Windows 7 Vulnerable to Viruses

Antivirus vendor Sophos writes in a blog entry that Windows 7 was vulnerable to eight out of 10 viruses it downloaded onto a computer.

The blogger's conclusion?

"Lesson learned? You still need to run anti-virus on Windows 7.

That's good advice. Although Windows 7 does come with Windows Firewall turned on by default, and User Account Control is set to a reasonable level, it's not enough in today's connected environment.

Microsoft, in its blog response to the findings, disagreed with some of Sophos' testing, and defended Windows 7's security:

"Windows 7 retains and refines the development processes, including going through the Security Development Lifecycle, and technologies that made Windows Vista the most secure Windows operating system ever released."

I think both companies make good points. The key thing to remember here is to use antivirus software on any version of Windows.

More good advice: bookmark About.com's antivirus site. Guide Mary Landesman is a true expert in this field, and will help you keep your computer safe from the bad guys.