Microsoft anti-virus tool has removed 16 million instances of malicious software from 5.7 million unique Windows computers over the past 15 months. Malicious Software Removal Tool(MSRT), the malware removal software is a free tool provided by microsoft and it also provides updates every Tuesday. Since the initial release of the MSRT, the tool has been executed approximately 2.7 billion times by at least 270 million unique computers.

On average, the tool removes at least one instance of malware from every 311 computers it runs on.The MSRT has removed at least one backdoor Trojan which can enable an attacker to control an infected computer and steal confidential information, are a significant threat to Windows users has been removed from approximately 3.5 million unique computers.

Rootkits, which make system changes for the purpose of hiding or protecting some other, possibly malicious components, are a potential emerging threat.Of the 5.7 million unique computers that the tool has removed malware from, a rootkit was present in 14 percent of the cases. But this figure droped to 8 percent if WinNT/F4IRootkit, the rootkit distributed on select Sony music CDs, is excluded.

The malware problem appears to be migratory in nature. Most of the computers cleaned with each release of the MSRT are computers from which the tool has never removed malware Microsoft research team conclude.


Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool Trends


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