For the second test in a row, Microsoft Security Essentials has failed to be certified as effective by AV-Test.org, an independent testing lab based in Germany.

The lab publishes test results every two months, and the test from November and December 2012 looked at 25 consumer antivirus security programs. Three failed certification: PC Tools Internet Security 2012, AhnLab Internet Security 8.0, and Microsoft Security Essentials 4.1.

This was the second test in a row that MSE failed to earn certification, which is notable because the software is the most popular security suite in North America and the world according to Opswat. You can check the full AV-Test.org results here.

Dave Forstrom, director of Trustworthy Computing for Microsoft, e-mailed a response to a request for comment on the test results that did not directly address that Security Essentials has failed two consecutive tests.

Microsoft believes in a defense in-depth strategy for antimalware protection that includes using Microsoft Security Essentials / Windows Defender in tandem with other appropriate security features such as SmartScreen, as well as keeping all software up-to-date. Our antimalware engine is designed to work in concert with these Microsoft security ... [Read more]

Mozilla CTO and JavaScript founder Brendan Eich

Firefox maker Mozilla has concentrated more engineering power in the hands of Chief Technology Officer Brendan Eich as the organization expands its ambitions beyond just browsers.

Eich, who in the 1990s invented the JavaScript at the heart of the Web's interactive abilities, had been leading Mozilla's strategy and Web standards work. Now he'll be more directly involved overseeing engineering for projects including Firefox for PCs and Android phones, the upcoming Firefox OS, and efforts such as the Firefox Marketplace. He'll also lead the organization's work marshaling the open-source programmers who help Mozilla.

The move comes as Mozilla moves beyond the browser into higher-level domains where it sees proprietary lock-in encroaching into people's lives, notably ecosystems of interlinked products and services.

"Our strategy has to move up the stack to the services currently tied to walled gardens, like identity," Eich said in an interview today.

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