Microsoft is pushing itself into the antivirus market The firm had applied
for a patent way back in 2004, which describes the use of a proactive protection system. The Redmond-based company has waited four whole years, but the patent was officially granted only earlier this year. The idea behind this protection mechanism is to identify new viruses and Trojans even before exact software definitions are available. According to Microsoft, every program is started in a simulated environment before it is allowed to be installed, which allows its behavior to be recorded and analyzed. If any unknown program behaves suspiciously or tries to access system files without reason, the security software classifies it as a risk and warns the user about it.

This seems to be a good idea, but it is actually nothing new. This is because while Microsoft can refer to just one patent, all major antivirus manufacturers including Symantec, F-Secure, Kaspersky and Panda offer such behavior-based threat detection methods in their programs. The question now is whether manufacturers whose software uses similar proactive protection measures will be forced to pay license fees to Microsoft. If this proves to be the case, it will be the user who will have to bear the final cost The companies would have to remove behavior-based detection methods or develop an entirely new approach if they choose not to pay Otherwise, they might even challenge the validity of the patent, since their products have included this feature since before Microsoft filed for the patent in 2004.

Nevertheless, there has not yet been any opposition from the established antivirus manufacturers. That's because it is not yet clear as to what lies behind the patent-and how Microsoft plans to use it Axel Diekmann, Managing Director Kaspersky Labs, seems to be quite relaxed about the whole situation. "Our Rights and Patents Department is naturally dealing with this patent issue thoroughly. We cannot really know whether it will affect us or not without any qualified information on the exact content of the patent The title 'proactive protection' is not an indicator for the technology behind it"

Diekmann does not believe there will be a need for a serious confrontation with Microsoft" Eugene Kaspersky is considered to be onEl of the innovators of the heuristic process, which is one of the fundamental proactive protection methods" he adds. Besides, Kaspersky is supposed to have registered for a whole range of technologies regarding the patent But perhaps the most interesting thing to note is that if Microsoft wishes to set up patent claims against the antivirus firms, then it would have to know how their defense mechanisms function-and none of them would readily allow Microsoft to peep into their program code.