Windows Defender becomes more powerful in Windows 10

Mar 16, 2015 10:58 GMT  ·  By

They say Windows 10 needs its very own powerful antivirus solution that would keep users protected once and for all, but it turns out that instead of implementing a different security tool, Microsoft is hard at work to make Windows Defender more effective in the fight against malware. 

Windows 10 build 10036 got leaked during the weekend and provided us with a quick glimpse into the feature lineup of the next official release, including what seems to be a revamped antivirus solution.

The new PC settings screen now comes with its very own Windows Defender section that provides access to some new features of the security solution which comes pre-installed on all Windows 10 devices.

Right now, it's not yet clear whether Redmond is planning to keep all these features in the final version of Windows 10, but given the fact that the new OS is still work in progress, many of these could change before the final go-ahead is given.

New features and better protection 

Windows Defender can now be entirely controlled from the PC settings screen, so you can enable and disable real-time protection and, at the same time, add a number of exclusions to make sure scanning skips specific files. Remember that this could make your system vulnerable to malware.

But what's more important is that Windows Defender now supports cloud protection, which should add a new security layer to your system. Microsoft has a brief description about the way this feature is going to work:

"To best protect your PC we'd like to send information to Microsoft about any problems we find. We'll analyze that information in our cloud and learn more about problems affecting you and other customers. Then we'll respond with the best possible fix."

And last but not least, there is an option called sample submission that can automatically send infected files on your computer to Microsoft for an in-depth analysis. This should help the company update virus definitions faster and protect other computers online.

Needless to say, all these improvements are welcome for Windows Defender, but it remains to be seen if the overall package, which includes the scanning and the real-time protection engine, can become as effective as those of third-party apps.