The results of a review of Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) software by security testing firm AV-Test. org indicate that Microsoft's new product is notably effective at fighting malware.

Running the free software through a number of tests on September 29 and 30, AV-Test found that MSE was extremely successful when pitted against WildList - the most recent sampling of 3,732 viruses and other security threats. The Microsoft product performed quite well in terms of detecting and obstructing all the samples in manual and active scanning.

Noting that MSE's 100 percent detection of WildList samples implies that the overall the Microsoft product is as "good" as most of the reputable AV apps that can detect all the Wildlist samples. Speaking in terms of specific figures, the AV-Test indicated that of its present set of 545,034 viruses, worms, Trojans, and other threats, MSE caught 536,535 samples, to reveal for an appreciable overall good detection score of 98.44 percent.

In addition, in terms of the AV-Test's combat against 14,222 samples of adware and spyware, MSE managed to block 12,935 samples, thereby displaying a detection score of 90.95 percent.

However, while the AV-Test showed that MSE was successful in cleaning up all the active components from 25 different test infections, the software clearly does not include any effective behavioral or dynamic detection of malware.