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Microsoft Forefront Client Security FAQ November 2006

Microsoft © 2006

Quick Links to Key Questions • • • •

General Support & Response Pricing & Licensing Related Microsoft Offerings

General Questions Q. What is Microsoft Forefront™? A. The Microsoft Forefront comprehensive family of business security products provides greater protection and control over the security of your network infrastructure. Microsoft Forefront security products easily integrate with each other, with your organization’s IT infrastructure, and can be supplemented through interoperable third-party solutions, enabling end-to-end, defense-in-depth security solutions. Simplified management, analysis, and deployment enable you to efficiently protect your organization’s information resources and help secure access to applications and servers. With highly responsive protection supported by Microsoft technical guidance, Microsoft Forefront helps you confidently meet ever-changing threats and increased business demands. For more information about Microsoft Forefront, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/forefront. Q. What is Microsoft Forefront™ Client Security? A. Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for business desktops, laptops and server operating systems that is easier to manage and control. Built on the same highly successful Microsoft protection technology already used by millions of people worldwide, Forefront Client Security helps guard against emerging threats such as spyware and rootkits as well as traditional threats such as viruses, worms and Trojan horses. By delivering simplified administration through central management and providing critical visibility into threats and vulnerabilities, Forefront Client Security helps you protect your business with confidence and efficiency. Forefront Client Security integrates with your existing infrastructure software, such as Active Directory®, and complements other Microsoft security technologies for enhanced protection and greater control. Microsoft Forefront Client Security was previously known as Microsoft Client Protection. Q. What value does Microsoft Forefront Client Security deliver to customers? A. Forefront Client Security not only delivers unified protection from viruses, spyware, and other malware threats, but also adds significant value to customers by delivering simplified administration and critical visibility into threats while easily integrating into the existing environment. This helps IT administrators to protect their business desktops, laptops, and server operating systems with ease and control. Through a single security agent for business desktops, laptops, and server operating systems, Forefront Client Security delivers unified protection from viruses, spyware, and other malware threats. Through the agent, Forefront Client Security scans, detects and removes viruses, spyware, and other malware in real-time, providing effective protection against blended threats while minimizing end user disruption. Forefront Client Security is built on protection technology

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used by millions of people worldwide in products such as Windows Live™ OneCare™, Windows® Defender, and Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server. The solution is also backed by Microsoft’s global security research & response system, a dedicated, experienced team of malware researchers who combine extensive data with advanced automated analysis techniques to help discover and respond to new threats quickly. Forefront Client Security provides simplified administration through central management, to help you efficiently protect your business. You can deploy the security agent as a single client package which includes all protection and management capabilities. You can further save time by deploying a single policy that configures the anti-spyware, anti-virus, and state assessment technologies in the security agent for one or more protected computers. Forefront Client Security supports both local and remote access to all administrative functions including configuration, signature updates, reporting and alerting. The central management console produces insightful prioritized security reports and a summary dashboard view, so you have critical visibility and control over malware threats. A single dashboard provides visibility into threats and vulnerabilities. State assessment scans enable you to determine which managed machines need patches or are configured insecurely. Threat alerts deliver insightful, prioritized information that eliminate the need to search through volumes of data. Insightful, prioritized reports enable you to examine real-time data and emerging trends, focusing on critical information while allowing you to drill down for more detail as needed. Forefront Client Security easily integrates into your existing environment. Forefront Client Security is optimized for Active Directory Group Policy for configuring security agents and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) for distributing signatures, but you can use any third party software distribution system to accomplish these tasks. By delivering unified protection, simplified administration, critical visibility & control, and integration, Forefront Client Security helps customers to protect their business with confidence, efficiency, and control. Q. Who should use Microsoft Forefront Client Security? A. Microsoft Forefront Client Security is designed for any mid-to-large size organization that needs a single solution for protection, detection and removal of spyware, rootkits, and other emerging threats as well as traditional attacks such as viruses, worms and Trojan horses. Q. Do customers need a separate 3rd party antivirus solution if they are using Microsoft Forefront Client Security? A. No. Microsoft Forefront Client Security delivers continuous, scheduled and scan-on-demand anti-virus and anti-spyware protection. Q. What is the difference between Microsoft Forefront Client Security and Windows Live OneCare? A. Microsoft Forefront Client Security is the unified malware protection solution for business desktops, laptops and server operating systems that is easier to manage and control. Microsoft Windows Live OneCare is an all-in-one, automatic and self-updating PC care service designed to help consumers easily protect and maintain their PCs. Learn more about Windows Live OneCare at http://www.windowsonecare.com/default.aspx?sc_cid=ms_forefront Q. How is Microsoft Forefront Client Security different from Microsoft Client Protection? A. Microsoft Forefront Client Security is the final name for the product previously known as Microsoft Client Protection.

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Q. Which versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems are supported in public beta release of Microsoft Forefront Client Security? A. The initial public beta release of Microsoft Forefront Client Security supports Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and the Windows Vista™ Business edition. Subsequent refreshes of Forefront Client Security will include support for additional Windows Vista editions. Q. Which versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems will be supported in the final release of Microsoft Forefront Client Security? A. Microsoft Forefront Client Security is designed to protect Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista systems. Q. When will Microsoft Forefront Client Security become available to customers? A. Customers can download the Microsoft Forefront Client Security public beta today at http://www.microsoft.com/clientsecurity. The product is targeted for release to manufacture in Q2 CY2007.

