Windows Defender and Built-in Security Features

Windows Defender and Built-in Security Features

Windows Defender has evolved from a basic antimalware solution to a comprehensive security platform. Modern versions include real-time protection, cloud-delivered protection, and behavioral analysis capabilities. Windows Defender Antivirus uses machine learning and cloud intelligence to detect emerging threats, providing enterprise-grade protection without additional software.

Windows Defender Exploit Guard introduces advanced threat protection through four components. Exploit Protection applies exploit mitigation techniques to processes, preventing common exploitation methods. Attack Surface Reduction rules block behaviors commonly used by malware, such as Office macros spawning child processes. Network Protection extends Windows Defender SmartScreen to block outbound connections to malicious sites. Controlled Folder Access prevents unauthorized applications from modifying protected folders, defending against ransomware.

Windows Security Center provides centralized security management, displaying the status of various protection features. This dashboard approach helps administrators quickly identify security gaps and take corrective action. Integration with Microsoft Defender ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) extends these capabilities with enterprise-wide threat detection and automated response capabilities.

Credential Guard represents another significant security advancement, using virtualization-based security to protect authentication credentials. By isolating the LSA process in a virtualized container, Credential Guard prevents sophisticated credential theft attacks. This feature particularly benefits domain-joined machines, protecting against pass-the-hash and pass-the-ticket attacks that traditionally plague Windows environments.