Following a four-month beta program, Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) 2.0 has been released. The new version significantly revamps the heuristic scanning engine, adds Windows Firewall integration as well as network traffic inspection. The update unquestionably makes MSE, which has already become very popular due to its quiet but effective ways, even more of a must-have for Windows users.

MSE has always been very good at finding and removing malware, but it has relied mainly on antimalware definitions. The improved heuristic engine makes it even better at detecting threats; at the same time, we expect the number of false positives to slightly increase as well. The new Windows Firewall integration is a minor improvement: it lets you tweak Microsoft’s firewall from inside MSE.

The network inspection feature does exactly what its name implies: inspect traffic as you browse. It uses the Windows Filtering Platform in Windows Vista and Windows 7; Windows XP users won’t be able to benefit from this feature. The Windows Filtering Platform allows programs to plug themselves into the networking subsystem and monitor any network traffic, even whatever is allowed through the firewall. MSE also now integrates with Internet Explorer to better protect against Web-based threats by preventing malicious scripts from running. Version 1.0 only detected such scripts when they were written to IE’s cache, by which point it could be too late.

MSE is free for home users and free for small businesses with 10 PCs or fewer. For larger enterprises, there’s the Forefront suite. Forefront uses the same core anti-malware engine as MSE, and so it’s not surprising that Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 has also hit the RTM milestone at the same time, though it won’t be available to volume licensing customers until January 1, 2011.

On the other hand, MSE 2.0 is available now from the Microsoft Download Center. If you already have MSE installed, it should have automatically updated by now, and yes, it probably required a restart.

Read the comments on this post

– on Security

• PSN update now live across the U.S., go change your password now
  In case you missed it — and you very well might have considering what time this ball got rolling — Sony has officially flipped the switch on the PlayStation Network, restoring service in a limited...
• Sony says credit card details *were* encrypted, but questions still remain
  Sony has published a new blog entry, confirming that credit card details which could have been stolen in the recent hack of the PlayStation Network were encrypted.Sony reassured users of the PlayStati...
• Sony PlayStationRNetwork under attack
  After discovering an external intrusion, the persons in charge took the worldwide network and the Qriocity services offline on April 20th 2011. Since then, none of the games can be played online anymo...
• Playstation Network users at risk (updated)
  Update 27/04/2011 15:30 GMTA Spanish user tweet shows he has been charged in his card, his bank has called him after a suspicious charge to Netflix has been done (Netflix is not available in Spain):He...
• Questions and Answers on the Sony PSN Hack
  Q: What is PSN?A: It's the Sony PlayStation Network, an online gaming network.Q: What devices can access it?A: Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). You can also use your PSN login...
• Sony PlayStation Network and Qriocity Services Hacked – 77 Million Accounts at Risk
  Not one to let Epsilon or Oak Ridge National Laboratories hog the media spotlight, Sony, a seasoned expert at security blunders such as the famous Sony rootkit, has taken the spotlight for one of the ...
• Sony PlayStation data breach fiasco: what bugs me about it
  I have been skimming the glut of news stories covering the PlayStation hack following Sony's statement yesterday. The issues that keeps coming back to me are these: 1. Sony, like any company who ke...
• PlayStation Network hacked: Personal data of up to 70 million people stolen
  Users of Sony's PlayStation Network are at risk of identity theft after hackers broke into the system, and accessed the personal information of videogame players. The implications of the hack, which r...
• Evil network: Leksim Ltd / RELNET-NET AS5577 (62.122.72.0/21)
  Implicated in malware distribution, botnet C&Cs and spam, the network range 62.122.72.0/21 (62.122.72.0 - 62.122.79.255) is currently quite active in evil activities (you can find exampl...
• PlayStation Network hacked: five days and counting..
  The Sony PlayStation Network, used by millions of online videogame players around the world, has been offline since Wednesday 20th April. You can still play games offline, but if you want to connect ...