Judy writes:
My virus protection doesn't seem to want to stay on. I’ve been able to turn it back on, but when I shut down and then restart my computer later, the virus protection is off again.
Is this some kind of Halloween trick?
Having a virus is no treat
Achieving 100 percent protection from viruses is like chasing a phantom, and Judy’s antivirus software might be turning off because she has a virus.
Learn more about viruses and other malicious software
Having reliable support helps remove the mystery
If your computer is running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7, Microsoft Security Essentials is available as a free download. If you’re already using it and it has unexpectedly turned off, you can uninstall it and reinstall it. And if doing that doesn’t fix the problem, you can contact support.
Learn more about Microsoft Security Essentials
Antivirus protection in Windows 8
If you’re running Windows 8, you don’t need to download Microsoft Security Essentials or install any other antivirus software. Windows Defender and Windows SmartScreen are built-in security features that provide real-time scanning to help protect your computer from viruses, spyware, and malware.
Learn more about security in Windows 8
Windows 8 is now available to buy at the Microsoft Store and other retailers. You can also upgrade at Windows.com.
Windows 8 has several built-in security features that are built in and ready to go. Windows 8 also comes with Internet Explorer 10, designed with innovations that can help you control your personal information and be more aware of online threats.
Learn more about the security and privacy features and about additional security settings that you can use to help protect family members online.
If you have an old computer, phone, gaming system, or other device that you want to sell, recycle, or give away, the first step is to erase all your personal information from the hard drive.
You can do this yourself, but we recommend using a refurbisher that can also help you with donation or disposal, if needed.
Read our step-by-step guidance on backing up your files and choosing which method of data removal is right for you.
How to more safely dispose of computers and other devices
The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (SIR) analyzes online threats using data from Internet services and over 600 million computers worldwide. Volume 13 of the SIR is now available and focuses on vulnerability disclosures from the first and second quarters of 2012.
A featured article, Deceptive Downloads: Software, Music, and Movies, highlights a growing trend of malware infection associated with unsecure supply chains, including legitimate sites that make shareware and music available for public downloads.
Download the latest report
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), and Microsoft supports the national campaign for cyber security education and awareness put forth by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA).
Our support includes releasing the results of the NCSAM 2012 online scam defense survey. The research revealed that U.S. adults have encountered roughly eight different online scams on average. Most respondents feel they’re unlikely to fall victim, but few feel completely protected because newer scams are taking advantage of social networks to impersonate friends, loved ones, or others they know and trust. When it comes to online deception, adults most feared impersonation scams such as fake antivirus alerts (40%).
Read the full results from the survey.
Watch a video about the online scams survey.
Help protect yourself and your family from online deception with our top cyber security tips:
For free brochures, fact sheets, and more, see Digital Citizenship in Action or visit STOP.THINK.CONNECT. Want to get involved? Find out how.
We’ve received reports of a recent email scam that spoofs the Microsoft Services Agreement.
View the real agreement.
The scam email message replaces legitimate links in the agreement with links that can compromise your computer when clicked. If you receive mail that looks like the real agreement or asks you to click a suspicious link or to provide personal information, delete the message or report the scam.
For more information, see Email and web scams: how to help protect yourself.
Microsoft releases security updates on the second Tuesday of every month.
The bulletin announces the release of 7 security updates.
Download the security updates for Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft SQL Server.
Watch a video about the updates.
To get more information about security updates and other privacy and security issues delivered to your email inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
This week the FTC announced a major international crackdown on scammers who call you on the telephone and offer to fix your computer. These criminals often charge their victims for bogus services and install malicious software on their computers.
The FTC also acknowledges investigative assistance from several computer companies including Microsoft. Federal regulators have already charged 14 organizations and 17 individuals in 6 different legal findings. For more information on how you can protect yourself, see Avoid tech support phone scams.
Today the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) posted details about the October security updates. On Tuesday, October 9 at approximately 10 AM Pacific Time Microsoft will release 6 important-rated bulletins that will address issues in Windows, Microsoft Office, and SQL Server.
The easiest way to get the updates when they're available is to turn on Windows automatic updating. For more information about how this works, see Understanding Windows automatic updating.
The Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification Service offers details about security updates approximately three business days before they are released. We do this to allow customers (especially IT professionals) to plan for effective deployment of security updates.
Advanced Notification includes information about:
The Bing team recently launched an Internet search tool for comparing Bing and Google side by side. Microsoft’s Director of Trustworthy Computing Communications recommends using this tool to find out what information is publicly available about you and improve your online reputation.
For more information, see “Bing It On” and Search Yourself.