The release of the software, which was code-named Morro, has been , but Muglia on Monday confirmed that the free software would be available for download Tuesday.

“The combination of Windows Firewall and Security Essentials provides you with pretty complete coverage,” Muglia says.

Security Essentials is a malware scanning engine and is targeted at consumers running Windows. It shares technology with Microsoft’s , an enterprise desktop tool that can be centrally managed. Essentials provides only detection and removal of malware and lacks central management capabilities, however.

Security Essentials, first announced in November of last year, incorporates technologies gained via the acquisitions of Giant and Sybari. The engine is a replacement for an online service Microsoft operated called Live OneCare.