According to the team Microsoft Security Team, users of Windows, running 64-bit operating system, are less likely to catch a computer virus. But this does not mean that they basically can not get infected, the researchers note.

"64-bit version of Windows in the first half of 2009 showed nearly the lowest rates of infection by malicious code", ─ "said Joe Faulhaber (Joe Faulhaber), at the Center Microsoft Malware Protection Center. ─ "64-bit malware is still extremely rare." Faulhaber cited statistics collected by Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRC), a free utility to detect and remove malicious programs. According to these data, in the first half of 2009 in 64-bit versions of Windows XP to 48% less likely to be infected than similar 32-bit versions. In the computer running 64-bit Vista to 35% less likely to be infected than the system under a 32-bit Vista.

Operating system Windows 7, which was not included in figures for the first half of this year, because it has not yet been released in final form, is also available in 32 - and 64-bit versions. Faulhaber noted that Windows 7 64-bit as dominating sales, and from a security standpoint. "The majority of new computers sold with Windows 7, a 64-bit version", ─ he said. Faulhaber says that 64-bit versions of Windows more secure in the first place because of existing malicious programs are mainly aimed at 32-bit versions of Windows, which are used more often than 64-bit.

However, this is not always true, said Alfred Huger (Alfred Huger), a former employee of Symantec, which currently is the Vice President of Engineering Safety Company Immunet. "There are a lot of 64-bit malware," ─ Huger said. ─ "They can run their code in compatibility mode, or they can be compiled for 64-bit. The reason is not that still are not many 64-bit viruses. There is a 64-bit malware, as there are viruses for Mac OS . But now the 64-bit version simply is not the target object in contrast to the 32-bit.

According to Yuji, criminals rather simply refocus on the 64-bit systems. "We almost never find on your computer, only one piece of malware. They are almost always eight or ten or twelve. Most of the malware gets on your system, because you download them, and what makes most viruses, this boot loader which then downloads other malicious programs. attackers quite easy to check whether there is a boot 64-bit OS, then download to your computer 64-bit malware. In the end, "said Huger, until just a very few" legitimate reasons "to ensure that hackers were busy with 64-bit versions, but in principle, 64-bit operating system is no safer than 32-bit. "Furthermore it is simply a software", ─ he recalls. ─ "It may be 64-bit, as well as other programs."

Faulhaber says that 64-bit versions of Windows include a safer design than the fewer influential 32-bit versions throughout such measures as Patch Guard, a malicious program that makes it complicated to work with the operating system kernel. PatchGuard is a 64-bit version of XP, Vista as well as Windows 7 OS. He also recalled the WOW64 (Windows On Windows 64), a lightweight emulation mode, which allows you to run code written for 32-bit OS, the 64-bit version. "The additional protection, built-in 64-bit versions of Windows, makes it difficult malware infiltration in 64-bit. Although Faulhaber proclaims the inviolability of the 64-bit XP and Vista, as well as the praises of Windows 7, the report Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, which is published twice a year, noted that the low infection rates of 64-bit OS may not have anything to do with "internal" operating system and depend entirely on the users. "The probability of infection for 64-bit versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista is lower than the probability of contamination of the 32-bit versions of these platforms, the difference may be due to a higher level of technical training for people who work for the 64-bit operating systems", ─ concluded in the report. ─ "The difference will decline as the 64-bit computing continues to spread among ordinary users."

It is good that Faulhaber did not go too far and did not assert that the 64-bit Windows, even Windows 7, reliable enough to dispense with security. He acknowledged that "64-bit version of Windows to protect your computer in general requires a 64-bit antivirus software, such as Microsoft Security Essentials".