Microsoft, has been touting the improved security and updated features of UAC (User Access Control) in Windows 7 but resent findings show that Windows 7 is no different than its older siblings in the Microsoft Operating System family.
I just completed reading a report by security firm Sophos and the the report shows that out of the box with default configuration Windows 7 was vulnerable to 8 out of 10 viruses thrown at it by the testers at Sophos Labs.
User Access Control (UAC) is a technology introduced by Microsoft to its Operating Systems in Windows Vista. It is aimed to improve the security of the operating system by limiting applications from running background processes without interaction from the user. After its initial introduction in Vista it was largely criticized as annoying and in most cases turned of as a result by the users. The improvements made to UAC by Microsoft to make it "less chatty" may have accomplished the less chatty part, however has done nothing for security.
Microsoft does acknowledge and encourage users to install anti-virus software as they do say it is a required piece of software to aid in the securing of Windows workstations. In their report that was released Monday, the Microsoft security team reports that Vista fared better that all other Windows flavors including Windows 7 when it comes to security, Vista SP1 infection rates were 61.9% less than XP SP3.
In conclusion, anti-virus is a must, and with a multitude of freely available ones, that are legitimate its easy and strongly recommended. A recommended free AV for Windows 7 is Microsoft's own Security essentials which is freely available for download on their site.
*Image courtesy of SophosLabs
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