Got Windows 7? Yes, we know an increasing number of you have. But you'll still need antivirus protection. A test by the security company Sophos has found that Windows 7 is, out of the box, vulnerable to 8 out of 10 viruses that dropped into its feed (its feed being gnarly viruses picked from the internet). But of those 8, the User Account Control (UAC) - meant to save you from yourself, you button-clicking obsessive, you - did stop one.
As Chester Wisniewski at Sophos reports,
Unfortunately, despite Microsoft's claims, Windows 7 disappointed just like earlier versions of Windows. The good news is that, of the freshest 10 samples that arrived, 2 would not operate correctly under Windows 7.
It's not clear why Sophos's team was disappointed at the failure here, because if Windows 7 were to block or otherwise thwart every virus, their business would be under threat. That doesn't of course change the reality here: on a system with User Account Control (UAC) set to the default and no antivirus, you're still at risk.
As of October 31st www.netmarketshare.com states that Windows Vista has a 19% market share against Windows XP's 70.5% and Windows 7's 2%. Approximately 1 in 5 Windows users is using either Vista or Windows 7. These users often have newer computers, automatic patching, and firewalls and anti-virus software in place.
With millions of hosts still infected with Conficker, ZBot and Bredo, it is obvious a lot of unprotected machines are still out there, and it is no surprise that most of those are XP. As the chart above shows, Windows 7 users need not feel left out. They can still participate in the ZBot botnet with a side of fake anti-virus. Windows 7 is no cure for the virus blues, so be sure to bring your protection when you boot up.
Microsoft does of course offer its Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT), and recently launched its Essentials tool. But it looks too as though Sophos, Symantec, Sunbelt et al aren't going to go out of business any time soon.
Related: the malware map of the world
