Starting with the launch of Windows 8 back in 2012, Microsoft’s offering its desktop operating system with a pre-installed antivirus solution called Windows Defender and based on an older security product known as Security Essentials.
Since the release of Windows 10, however, Windows Defender has evolved substantially. So substantially that it’s now the antivirus of choice for many users out there who no longer feel the need for third-party protection that usually comes with a fee.
I, for one, am using Windows Defender as the one and only security software on my Windows 10 laptop, and until now, I’ve never experienced any sort of problem with it. Needless to say, no malware has ever reached my files, and Windows Defender managed to block all infections before any damage was made.
Getting back to the evolution of Windows Defender in Windows 10, this is something that’s pretty clear right from the moment you run the operating system for the first time.
In Windows 10 April 2018 Update, Windows Defender is the central part of a more advanced feature called Windows Defender Security Center and grouping all security tools in the operating system, including parental controls and firewall settings. This means Microsoft is slowly pushing Windows Defender beyond its antivirus condition, eventually making it the one and only security product Windows 10 users would need.
At this point, Windows Defender has the essential feature package that’s also available in third-party products, including real-time protection, frequent updates, and scheduled scan support. Furthermore, since it’s integrated into Windows 10, the impact it has on system performance is minimal, and you won’t even notice that it’s there protecting your data.
Windows Defender becoming a top security solution is also reflected in the most recent antivirus tests. German institute AV-TEST’s latest research shows that Windows Defender has improved detection capabilities and it now blocks most of the known and zero-day malware on Windows 10.
For example, Windows Defender blocked 98 percent of the 0-day malware attacks in a March test and 100 percent of them in April, while the industry average is at 99.5 percent. When it comes to detection of known malware, it blocked 100 percent and 99.9 percent of the threats, with the industry average sitting at 99.9 percent.
Windows Defender also scores big in terms of usability and it returns nearly zero false positives. The industry average for false detection of legitimate software as malware during a system scan is 10, and Windows Defender only offered 4 such warnings in the two tests.
There are some people out there who’d rather put their data in the hands of a third-party security solution, mostly because of the history behind Windows Defender and the feature lineup that often includes many more options in the case of other vendors.
But sticking with Windows Defender and staying away from malware isn’t necessarily just a thing of having the antivirus product block all threats. It also involves users paying attention to the most basic security recommendations, such as not visiting websites known for spreading malware or downloading apps from sources they do not trust and ignoring all warnings.
I’d say that Windows Defender is just the perfect security solution for Windows 10 users who know how to protect their data, though the simple fact that it’s a native app enabled by default in the operating system and protecting all Windows 10 devices makes it the right choice for beginners as well.
Sooner or later, however, Windows Defender would become an even more advanced security product, not necessarily thanks to improved antivirus capabilities, but because all Windows 10 security features would be built around it. And with Windows 10 becoming the most widely-adopted OS on the desktop, it’ll be interesting to see how many users would still want a third-party antivirus.
