It'll get better over time

[multipartmixed]

They will continue to design new viruses at a faster rate than Norton, McAfee and Grisoft combined!

Of course, the assumption here is that Microsoft's virus will be able to block the viruses they write. Sorta basic for a Virus Company, but we all know how good MS is at closing the loop..