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Seattle, Feb. 9 (Reuters): Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday it would buy anti-virus software maker, Sybari Software Inc, in its second such deal in three months to shore up security in its Windows and e-mail software, which are the most frequent targets of malicious programmers.

News of the deal sent shares of McAfee Inc and Symantec Corp, which currently dominate the security market, lower.

Microsoft declined to say how much it paid for Sybari, which had valued itself between $163 million and $182 million in preparation for an initial public stock offering.

Security is a concern and a booming business in technology and Microsoft has devoted increasing resources to it over the past three years. If Microsoft bundles anti-virus technology into its software for directing the flow of e-mail traffic, security software makers could feel the pressure, analysts said.

Analysts, however, have cautioned that Microsoft is years away from building a trusted security product after long-time troubles protecting its widely used Windows operating system from viruses.

?Microsoft?s acquisition of Sybari will get them into the anti-virus market specialising in e-mail protection, a negative for Symantec and McAfee,? said Sterling Auty, an analyst with J.P. Morgan.

McAfee shares closed down 8.2 per cent, or $2.14, at $23.82 on the New York Stock Exchange. Symantec, which recently bought storage software company Veritas to diversify and reduce its dependence on security, finished 6.4 per cent, or $1.51, lower at $22.09 on Nasdaq.

Microsoft also issued on Tuesday its monthly security bulletin, warning computer users of eight new ?critical?-rated flaws in its Windows, Office and other software products that could allow hackers to sneak into personal computers and snoop on sensitive data. Three years ago, Microsoft launched a major initiative to improve the reliability and security of its software. Such efforts, however, have spooked investors in security software companies.

Symantec and McAfee, firms that have built businesses around combating many of the viruses written for Microsoft software products, both dismissed Microsoft?s announcement at a Merrill Lynch conference in Santa Monica, California, on Tuesday.