Several weeks ago we have written about Kaspersky antitrust complaint against Microsoft. Kaspersky Lab filed an antitrust complaint against Microsoft with the European Commission and the German Office claiming that Microsoft is limiting consumer choice and drive up the costs of the security software.
They also claimed that Windows Defender cannot be turned off completely during the upgrade process to Windows 10 and that Microsoft deletes any installed anti-virus program like the one from Kaspersky.
After weeks of silence, Microsoft has responded to Kaspersky accusations by presenting its antivirus development efforts in a post on a TechNet blog. Rob Lefferts who is a partner Director for Windows & Devices Group, Security & Enterprise at Microsoft highlighted WannaCry attacks and Microsoft aspire to make the Windows 10 OS as secure as possible.
Rob Lefferts was talking about four key areas about Microsoft protecting its customers from viruses and malware applications:
We believe in earning customer trust every day.
We believe in “always on” customer protection.
We believe in honoring customer choice and supporting a rich security ecosystem.
We believe staying current is the most important thing in keeping customers safe and secure.
Lefferts hasn’t mentioned Kaspersky directly in a blog post but rather talked about a wide support of Independent Software Vendors and OEM partners in their work. This sounds like a direct answer to Kaspersky for their accusations about Microsoft taking advantage of its dominant position for Windows Defender promotion.
Leffert wrote that Windows Defender was built on a promise to Microsoft customers that every Windows 10 device will constantly be protected from virus and malware threats. He also said that Microsoft supports a community of over 80 independent software vendors with its Microsoft Virus Initiative (MVI) program.
Microsoft has actively engaged for more than 20 years with our antivirus ecosystem partners around the world to protect Windows users in the face of evolving cyber threats. We look forward to continued collaboration with these partners toward our mutual goal of protecting customers. – Lefferts said in closing words.