A New Version Of Microsoft's Free Security Essentials

Microsoft didn't bother to announced Security Essentials 2.0, but ITBusinessEdge SMB columnist Paul Mah noticed. The new version adds a network inspection capability to detect threats in incoming network traffic.

"Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) 2.0 was quietly released last week with nary a press release or blog entry from the Redmond-based software giant. Free for home users or very small businesses of 10 workstations or less, the release is a testament of the software's technical capability. News of MSE's release spread quickly, with a robust list of tech sites quickly reporting its availability.

The beta of MSE 2.0 was first announced in July this year by Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft's Windows communications manager, in a blog entry on the official Windows Blog. LeBlanc wrote that the new engine in MSE 2.0 'offers enhanced detection and cleanup capabilities with better performance.'"