Windows operating system is far more prone to malware than other operating systems present. It can become fragile in terms of security. Various reasons for that are not only that it is commonly used, but it has a Windows registry that stores configuration settings. Any change in the Windows Registry can tweak the behavior of your operating system and any change in that can lead to corruption. A normal user may not have much idea about the internal mechanism and may put the OS and System at risk of being exploited. This brings Antivirus to the picture and some operating systems have that pre-installed. Microsoft Defender is one such antivirus that comes preinstalled in Windows OS. The question is, can we trust it? so we bring the blog about it, is Windows Defender worth relying on?
In today’s post, we are going to check what is Microsoft Defender, what features are covered in it, how practically strong Microsoft Defender is, and the best Microsoft Defender settings that you should keep. Without further due, let’s dive in.
What is Microsoft Defender?
Windows Defender is Microsoft’s operating system antivirus solution that runs on Windows-based devices. This antivirus solution does real-time protection, scanning of malware, monitoring and filtering incoming and outgoing traffic, etc. Initially, it started to come as a downloadable spyware, but now it has become a part of Microsofts larger ecosystem. This feature is part of the Windows Security app that comes preinstalled on the operating system like Windows 10 and 11.
In case your operating system does not come pre-installed with Windows Security or Windows Defender, you can grab the updated version here. The built-in antivirus is a free product from Microsoft for their Windows-based Operating System. This free antivirus is often considered as a basic tool towards your PC security. Microsoft provides un-conditional patching to improvize and stabilize the security concerns of your PC.
What is covered in Microsoft Defender?
Despite dominating the OS market share, this antivirus solution has much less market share than the existing providers of the market. Microsoft comes with multiple features that you can use to keep your operating system secure. Does it secure everything? well, let’s walk through some of the potential features it covers, first.
1. Virus & Threat Protection: This feature promises to keep your device secure by monitoring threats, running scans, and receiving updates to detect the latest risks.
2. Firewall & Network Protection: Allows taking control of firewall settings to filter out the incoming and outgoing network activities.
3. App & Browser Control: This contains smart app control and reputation-based protection, blocking apps from untrusty publishers.
4. Device Security: Explore built-in security options designed to prevent attacks by malicious software, enhancing your device’s defense.
5. Device Performance & Health: Monitor your device’s performance health to keep it clean and up-to-date with the latest Windows version.
It also gives you the option of protection history and family options within the Windows Defender app. Microsoft has tried to give this a one-stop solution for their PC user’s security carings. When we have such features, it is important to know whether these would be enough! it is never enough in the dimension of security. Let’s find out how practically strong this built-in antivirus is.
How Practically Strong Microsoft Defender is?
Microsoft has tailored the features of Windows Defender according to what they feel would secure their native OS. There can be various ways the malware attack can happen to your PC, let it be phishing email third-party site downloads, or even an insecure app. The real-time protection of Windows Defender is indeed a standout attribute. I ran a few tests on a Windows 10 with Windows Defender on. The results were pretty impressive, especially the Real-Time protection feature. While it did a great job finding the intrusion file, it would still be incomplete to say it is all that you need.
I figured the best use case for Windows Defender is using it with a known Antimalware present in the market like Malwarebytes or Macafee. A combination of Windows Defender with known Antivirus can drastically improve the security of your PC. Windows Defender is best when your device does not have much sensitive content in it. If you do have some files or information that you can’t risk, you should use a combination of market-present antimalware along with Windows Defender.
Conclusion
Security in an Online environment is an essential aspect these days. When a user is proactive and cautious about security, the device we use plays a more vital role. Windows Defender is not a new Windows OS user to prevent security threats, and we have reviewed how effective it is. This concludes is Windows Defender worth relying. What Antivirus software do you use for your Device security? Please let us know in the comments section below. If you need any help or have any suggestions to make, then do reach us via the contact page here. Happy Autism Awareness Day!
