Microsoft Heads for Anti-Virus Market

First it was spyware – now Microsoft is heading for the lucrative anti-virus market. CNN reports
the software giant is to release “a free security program” which will
tackle the most dangerous of infections. The “Microsoft Windows
Malicious Software Removal Tool” is expected to be made available next
week as part of the Windows update cycle.

The new program won’t tackle all infections – however, a full
anti-virus suite is believed to be part of Microsoft’s plans. It bought
out GeCAD Software Srl, a Romanian anti-virus firm, two years ago, and
it’s expected the full program may be available as soon as this spring.
Rich Kaplan, vice president for Microsoft’s security business and
technology unit, revealed: “We will have a standalone antivirus product
that is one of the things you can buy from Microsoft, but we’re not
announcing anything today.”

Among the viruses and worms expected to be tackled by the new program
are the MSBlast, Sasser and MyDoom bugs which spread rapidly around the
net.

View: Microsoft’s anti-spyware and anti-virus plans

source: Neowin.net

Sounds like a good idea to me, a some sort of more advanced windows update with antivirus capabilities, and “the real stuff”: a standalone app. I just hope they keep it free…