Free anti-malware tool Microsoft Security Essentials is live

Back in June, we told you about Microsoft’s free code-named anti-virus, anti-malware, solution being opened to beta testers. Now that those guinea pigs have put it through the ringer, MSE is going live for all users today, meaning that there’s no excuse for not having protection installed on your computer, whether you pay for it or use Microsoft’s free tool. But why pay for what’s free?

The software uses Microsoft’s own Dynamic Signature Service which fingerprints threats constantly, without having to wait for new definitional updates. The tool is low-resource, and minimizes CPU and memory usage while the computer in use. Of course, the biggest advantage will come when the vast majority of users have installed the software, preventing the spread of malware between users. While Microsoft has no plans to push MSE out to its users, the real benefit will come when it decides to do so.

MSE has remained largely unchanged since the beta tests, and requires no registration, trials or renewals and will be available for download directly from Microsoft for XP SP2 through Windows 7, although users will have to pass a Windows Genuine Advantage test to download the product.