Headline Grabbing by Sophos?

Just last week, I provided information on anti-virus software that works on the Windows Vista platform. Included in that post was the announcement by Sophos that their version 6.5 protects Microsoft Windows Vista.

Now, fast on the heels of Microsoft's "Ready for a New Day" presentation on the business availability of Windows Vista, the 2007 Office system, and Exchange Server 2007, Sophos proclaims that their tests show that three of the top ten malware threats run on Microsoft Vista:

"Sophos experts note that on the launch date of Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, three of the top ten - including Stratio-Zip - are capable of bypassing the operating system's security defences and infecting users' PCs. The Vista-resistant malware - W32/Stratio-Zip, W32/Netsky-P and W32/MyDoom-O - comprise 39.7% of all malware currently circulating."

Hopefully, other readers of this report did not stop there. Located beyond the graph in that report is the further explanation that in Vista the Windows Mail client did indeed identify and stop the three identified threats. The problem exists when accessing infected emails via a third-party webmail client, apparently without additional security software:

" 'There has been much speculation about whether Vista would render existing malware extinct, and the news is now in - it won't,' said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant at Sophos. 'While Microsoft should be commended for the huge security improvements it has made in Vista, running separate security software is still essential to eliminate the risk of infection . . . " {emphasis added}

Indeed! I would expect that Microsoft would be the first to tell their customers that a firewall, anti-virus software and anti-malware software, including real-time protection, are necessary for any system accessing the internet.