How secure is Windows 8 with Windows Defender?

With the launch of Windows 8 in late 2012, there has been strong focus on safety, both from Microsoft's own ranks and from external security experts. Recent tests show that Windows 8 lets 15 out of the 100 most common malware samples get through, even though Microsoft's own antivirus software is enabled. This is too risky, says security expert Janus R. Nielsen from MYSecurityCenter. He believes that Windows 8 may be one of the hacker's favourite targets in 2013.

That prediction is in line with the conclusions of the U.S. security firm Websense Security Labs stating in its “2013 Security Predictions” that Windows 8 will targeted by online criminals this year. “Microsoft’s efforts to produce an extremely developer-friendly platform will be embraced by the cybercriminal community, and vulnerabilities will be exploited”, the report says.

"Windows 8 will beecome much more popular, as many Windows 7 users will upgrade to the new platform and will buy new computers with Windows 8 pre-installed. As for market share, Windows 8 will be a great business for fraudsters to get into. And combined with the unimpressive security level, there is good reason to be cautious", says Janus R. Nielsen.