Unpopular opinion: Windows Defender is actually good

[Cyber2B]

So I decided to run a virtual machine and test out win def for fun.

I just downloaded a stack of malware and surprisingly it didn't let anything through.

AV-Test definitely isn't lying when they rate win-def a 6/6/6.

https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/windows-10/june-2022/microsoft-defender-4.18-221313/


I can definitely vouch that win-def is much better then its predecessors, that is for sure. The MS cybersecurity team really did a fantastic job.

[plat]

This opinion isn't "unpopular" at all. It's not bullet-proof but nothing is.

Many people still object to the way it scans large and bulky folders but if you have the strong hardware, it'll be alright. The Windows Security UI is unfriendly so that a typical user often misses additional security enhancements because they don't know where they are, what they are and what they're for. Microsoft likes to use a lot of jargon and it's irritating as hell sometimes.

Microsoft couldn't afford to tout its other software products while its namesake antivirus was the laughingstock of the security world. It had to step up to the plate fast when Windows 10 first came out and that it eventually did.

I just won't run it by itself --using other software to harden the OS. Anyone can make a mistake, right?

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Defender if configured right can do quite well. But the reason I don't bother using much else anymore then this is because I also use MalwareBytes Premium along side it. Whatever Defender for some reason can't catch, MalwareBytes will.

On my Linux PCs I use BitDefender and Rootkit Hunter.

BitDefender Free Edition + MalwareBytes Premium also a good combo for a WinOS based PC. But if going to use a 3rd party AV suite; it will help to disable Defender altogether using Group Policy (if using Windows Pro) or through a safe means; like the ShutUp10 app.

[Snow]

Don't you find it suspicious that most of the AVs on that website get 6/6/6?[www.av-test.org]

Here's how Defender actually compares to other AV solutions. It's usable, but that's it.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

I've also had Defender flag many false positives and auto delete files because of that.

Yea no thanks.

No, I would not and do not rely on it really at all. MalwareBytes by itself does a very good job. It has been so over-looked over the years because people generally dont see or know that MalwareBytes is very good at catching viruses. Maybe the whole "malware" thing throws people off. A computer virus is a form of malware by definition. Just like so many people overlook an AV suite as being something that can scan for and/or catch RootKits.

[Lord Flashheart]

Well it depends on how/why you use it.
For me windows is gaming only. Minimal web browsing using firefox with ublock origin & noscript. Maybe download a driver or so.
If using windows for anything serious, maybe consider some other software. For me windows defender is fine.

It is about appropriate protection for the task.
Also for me pfsenese router with IP based blocking. Also pihole blocking nearly 2 million domains using DNS.
The most important protection of course is common sense. Sadly many lack that.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Dr StrangeGlove:

Well it depends on how/why you use it.
For me windows is gaming only. Minimal web browsing using firefox with ublock origin & noscript. Maybe download a driver or so.
If using windows for anything serious, maybe consider some other software. For me windows defender is fine.

It is about appropriate protection for the task.
Also for me pfsenese router with IP based blocking. Also pihole blocking nearly 2 million domains using DNS.
The most important protection of course is common sense. Sadly many lack that.

If thats how you role then you might as well strip Defender down and disable most of its more in-depth settings. And also adding folders to its exclusion listing such as Steam and SteamLibrary helps out quite a bit to keep Defender from hogging system resources so much.

If you're strict enough and use Gaming PC for Games and not much else; there is very little reason to have all of more in-depth real-time scanning stuff on that PC.

[[N]ebsun]

Ever tested Windows defender while not connected to the internet ?
mostly windows defender is signature based, so for well known / old threats it does a good job detecting them - but for new threats it's pretty bad. It is still better than some of the lower quality 3rd party AV though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWL9cHgYfRw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DG3y3q8_9M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCV1Wx3Qugg

[Cathulhu]

Had a nasty false positive yesterday and i wasn't even able to set up an exclusion rule. The option did nothing.
Had to disable Windows Defender for the file to be accessible.

This file in particular:
https://sharemods.com/tvwocr5gssn0/_EXTRACT_THIS_FILE__Realistic_Rain_4.21_By_Darkcaptain.zip.html
It's just a simple mod for American Truck Simulator which modifies how the rain looks.

edit: Defender still gets triggered by attempting to open the archive.
https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/feaa731fa5681919642750c97ee67a0f64feb9ce9d8d01263ef55ab949e8e4be?nocache=1
Virustotal gives it a clean bill.

The extracted SCS file is fine and Windows has no problems with it.

[Cathulhu]

Actually, you always should have an endpoint protection running. No firewall in this world can protect you from a stupid idiot putting an infected USB drive into a PC.

A firewall is just one component of network security.

[Meatball]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von plat:

This opinion isn't "unpopular" at all.

Microsoft revealed in 2021, that the market share of the Windows Defender is still rising and is almost hitting 60%. (2019 - 50%)

So I don't know what OP is talking about.

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Narukami:

I can definitely vouch that win-def is much better then its predecessors, that is for sure. The MS cybersecurity team really did a fantastic job.

Thank you for your service, lmao......

[Lord Flashheart]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Bad 💀 Motha:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Dr StrangeGlove:

Well it depends on how/why you use it.
For me windows is gaming only. Minimal web browsing using firefox with ublock origin & noscript. Maybe download a driver or so.
If using windows for anything serious, maybe consider some other software. For me windows defender is fine.

It is about appropriate protection for the task.
Also for me pfsenese router with IP based blocking. Also pihole blocking nearly 2 million domains using DNS.
The most important protection of course is common sense. Sadly many lack that.

If thats how you role then you might as well strip Defender down and disable most of its more in-depth settings. And also adding folders to its exclusion listing such as Steam and SteamLibrary helps out quite a bit to keep Defender from hogging system resources so much.

If you're strict enough and use Gaming PC for Games and not much else; there is very little reason to have all of more in-depth real-time scanning stuff on that PC.

No. Defintely keeping it on.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

What I meant about turning it off is when using a well known trusted AV to take its place. Like BitDefender, Kaspersky, Webroot... you would not want Defender still to be running and be in control of everything if you plan to install good 3rd party AV suite that can take the place of Defender. I for one do not like Defender because MS in all its wisdom doesn't give the users a good GUI for it with plenty of good options. I want options, features, settings. Defender has always been 100% junk when it comes to that. Cause MS really don't want you messing around is their way of thinking.

Something like BitDefender Free Edition is very light weight and can easily do everything Defender does without bogging your machine down.

Users also need to understand how and when to use Exclusions and how to add them. It does not make sense to have a realtime AV scanner always scanning your games folders for Uplay, Origin, Steam...

[plat]

Before Windows 10, third party security companies (Kaspersky, McAfee, Norton, etc) were raking it IN. Making money hand over fist.

Now you see a lot of these same companies advertising for your business. Why is that? B/c Defender is undercutting their profits. People believe they don't need to pay for this any more (but technically you already paid for Defender when you bought your OEM machine or a retail installer).

[Longy999]

Been using Defender and common sense for years, never once had an issue

I do tend to download a free trial of Malwarebytes maybe once or twice a year just for a quick scan though

[Snow]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von plat:

Before Windows 10, third party security companies (Kaspersky, McAfee, Norton, etc) were raking it IN. Making money hand over fist.

Now you see a lot of these same companies advertising for your business. Why is that? B/c Defender is undercutting their profits. People believe they don't need to pay for this any more (but technically you already paid for Defender when you bought your OEM machine or a retail installer).

I'm using free Kaspersky for years now, and it's certainly miles better than Defender. No need to pay.