Windows 7 Susceptible to 80% of Viruses

A security expert with Web security firm SophosLabs has said that Windows 7 continues to be vulnerable to viruses. The firm's security blog revealed that a test Windows 7 system on an uninfected computer was found to be affected by a whopping 80% of viruses.

Chester Wisniewski, security analyst at Sophos, stated that engineers installed the newly-released operating system of Microsoft on a clean computer and programmed it in such a way that it did exactly what the User Account Control (UAC) system defaults instructed, with no anti-virus in place, reported NZHERALD on November 4, 2009.

Subsequently, following the installation and programming, the system was put to a test with 10 strains of dangerous malware from SophosLab security feed, and Wisniewski pointed out how effectively Windows' more novel and secure edition was held up.

He wrote that in spite of Microsoft's assertions, Windows 7 had let down quite similar to the previous editions of Windows.

Nonetheless, Sophos did insist on the need for all Web-users to utilize anti-virus defenses, whatever OS they ran. According to Wisniewski, Windows 7 isn't any solution to the virus problem.

Indeed, Windows 7 was able to stop just two out of the ten malware from operating successfully. Wisniewski noted that the result just proved his previous warning correct that the UAC is unfit to safeguard a system from malware assault.

Moreover, during the release, Sophos researchers had warned that the way UAC was configured within Windows 7, it could potentially cause more harm than anything good. It could leave Windows 7 exposed to hacking.

Hence, security specialists suggest for immediate setting of the Windows 7 UAC default to the "always notify" option for any change on the computer, as when the OS becomes widely deployed, chances are that malicious users would exploit its inherent vulnerability.

Microsoft's recent Security Intelligence Report stated that Windows Vista running Service Pack has 61.9% less infection rate as compared to up-to-date Windows XP; however, just one in 5 Windows users runs Vista or the new operating system.

Related article: Windows XP Fault Strike Firewall

» SPAMfighter News - 11/16/2009