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Support & Response Q. How will customers receive malware definitions and other updates? A. Malware definition updates are distributed from Microsoft Update. Microsoft Forefront Client Security simplifies the distribution of definition updates to client computers through optimization with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). WSUS enables administrators to auto-approve the latest signatures, or test and approve every update. Customers can also use any existing software distribution system in their environment. Q. What support are you providing for customers who download and install the public beta? A. Support for the public beta will be community-based. Concurrent with the release of our public beta, we are launching a Forefront Client Security community web site on TechNet (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/clientsecurity/default.mspx). Through TechNet, customers will be able to access and contribute to web forums which provide a means for community-based support around different aspects of Forefront Client Security. Public beta customers can also gain quick access to key community resources through Microsoft Beta Central http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/beta/betacentral.mspx Q. Can public beta customers submit malware to Microsoft for analysis and review? A. Customers play a key role in helping Microsoft and other security vendors identify potential threats. We encourage public beta customers encountering suspicious files that may be malware to submit them to Microsoft. The e-mail alias to which these can be sent is [email protected]. In submitting samples of suspicious files, we ask that customers archive all the samples in a ZIP file which is password protected. The password name for the file should be ‘infected’ (without the quotes). Shortly after submitting a suspicious file, public beta customers will receive confirmation that their submission has been received. Signatures will be created for files that turn out to be malware and distributed in updates to all customers so that everyone is better protected. Q. Does Microsoft provide any resources that can be used to learn more about current malware trends? A. At RSA Conference Europe 2006, Microsoft released its “Microsoft Security Intelligence Report,” an in-depth perspective of trends in the malicious and potentially unwanted software landscape in the first half of 2006. This report expands upon a white paper Microsoft released in June 2006 entitled “MSRT: Progress Made, Lessons Learned” (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=67998). Compared to the MSRT paper, the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report includes more recent results based on a significantly expanded set of data sources. This report provides an in-depth perspective of trends in the malicious and potentially unwanted software landscape. Customers can download a copy of the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report from links located at http://www.microsoft.com/security and http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/default.mspx.

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Pricing & Licensing Q. What are the pricing, licensing and distribution plans for the final version of the product? A. There are two parts to the Microsoft Forefront Client Security solution. The first is the Security Agent—installed on business desktops, laptops and servers—that provides protection from and scheduled scanning for threats such as spyware, viruses and rootkits. The second is the central management server, which enables administrators to easily manage and update preconfigured or customized malware protection agents and generate reports and alerts on the security status of their environment. Customers will be able to purchase Forefront Client Security through Microsoft’s volume licensing programs. In addition, Forefront Client Security will be included in the upcoming Forefront Security Suite. Forefront Client Security is also a component of the Enterprise CAL. Forefront Client Security will be available under subscription licensing: per user or device subscription (for the client) plus per server subscription (for the management console). Forefront Client Security will be competitively priced. Further pricing and licensing information will be announced at a later date. More information about how to buy Forefront security products is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/forefront.

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Related Microsoft Offerings Q. How does Microsoft Forefront Client Security compare to other Microsoft security offerings such as Windows® Defender, Windows Live™ OneCare, Antigen and Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services? A. Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified malware protection for business desktops, laptops and server operating systems that is easier to manage and control. Forefront Client Security delivers defense-in-depth when combined with other Microsoft business security solutions, such as:

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Forefront Server Security (prev. Antigen Products): Application server-level antivirus, anti-spam, and content-filtering products that help businesses protect their e-mail and collaboration environments against viruses, worms, spam, and inappropriate content.

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ISA Server: The integrated edge security gateway that helps protect your IT environment from Internet-based threats, while providing your users with fast and secure remote access to applications and data.

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Intelligent Application Gateway (Whale Communications): SSL-based application access (SSL VPN), a web application firewall and endpoint security management that enables access control, authorization and content inspection for a wide variety of line-ofbusiness and intranet applications, client-server resources, and full network connectivity.

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Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services (formerly FrontBridge Technologies): Four distinct services that help organizations protect themselves from e-mail-borne malware, satisfy retention requirements for compliance, encrypt data to preserve confidentiality, and preserve access to e-mail during and after emergency situations.

Microsoft also has security offerings intended for consumers and other individual users, including:

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Windows Defender: A free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software.

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Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner: A free web service that individuals can use to help ensure the health of their PC. In addition to checking for and removing viruses, Windows Live Safety Center includes tools for improving PC performance. Learn more about Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner at http://safety.live.com/?s_cid=ms_forefront

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Windows Live OneCare: An all-in-one, automatic and self-updating PC care service designed to help consumers more easily protect and maintain their PCs. Windows Live OneCare is available for an annual subscription rate of $49.95 MSRP for up to three personal computers, and it is available for purchase through major retailers and at http://www.windowsonecare.com/default.aspx?sc_cid=ms_forefront

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Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT): A tool that complements traditional antivirus technologies by helping to identify and remove the most prevalent viruses and worms from customer computers. It is available at no charge to licensed Windows users. Microsoft releases an updated version of this tool on the second Tuesday of each month.

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