In the event that we use Windows on a day-to-day basis with the PC , it is very important to have an antivirus installed on the computer. This is something that becomes especially evident if we surf the Internet constantly. That is precisely when one of the best known antivirus of a few years now comes into play, such as Windows Defender.
This is software that by default we find installed in Windows 10 itself, although it is not always mandatory that we use it. We can always disable it if what we really want is to protect ourselves with another third-party antivirus. One thing we should know is that Microsoft has been experimenting with its own security program for many years. At the time it already made available to us what is known as Microsoft Security Essential .
This left a lot to be desired in older versions of Windows, but things changed. And it is that it was not until the arrival of Windows 10 when the firm has begun to take all that of its own security software seriously. We say this because this operating system also released a new antivirus, the aforementioned Windows Defender . This one could say that it is a full-blown protection program. Not in vain in a short time it managed to position itself as one of the best when it comes to protecting us from all types of malware.
Why use Windows Defender on PC
The first thing we should know about this specific antivirus is that it is installed by default together with Windows 10. In this way we will have powerful security software without having to make an additional financial outlay. This program is used in the same way as the other programs that are part of the operating system such as Photos, Calculator, Notepad, etc. At the same time, we must know that Windows Defender is not an optional feature, but a mandatory program that comes with the operating system.
At the same time it is interesting to know that from the first moment the antivirus is activated and allows users to be protected. At the same time, Microsoft’s own software offers us a good number of additional functions that will be very helpful. To say that initially Windows Defender applies a basic security layer that is attached to security software and with which we can be protected against all types of malware. This could reach our computer through a download that we make from the Internet, or by email.
At the same time, Windows Defender helps us to protect ourselves from viruses that access the computer through a USB memory , or when copying files over a network. Similarly, among its many additional features, Microsoft’s Windows Defender also has a basic firewall and several advanced protection shields. These help us to manage and protect the PC memory, or to mitigate exploits.
What is reputation-based protection in Windows Defender
But along these lines we want to focus on a somewhat specific function that will surely be more than interesting for you. In particular we refer to the functionality called Reputation-based protection. To give us an idea of exactly what we are talking about here, say that there are certain programs known as PUA that we should avoid. These are known as potentially unwanted applications that may make your computer perform worse than it should in principle. This is something that affects the PC because these show unexpected advertisements, among other things. In fact, they can even install other software that may be more harmful or annoying without us being aware of it.
That is precisely where the functionality that we are talking about here comes into play. We say this because the Windows security software that we are talking about, Windows Defender, has a function called Protection based on its reputation. Therefore, you can already imagine that it can help us protect the computer from potentially unwanted applications such as those mentioned above.
Another thing that you may be interested to know is that blocking potentially unwanted applications was launched in Windows 10 in 2020. This is used to protect us from applications and extensions that automatically arrive on the PC and that are added to the software that we actually install. Therefore, reputation-based protection helps us avoid these add-ons or unwanted programs that can negatively affect the operation of Windows. What’s more, these can sometimes be malicious or slow down your computer.
Enable reputation-based protection
Well, to activate this function that we are talking about, or to make sure that it is working, the first thing we do is go to the Settings application. We access it through the Win + I key combination. Then we find the Update and security entry, which is where we click.
We have to go to the antivirus that we talked about before, so we click on Windows Security in the left panel. After clicking on the Open Windows security button, we find a new window where we see a section called Application and browser control, which is what interests us in this case.
At that moment the Reputation Based Protection function will appear on the screen. In it, the first thing we see is the Activate button, so we only have to click on it.
Configure the security function
At the same time, just below this, we find an entry called Reputation-based Protection Settings. As you can imagine, once we have activated it, this link gives us the possibility to customize how it works. Thus we adjust it to our needs as far as possible. This will allow us, on the one hand, to activate the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter. This is responsible for analyzing unrecognized programs and files.
In addition, independently we can activate this same protection method in Edge from here, the Microsoft web browser .
But that is not all we can do from here, since at the same time we will have the possibility to activate the blocking of unwanted applications and malicious downloads. This is something that in turn we can also apply to the UWPs of the Microsoft Store .