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But with Defender\u2019s latest incarnation (part of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update released in October 2017) things may have finally changed for the better. We do not have performance tests from independent labs like AV-TEST or AV-Comparatives yet. Those labs may be working on their next round of reports right now. But AV-Comparatives published a note on the Fall Creators Update version of Defender, noting some encouraging advances.<\/p>\n
Exploit Guard<\/b>, an extra layer of protection against exploitation of vulnerabilities, used to be available only in Enterprise editions of Win 10. Now it\u2019s in the consumer versions, too, and it is enabled by default.<\/p>\n
Exploit Guard includes four kinds of protection. Exploit protection is applied to operating system processes and to third-party apps. Attack Surface Reduction techniques minimize hacks via malware that exploits vulnerabilities in MS Office, JavaScript and other scripting languages, and email-based malware. Network protection extends the Smart Screen real-time online protection in the MS Edge browser to your Win 10 network, even if you are not running Edge. Controlled Folder Access helps protect key system and data files from being altered by malware or encrypted by ransomware. <\/span>To see the nitty-gritty of Exploit Guard, type \u201cWindows Defender\u201d in the search box and open Windows Defender Security Center from the results. Then click on \u201capp and browser control.\u201d Scroll down to the \u201cExploit protection settings\u201d link and click it. Do not turn off any of the features shown unless you understand what they are and have a good reason to disable them.<\/p>\n Oddly, one interesting new feature of Exploit Guard is turned off by default.<\/b> \u201cControlled folder access\u201d protects your files and folders against unauthorized alterations, such as the addition of malicious scripts to documents, or encryption by ransomware. I recommend enabling it; here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n Open Defender, click on the icon labeled \u201cVirus and threat protection,\u201d then click on the link labeled \u201cVirus and threat protection settings.\u201d Scroll down to \u201cControlled folder access\u201d and move the slider control to the \u201con\u201d position. While you\u2019re there, you can click the link labeled \u201cProtected folders\u201d to see exactly that. You can add a folder to be protected, too. Back up one page, return to \u201cControlled folder access,\u201d and you will find another link to \u201cAllow an app through Controlled folder access,\u201d in case you ever need to give a new app permission to access files in a controlled folder.<\/p>\n <\/span>Similar security features are part of the paid versions of several third-party security suites. Windows 10 no Have a Great Week!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Windows Defender Security Center (\u201cDefender\u201d for short) is the latest name for the built-in suite of anti-malware and security features in Windows 10. Historically, Defender and its antecedents have been mediocre offerings. So mediocre, in fact, that multiple test labs rated it dead last in effectiveness. But recently, Microsoft has focused on making Defender a … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.zoha-islands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware-Download-Free-300x169.jpg\")
w throws them in free of charge. The jury is still out on exactly how well they work, but Defender (at least in Windows 10) has definitely moved a long way in the right direction. But until we can get a sense of real security with Defender, I recommend Malewarebytes<\/a>\u00a0 and a GOOD Anti-Virus such as Panda<\/a> or a free version of Avast.<\/a><\/p>\n