What is Windows Defender? And is it Good?

What is Windows Defender? And is it Good?

Microsoft has a new system that alerts you when you’re hacked it’s called Windows Defender.

Windows Defender is essentially the latest version of Microsoft Security Essentials, a free antivirus program Microsoft offered for Windows 7. Now it’s built-in, ensuring all Windows 10 PCs have some baseline level of antivirus protection.

Is Windows Defender Good Enough? Antivirus is already running out of the box. Windows Defender automatically scans programs you open, downloads new definitions from Windows Update, and provides an interface you can use for in-depth scans. Windows Defender has a lot of advantages. It’s built-in, won’t harass you with pop-ups and requests for money, and is lighter than some competing antivirus solutions. It won’t attempt to harvest your browsing data and make money from it, as some free antivirus programs have started doing in an attempt to make a profit.

Overall, Windows Defender doesn’t provide bad protection, assuming you keep Windows up-to-date, use an up-to-date browser, and avoid potentially dangerous plug-ins like Java. In short: the standard computer security practices you should be following go a long way, and Windows Defender combines that with a baseline of protection.

Windows 10 also includes various other protections introduced in Windows 8, like the SmartScreen filter that should prevent you from downloading and running malware, whatever antivirus you use. Chrome and Firefox also include Google’s Safe Browsing, which blocks many malware downloads.

In conclusion: Windows Defender isn’t bad, it just isn’t as good as your other options. However, it’s by far the least intrusive, considering most other antivirus programs can install problematic browser extensions, and contain occasional popup ads.

If you’re following common sense and other security practices, Windows Defender may be sufficient, depending on your risk tolerance. However, if you’re regularly downloading pirated apps or engaging in other high-risk behaviors, you may want to skip Windows Defender and get something that does better against the collection of malware samples used to test antivirus software.

This Security Tip is brought to you by BlackBox Connections. 

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