Kaspersky Lab founder Eugene Kaspersky has had enough of Microsoft’s Windows Defender. The Russian billionaire has filed complaints with EU and Russian authorities demanding that action be taken against the Windows’ built-in anti-virus solution.
Kaspersky outlined his concerns in a rather long blog post titled “That’s It. I’ve Had Enough.” Essentially, he believes that Windows Defender’s behaviour is detrimental to third party security solutions; and that Microsoft is attempting to build a monopoly. This is due to Windows 10 being able to shut down and remove third party applications.
Windows Defender is turned off by default if the computer has another anti-virus solution running. This arrangement exists to appease Microsoft’s partners who prefer to bundle anti-virus solutions with their products (and do so in exchange for a fee). In the event that an anti-virus programme stops working, Windows Defender kicks in after a few days.
There are also situations where Windows Defender will disable the existing anti-virus and take over. This happens in the event that a trial period expires or the owner forgets to renew his license.
Kaspersky also expressed concern for Windows’ habit of breaking applications with updates, as he suspects that this is a move to shut out third party developers.
The blog post also outlines what Kaspersky thinks needs to be done to resolve the problem. He demands that Microsoft make new updates available to developers earlier than the current one week time frame; which should give them enough time to fix any issues that may happen. Interestingly, he doesn’t address the existence of the current Windows Insider programme that does precisely that.
Kaspersky also wants Microsoft to always ask if users want Windows Defender activated, especially when it involves security solutions that stopped working.
There’s no telling if any authority will actually look into the complaint. The EU currently has its hands full with the Google anti-trust investigation; although Russia may use the opportunity to mess with Microsoft one more time.
[Source: Eugene Kaspersky (blog)]
