Windows fails to protect Vista from viruses

Security tools that work with Windows Vista have failed tests to see if they can detect current viruses.

Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare security tool was one of four products that failed independent tests carried out by the Virus Bulletin.

The security testing group found that Live OneCare missed far more active viruses than any other program tested.

To pass the tests anti-virus tools must spot and stop 100% of the malicious programs used to attack them.

Version 1.5 of Windows Live OneCare was co-launched with Vista and uses the same scanning "engine" as the security tools bundled with the operating system. Typically users pay a yearly subscription to use Live OneCare. (for something that doesn't work??)

While Live OneCare did manage to spot 100% of the macro viruses it was tested against, it missed some wild viruses, polymorphic programs and file infectors.

Live OneCare caught 99.91% of the known active viruses it was tested against. This left it vulnerable to 37 separate malicious programs.