ArsGeek

Microsoft announced that it is going to begin offering a new consumer security product focused on “core anti-malware protection.” The product has the code name “Morrow”, and it is scheduled for release in the second half of next year.

The company says it will provide comprehensive protection from malware including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans, and it will be free of charge, and architected for a smaller footprint that will use fewer computing resources, making it ideal for low-bandwidth scenarios or less powerful PCs.

Coinciding with this, Microsoft will stop offering Windows Live OneCare subscriptions on June 30.

“Customers around the world have told us that they need comprehensive, ongoing protection from new and existing threats, and we take that concern seriously,” said Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division at Microsoft. “This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware.”

Morrow is built on Microsoft’s current malware protection engine, and will contain all of the protection services offered with the company’s enterprise products, but will not include the non-security features they have. Microsoft says that Morrow will provide all of the necessary protection without overusing system resources.

“Because uptake of standard anti-malware is low around the world, particularly in developing nations, the availability of basic protection for anyone who wants it is all the more important,” said Roger Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates. “By offering such basic protection at no charge to the consumer, Microsoft is promoting a safer environment for PCs, service providers and e-commerce itself, since it is through unprotected PCs that the worst threats are introduced to the system as a whole.”

The product will be available for download for XP, Vista, and Windows 7. Meanwhile, OneCare will continue to be sold for XP and Vista up until the date mentioned.

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