The ineffectiveness of MS Security Essentials

[OVERKILL]

The recent thread on PCMatic and the discussion we had regarding MSE, ESET....etc inspired me to post my real-life experience with the products "in the wild". I'm using a computer that belongs to a customer who called me yesterday and told me his home PC, the one his wife uses, is in dire need of a clean-up. This computer had Microsoft Security Essentials on it, but he has a site license for ESET Endpoint Antivirus at their office with a number of spare client licenses so I thought this would be a great test to pit the effectiveness of each product against the other. So, I fired it up and was greeted with browser pop-ups and all kinds of other fun stuff! Registry Optimizer, Search Protect....etc. I ran a quick scan with MSE, it found absolutely nothing, even though it was quite obvious the computer was riddled full of Adware/Malware and God knows what else..... Here is a screenshot of MSE saying "all is good!" whilst it is quite obvious that it isn't! I then went into Programs and Features to see what obviously shouldn't be there and to run the uninstallers for them. Here's the list I compiled: AnyProtect BlockAndSurf DefaultTab ContentExplorer DriverUpdate Easy Speed Check Free Soft Today Installer KNCRT Media Player Media View Media Watch Media Viewer OffersWizard Optimizer Pro Search Protect (Conduit) Registry Helper RichMediaView Snap.Do T4PC Video Player Software Version Updater Webexp Enhanced I uninstalled everything. Upon installing ESET Endpoint I was getting warnings to clean running processes instantly. I had about 30 pop-up warnings before I even got the scanner open!! ESET is currently scanning the computer and I will post a screenshot of the results once it has completed.

 

[Hokiefyd]

That's awesome. I recently installed ESET Endpoint on all of the computers at our church. They had MSE on all, and had to call a computer consultant out for virus removal a few times in the past year. Endpoint found either viruses or malware on every single one of those computers. Every single one of them. The least infected had 11 items. The most infected had a few hundred.

 

[redhat]

Yep, I cringe when some say they swear by MSSE. We recently migrated from Sophos to ESET at work and it's a great AV/security suite. Blows Sophos out of the water. I personally have been using Kaspersky AV for 4 years. Used to use free AV but then saw the need for paid AV. Have not had a single infection... or shall I say Kaspersky has stopped them dead in their tracks. ESET and Kaspersky are the ONLY two I will recommend to a customer when I do PC work on the side. Usually it's a matter of who has the better deal on Newegg at that particular time. Also, the ESET online scanner is a great tool to tell people to run (especially family) over the phone. When you can finally get a moment to stop over and look at the computer.

 

[Drew99GT]

What I can't understand is, how do people's PCs get that infected with garbage??? It's like they trust anything online; they'll download anything, click on any link in spam email etc. without a 2nd thought!

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT

What I can't understand is, how do people's PCs get that infected with garbage??? It's like they trust anything online;

Unless you're very computer savvy, it is easy to get fooled into installing a genuine app/program that also installs several third party apps... toolbars, search engines, cleaners, optimizers, other khrap.

 

[Bryankkkk]

Actually working on 5 computers right now with the Anyprotect garbage. I have a routine but it installs so much junk. Someone needs to spill something or drop their laptop i need a change haha!

 

[ClutchDisc]

Yep - I've seen that type of thing enough with MSE! It is simply not worth much more than not running an antivirus at all. In fact you might be better off NOT running an antivirus than running MSE and thinking you are protected!

 

[OVERKILL]

ESET has found 78 infections so far.....

 

[ClutchDisc]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

ESET has found 78 infections so far.....

I'm not surprised at all.. and that is after you manually uninstalled a lot of the garbage! I've been though this process more than enough times!

 

[OVERKILL]

168 infections and still climbing.....

 

[ClutchDisc]

Is this the ESET free online scan you are running or something else? I once had someone complain that their windows laptop was running really slowly... So I took a look at it. They had been running it for years without an antivirus.. Well the ESET free online scan found something like 1,300 infections on that thing! Yea, that will slow it down!

 

[OVERKILL]

This is ESET Endpoint Protection, as noted in the OP, the owner has a corporate site license for the product.

 

[ClutchDisc]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

This is ESET Endpoint Protection, as noted in the OP, the owner has a corporate site license for the product.

Ok, got it. Thanks

 

[OVERKILL]

ESET's scan results. 173 infections. There were plenty of PUP's as well as a few Trojans, Adware, Malware....etc.

 

[Rand]

But you only used half the best combo ever, If you ran 2 different protection programs... ie if you had PAID MWB it would be 0 infections /sarcasm. I too see this frequently. as mentioned MSE is almost worst than nothing because people think they do have protection. I also know people who run nothing and have had no issues for 10+ years because they know what to do and not do. The vast majority of people however will pickup 1 piece of trash or more.. and if its nasty it installs a bunch of its buddy trash programs for you.. how nice right?

 

[simple_gifts]

Wow, what is the likelihood of a company that produces such a poor OS security wise, producing a great security product? I'M SHOCKED, SHOCKED, i tell you.

 

[TTK]

You ran the quick scan with MSE and a full scan with ESET.(?) That is the way it appears to me, in which case the comparison is really not valid. The Quick scan with MSE will not pick many things that the Full Scan with MSE will show. MSE works fine for me, but I know to run the full scan.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: TTK

You ran the quick scan with MSE and a full scan with ESET.(?) That is the way it appears to me, in which case the comparison is really not valid. The Quick scan with MSE will not pick many things that the Full Scan with MSE will show. MSE works fine for me, but I know to run the full scan.

You weren't supposed to notice that....

 

[ClutchDisc]

Originally Posted By: TTK

You ran the quick scan with MSE and a full scan with ESET.(?) That is the way it appears to me, in which case the comparison is really not valid. The Quick scan with MSE will not pick many things that the Full Scan with MSE will show. MSE works fine for me, but I know to run the full scan.

I'm sure Overkill knows how to run a full scan.. I'm also sure that there were full scans performed by MSE along the way. Even a quick scan should be showing something if your computer is that messed up.. MSE quick scan doesn't show anything and instead says your computer is fine. Regardless, MSE let all that garbage on the computer in the first place.. it doesn't make a difference if one scan was quick and the other was full... MSE is garbage.

 

[Mackelroy]

Mse buy itself is not good, even Mcafee by itself is not good, plus its slower than MSE. A dedicated Malware software like malware bytes (pro) and the free mse, its pretty much bullet proof, and you don't have all the bloated extra stuff. Ive yeet to see anything penetrate. Occasionally MSE will see something ,but Malware bytes is the Big gun. If you do a lot of search engine stuff, your sytem will get tested harshly. I had mcafee full suite over a 5 year period, caught the same malware [censored] 3 times, and neither mcafee or MSF destructive software tool could even find it or fix it. You'd think over a 5 year period they could catch and fix with all the routine updating, but no.