The government agency took two PCs running a fully-patched Windows 7 with the Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) antivirus package installed.

FORBES: Six Simple Steps Proven To Keep Your Windows 7 PC Safe From Hackers And Malware

The free Microsoft Security Essentials tool is ideal.

FORBES: Six Simple Steps Proven To Keep Your Windows 7 PC Safe From Hackers And Malware

To learn more about security essentials for CIOs, the IBM Center for Applied Insights provides resources for what information security leaders need to do to confront the security challenges facing enterprises today.

FORBES: 10 Security Essentials For CIOs

It could, at a minimum, run the essentials like my security system.

FORBES: When the lights went out, my light went on

The statistics in the report were gathered from the 600 million machines that are enrolled in Microsoft's various update services or use its Essentials and Defender security packages.

BBC: Two million US PCs recruited to botnets