And studies based on this information show that even unprotected PCs benefit when most of their connections have antivirus.ĭefender aims to keep up that herd immunity, without interfering with any user’s choice of third-party antivirus. Unless you opt out, it provides detailed (but not personal) information to Microsoft, including your operating system, any malware detections, and what third-party antivirus may be installed. Representatives have pointed out that the Malicious Software Removal Tool you see with almost every Windows Update does more than just level up Defender. Near-universal antivirus provides a kind of herd immunity.ĭoes it work? Well, Microsoft has the numbers to show it does. That’s why Microsoft designed Defender to power up on any PC that doesn’t have third-party antivirus. Even ransomware mills can’t strongarm as much money from victims when protection is universal. It’s harder for viruses to spread and less lucrative to plant data-stealing Trojans when most potential victims have antivirus protection. If every PC on the internet has antivirus protection, life gets tougher for malware writers.

Is that changing? Many readers were alarmed at the recent announcement of Microsoft Defender for Individuals, which-as Microsoft’s descriptive page makes clear-is only available as part of a paid subscription to the Microsoft 365 cloud-based office service. One consistent factor through all these changes-Microsoft’s protection has always been free. It was a bumpy ride, with the antivirus tool going through various names and sometimes earning below-zero scores in third-party tests, but with the release of Windows 10, Microsoft Defender Antivirus became a respectable (if not glorious) malware-fighting tool.

The current Microsoft Defender Antivirus started life as Microsoft AntiSpyware in 2005. Microsoft has offered antivirus protection with its operating systems as far back as 1993’s Microsoft Anti-Virus for MS-DOS.

How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.

How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.

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How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.

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