In a move that looks tailor-made for an antitrust suit, Microsoft says it's going to give away a consumer security kit that it's building code named Morro. It should be available in the second half of next year - probably more like mid-year.

The freebie widgetry is supposed to defend even smaller PC form factors against malware like viruses, spyware, rootkits and Trojans and means that Microsoft will dump the retail sales of its Windows Live OneCare subscription service on June 30.

The company said direct sales of OneCare will be phased out when Morro becomes available.

Microsoft describes Morro as being built on its existing protection engine and delivering the same defenses as its enterprise solutions without the "additional non-security features found in many consumer security suites."

It resisted saying, oh, Symantec, maybe, or McAfee or for that matter Live OneCare itself, which includes printer sharing and automated PC tune-up.

Simplifying, it says, will mean better security, particularly in developing countries where malware is reportedly on the rise and the use of standard security is low.

Morro is supposed to be available as a standalone download (and so dodge an antitrust bullet because it's not integrated into the OS?) and should work on XP, Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 operating systems. Windows 7, by the way, could RTM around the time of Morro's arrival.

Live OneCare costs $49.95 a year and secures three PCs. It reportedly owns all of 2% of the protection racket, which probably explains a lot. Microsoft is vague about refunds.