MSRT now roots out Zeus malware

A great feature of the Windows Update process is the Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) facility which detects and cleans any discovered major malware agents.  While some malware attacks deactivate AV protection, MSRT is often able to clean these infections.  MSRT does a good public service in shutting down some major security threats as evident by stopping the Storm Worm attacks a few years ago.

MSRT now roots out Zeus malware
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9190758/Microsoft_tool_now_roots_out_Zeus_malware

QUOTE: Two weeks after law enforcement broke up one of the criminal gangs behind the Zeus malware, Microsoft has taken steps to make it harder for criminals to install the software on PCs.  On Tuesday, Microsoft started detecting Zeus with its Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) -- a widely used virus removal program that's free for Windows users. That should make it harder for the many criminals who use Zeus to keep running their software on computers that don't have antivirus software installed -- often an easy target up until now.

According to a September 2009 study by security vendor Trusteer, 45 percent of Zeus-infected machines have either no antivirus software or an out-of-date product. On the other hand, Zeus has been effective at avoiding the type of detection that Microsoft is now adding to its MSRT. According to that same report, 55 percent of Zeus infections were on machines that did have working antivirus programs installed.

Microsoft's decision to add MSRT protection has had a big effect on some malicious programs. It's credited with pretty much knocking the Storm Worm offline in 2007, for example.