Microsoft Testing Daily Malware Definition Updates

Those who use Microsoft's anti-malware solution, Windows Defender, will probably notice that during the next two weeks Microsoft will test its malware signature update pipeline by publishing updates daily instead of bi-weekly. The daily updates will begin August 1 and run through August 15, Monday through Friday. After the testing period the company will revert to bi-weekly updates.

Adam Overton, Group Program Manager at Microsoft, said that "[with the] new process [we] will be able to release updates on a more flexible schedule at any day including weekends and holidays for emergency situations. We want to understand how well the new process satisfies a daily release cycle, and receive customer feedback during this trial period." Overton asked that people post their related experiences to the company's Windows Defender newsgroups.

Windows Defender, currently in its second phase of beta testing, is available for Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 or later, Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later, and Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 or later.