Microsoft retains weapon to silently scrub XP

Well, this is really good news for us good guys, that is for me and those of you who have followed my recommendation on security that I have posted on my blog. If, on your Windows XP machine you have Automatic Updates selected and if you use Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) as your free anti-virus, and if you run Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) every month as recommended, this applies to you.

Think of this as the Windows XP after life that extends our security for a while. While I think of it I should note that it is my belief that Microsoft only runs the quick scan when it stealthily runs MSRT each month on your machines. As some of you know,I have always recommended a full scan to be manually run every month. Just click on START then RUN then enter MRT to run it.

This good news comes to you from Greg Keizer at computerworld.com.

" Microsoft will be able to silently reach into Windows XP PCs for more than a year after it stops patching the aged OS to clean malware-infected machines, sources close to the company confirmed Friday.

The Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) will continue to be updated and deployed via Windows Update through July 14, 2015, 15 months after the Redmond, Wash. company serves its final public security patches for XP on April 8 of this year.

By extending the life of the MSRT -- and more importantly, automatically running it each month -- Microsoft will be able to clean some PCs if massive malware outbreaks hit Windows XP after it's retired from support.

MSRT is updated monthly as Microsoft targets one or more major malware families it believes are the biggest current threats. The tool is posted for manual download on Microsoft's website and distributed through the Windows Update service on "Patch Tuesday," the second Tuesday of each month when Microsoft pushes security patches to customers running still-supported editions of Windows. MSRT automatically installs on PCs with Automatic Updates enabled, and then runs a seek-and-destroy mission in the background without any action on the part of the user."

You can read the whole article here