Bad news if you’re relying MSE to protect you against malware, A-V Test reports.

MSE dropped to 10.5 out of a possible 18. Other software dropped 1-2 points as well.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition and VIPRE Internet Security were among 16 of the 23 products tested which dropped in their scores.

You can get the full report here: http://www.av-test.org/en/tests/home-user/windows-7/sepoct-2012/

BitDefender, F-Secure Internet Security and Kaspersky Internet Security scored the highest, which has been a trend. Norton scored 15, down slightly from its prior 15.5.

The business products scored similar values.

So, if you’re in the market for a security product, keep the above in mind. Also, I always suggest two additional steps: Be careful about where you browse and use a Guest Account for your browsing. That way, your Administrator privileges are not accessible by any malware you encounter and deny any installation of software to that  Guest Account.. Virtual browsing is a good measure, too. Also… make a disc image every week.

Source:

http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/none/305401-microsoft-fails-av-test-certification