Windows Defender Is Becoming the Powerful Antivirus That Windows 10 Needs

I read that article a while back and in my opinion Kaspersky is being overly dramatic.

 

Yep, because if they planned to "remove" competitors, WD "on-demand" (forgot the exact name) , won't be offered.
Even if they manage to remove them, those competitors have to find a alternative way to protect users. Maybe they won't be able to install an AV scanner (which is good because it is an obsolete model), but they will still be able to offer their other features.

 

Maybe, I also hope so. But they could also have other plans. They could monopolise market and then start to charge for protection. They are moving toward subscription based services, so they could offer additional protection service for few extra bucks / month and by this gain additional revenue. Of course I only speculate here.

 

I have considered that as a possability too. I think that would be the only scenario in which Microsoft would want to try to be the sole antivirus provider.

 

Why bother to pay when you can get a good 'vanilla' product for free.

 

http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/using-windows-defender-update-it-now-right-now.htm

 

That is a very solid point.

 

Windows Defender is for Microsoft a kind of Loss Leader Strategy, they dont care about doing money with it directly, they want to make Windows OS more attractive (safer, faster).

If Microsoft blocks third party antivirus it will be impossible to defend their stance, but if they make tradicional obsolete by being a superior and free alternative, whats the problem?

In the latter case, the competition is around and can always comeback.

This article from Kaspersky is dramatic, full of fearmongering and lies, yes LIES; thankfully not everyone blindly believe in his words (read the comments and have fun).

Spoiler: And a good one

Ryan Spooner

Sorry, but I don’t think you have a point at all. Firstly, Microsoft has the right to introduce whatever security measures it sees fit to defend it’s own operating system from attack. The fact that historically this has been left to third parties is irrelevant.

Also, as others have said. the comment about not having time to make their solution compatible is nonsense. Windows 10 is in open beta for months before each release. You could quite easily have a beta product of your own that mirrored this timeline, then when each build goes from beta to final, your product is ready immediately having been tested all along the process.

Regarding “Make Windows Defender an explicit opt-in. …/… Especially since he claims that Defender is vastly inferior to third-party solutions.”…. Absolutely not. Windows defender may be inferior to other third party solutions, but it’s vastly superior to having nothing at all. As I mentioned above, Microsoft has the right to defend their own operating system from attack, that fact that it’s a relatively poor defense is also irrelevant.

Lastly in regards to the comment that Defender is the only product allowed to run alongside other AV products. There’s a simple reason for that. It’s the only product DESIGNED TO. It’s designed to be lightweight, and to supplement a third party solution if the user chooses to run one. If you try to run Norton and McAfee, say, alongside each other on the same machine, you’d end up with a smoking mess (not literally, obviously).

 

Has anyone considered the role of Microsoft's Store, expanding into this Amazon-like thing, making it a "one-ish stop place" to get your software? More? That's where I'm at. Frankly, I can't imagine VoodooShield being offered for sale there--lol. Edit: or for that matter, Kaspersky. Can you imagine?

 

So you are talking about the end of Win32 apps and legacy software? In a world of only UPW apps, Microsoft will relinquish its big advantage, Google's "Fuchsia" (hypothetical future OS) will destroy Windows UPW exclusive OS.

It will be a suicide move from Microsoft, even Intel will suffer together in this hypothetical scenario.

 

windows defender is a great product and since its part of os i think it can cover antivirus needs for most people

 

Don't worry if you don't get it.

 

http://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/?p=5555

Bottom line - any AV can be bypassed with enough work on the malware developers part. Hence the need to use anti-exec or HIPS methods to block primary Windows attack vectors.

 

From my small amount of reading on Windows 10 S, that is the only version that you won't be able to run third party softs on unless the third party get's it's app added to the MS store. If you buy a PC with 10 S on and you want to run third party apps, you have to upgrade to PRO. If we can't stay on our home versions, I will just straight to PRO.

 

Just wondering if you guys are aware that there has been a number of malware (especially ransomware) that will attempt to block the Cloud Functionality of WD by making changes to Windows Firewall (by blocking outbound connections of WD)?

 

I dont see this kind of situation as something remarkable, when a malware (especially ransomware) executes all hell breaks loose anyway, you need to stop it first (Cloud can help at that stage).

 

You shouldnt need a antivirus solution on this niche OS anyway, if you need there is something fundamentally wrong in the execution and vision of the Windows 10 S.

Windows 10 S is a competitor of Chrome OS, it will probably be good for "education devices".

 

With respect to Store, anything "hypothetical" now can morph into "potential" in the future, particularly when Microsoft washes its hands of Windows 7 in 2020. It's intriguing.

Well yes, it's better than it was pre-Creators Build, but going back to original Hiltihome's remark about additional security software: don't cut off my choices and make a monopoly on my property. That's what I'm saying. I like Windows Creators on here, it's just about perfect. But I'll switch at the drop of a hat, whenever.

 

It's kinda a moot point now as there have been further developments since that article was published. Microsoft and Kaspersky Lab have apparently been working together and it appears Microsoft have made some changes. I don't know what those changes could be though. (Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kaspersky-microsoft-idUSKBN17R234)

 

Not just any AV (Kaspersky, Avira, Eset & others have bitten the dust in the last few years) but also, by extension, any software, and dozens such vulnerabilities are discovered virtually every day.

In the case of MS, particularly Office products are targeted by the bad guys.

 

Third party antivirus programs interfere with Windows Defender critical patch
http://www.computerworld.com/articl...ere-with-windows-defender-critical-patch.html

 

Some 3rd party AVs disable WD on Windows 7 to prevent possible conflicts. Uninstalling that AV would probably enable it again. Disabled WD also doesn't pose a risk of bug being exploited AFAIK.

 

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/micr...t-s-more-advanced-than-you-think-515544.shtml
Download: https://info.microsoft.com/Windows-Defender-ML-Whitepaper-Registration.html

 

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/thr...ent-certification-programme-q-1-201-7.393921/

 

the MRG test isn't trustworthy either.