Windows Defender is available for users of Windows 10 as a free product. Many users are sure that this security solution provides them with a high level of protection. But, is Windows Defender a good antivirus or there are reasons to look for the more reliable product? Let’s look at the strengths and weaknesses of this solution to be sure about a choice.
Can Users Rely on Windows Defender?
There are lots of reasons to appreciate Windows Defender. It provides users with access to real-time threat detection, a cloud-based malware protection library, it offers useful tools for parents, and great firewall protection.
Microsoft, the company that developed Windows Defender, has made lots of improvements over the past few years. Although, there still are some flaws. For example, parental control is able only for Microsoft browsers. Some of the tools for Internet protection must be installed for browsers like Firefox or Opera separately. It should be noted, that there are problems with real-time protection – different tests showed that this solution failed to detect some malicious components.
Inexperienced users may have trouble with navigation, while advanced users don’t access to such useful tools as a password manager or VPN. It’s important to know that Microsoft doesn’t update its database far too frequently, so users should take into account possible risks.
However, users are welcome to use the Windows Defender together with another security solution to provide the highest level of protection.
However, compared to other solutions, it is somewhat dragging behind. It can be easily proved by the results obtained during various tests. Even the free versions of industry-leading solutions, including Kaspersky, Avast, and Bitdefender perform much better.
Verdict
Windows Defender provides users with an interesting tool, called Smart Screen. It helps to deal with malware blocking. However, this tool is effective only when the computer has a stable connection to the Internet. This requirement is needed to send data of suspicious programs to the online data storage for checking if it matches detected threats or not.
If there is no internet connection, there is no protection enough for modern users. Windows Defender proved efficiency at blocking phishing threats, but this benefit is available only for Edge users.
Summing up, no free antivirus can offer users 100% protection. The security solution from Microsoft has repeatedly shown to be vulnerable to different forms of threats, including malware, spyware, etc. There is a free version, but it doesn’t cost a lot of money to provide data with the highest level of protection. With the premium plan, users don’t need to worry about data loss and thefts of the money.