Law #8: An out-of-date malware scanner is only marginally better than no malware scanner at all
Antimalware scanners work by comparing the data on your computer against a collection of malware "signatures." Each signature is characteristic of a particular malware family, and when the scanner finds data in a file, email or elsewhere that matches the signature, it concludes that it's found trouble. It's vital that you keep your malware scanner's signature file up-to-date, as new malware is created every day.
The problem actually goes a bit deeper than this, though. Typically, malware will do the greatest amount of damage during the early stages of its life, precisely because antimalware programs will not be able to detect it, let alone remove it. Once word gets around that new malware is on the loose and people update their signatures, the propagation of the problem falls off as protections spread through the ecosystem. The key is to get ahead of the curve, and have updated signature files on your computer before the malware reaches your machine.
Virtually every maker of antimalware software provides a way to get free updated signature files from their website or from a dedicated update service. In fact, many have "push" services, in which they'll send notification every time a new signature file is released – several times a day, if necessary. Use these services. Also, keep the malware scanner itself—that is, the scanning software that uses the signature files—updated as well. Malware writers regularly develop new techniques and variations that require that scanners change how they do their work.
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Source: http://technet.microsoft.com/
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