Civil Rights
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
| Microsoft Defender Antivirus | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||
| Other names | Windows Defender Windows Security | ||||||||
| Original author | Microsoft | ||||||||
| Developer | Microsoft | ||||||||
| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Operating system | |||||||||
| Platform | Windows | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Microsoft Security Essentials | ||||||||
| Type | Antivirus software, personal firewall, parental control, intrusion prevention, email filtering and anti-phishing | ||||||||
| License | Proprietary | ||||||||
Microsoft Defender Antivirus (formerly Windows Defender) is an antivirus software component for Microsoft Windows and mobile. It was first released as a downloadable free anti-spyware program for Windows XP and was shipped with Windows Vista and Windows 7. It has evolved into a full antivirus program, replacing Microsoft Security Essentials in downloadable genuine copies of Windows XP to Windows 7.[7]
In March 2019, Microsoft announced Microsoft Defender ATP for Mac for business customers to protect their Mac[8] devices from attacks on a corporate network, and a year later, to expand protection for mobile devices, it announced Microsoft Defender ATP for Android[9] and iOS[10] devices, which incorporates Microsoft SmartScreen, a firewall, and malware scanning. The mobile version of Microsoft Defender also includes a feature to block access to corporate data if it detects a malicious app is installed.
As of 2021, Microsoft Defender Antivirus is part of the much larger Microsoft Defender brand, which includes several other software and service offerings, including:
Microsoft Defender Antivirus provides several key features to protect endpoints from computer virus. In Windows 10, Windows Defender settings are controlled in the Windows Defender Security Center. Windows 10 Anniversary Update includes several improvements, including a new popup that announces the results of a scan.[20]
In the Windows Defender options, the user can configure real-time protection options. Windows 10's Anniversary Update introduced Limited Periodic Scanning, which optionally allows Windows Defender to scan a system periodically if another antivirus app is installed.[20] It also introduced Block at First Sight, which uses machine learning to predict whether a file is malicious.[21]
Integration with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge enables files to be scanned as they are downloaded to detect malicious software inadvertently downloaded. As of April 2018, Microsoft Defender is also available for Google Chrome via an extension[22] and works in conjunction with Google Safe Browsing, but as of late 2022, this extension is now deprecated.[23]
A feature released in early 2018, Windows Defender Application Guard is a feature exclusive to Microsoft Edge that allows users to sandbox their current browsing session from the system. This prevents a malicious website or malware from affecting the system and the browser. Application Guard is a feature only available on Windows 10/11 Pro and Enterprise. In May 2019, Microsoft announced Application Guard for Google Chrome and Firefox. The extension, once installed, will open the current tabs web page in Microsoft Edge with Application Guard enabled. In April 2024, Microsoft announced that Microsoft Defender Application Guard will be deprecated for Edge for Business. The Chrome and Firefox extensions will not be migrating to Manifest V3 and will be deprecated after May 2024.[24]
Controlled Folder Access is a feature introduced with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to protect a user's important files from the growing threat of ransomware. This feature was released about a year later after the Petya family of ransomware first appeared. The feature will notify the user every time a program tries to access these folders and will be blocked unless given access via the user. Windows will warn the user with a User Account Control popup as a final warning if they opt to "Allow" a program to read Controlled Folders.
Introduced in Windows 10 version 1903,[25] Tamper Protection protects certain security settings, such as antivirus settings, from being disabled or changed by unauthorized programs.
Updates of virus definitions are released under KB2267602.[26]
Windows Defender was initially based on GIANT AntiSpyware, formerly developed by GIANT Company Software, Inc.[27] The company's acquisition was announced by Microsoft on December 16, 2004.[28][29] While the original GIANT AntiSpyware officially supported older Windows versions, support for the Windows 9x line of operating systems was later dropped by Microsoft.
The first beta release of Microsoft AntiSpyware from January 6, 2005, was a repackaged version of GIANT AntiSpyware.[28] There were more builds released in 2005, with the last Beta 1 refresh released on November 21, 2005.
At the 2005 RSA Security conference, Bill Gates, the Chief Software Architect and co-founder of Microsoft, announced that Microsoft AntiSpyware would be made available free-of-charge to users with validly licensed Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems to secure their systems against the increasing malware threat.[30]
On November 4, 2005, it was announced that Microsoft AntiSpyware was renamed to Windows Defender.[31][32] Windows Defender (Beta 2) was released on February 13, 2006. It featured the program's new name and a redesigned user interface. The core engine was rewritten in C++, unlike the original GIANT-developed AntiSpyware, which was written in Visual Basic.[33] This improved the application's performance. Also, since Beta 2, the program works as a Windows service, unlike earlier releases, which enables the application to protect the system even when a user is not logged on. Beta 2 also requires Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation. However, Windows Defender (Beta 2) did not contain some of the tools found in Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta 1). Microsoft removed the System Inoculation, Secure Shredder and System Explorer tools found in MSAS (Beta 1) as well as the Tracks Eraser tool, which allowed users to easily delete many different types of temporary files related to Internet Explorer 6, including HTTP cookies, web cache, and Windows Media Player playback history.[28] German and Japanese versions of Windows Defender (Beta 2) were later released by Microsoft.[34][35]
On October 23, 2006, Microsoft released the final version of Windows Defender.[36] It supports Windows XP and Windows Server 2003; however, unlike the betas, it doesn't run on Windows 2000.[37] Some of the key differences from the beta version are improved detection, redesigned user interface and delivery of definition updates via Automatic Updates.[38]
Windows Defender has the ability to remove installed ActiveX software.[39] Windows Defender featured an integrated support for Microsoft SpyNet that allows users to report to Microsoft what they consider to be spyware,[40] and what applications and device drivers they allow to be installed on their systems.
Windows Vista included several security functionalities related to the Windows Defender. Some of the functionality was removed in subsequent versions of Windows.[41]
Security agents which monitor the computer for malicious activities:
The Advanced Tools section allows users to discover potential vulnerabilities with a series of Software Explorers. They provide views of startup programs, currently running software, network connected applications, and Winsock providers (Winsock LSPs).
In each Explorer, every element is rated as either "Known", "Unknown" or "Potentially Unwanted". The first and last categories carry a link to learn more about the particular item, and the second category invites users to submit the program to Microsoft SpyNet for analysis by community members.[42][43] The Software Explorer feature has been removed from Windows Defender in Windows 7.[44]
Windows Defender was released with Windows Vista and Windows 7, serving as their built-in anti-spyware component.[45] In Windows Vista and Windows 7, Windows Defender was superseded by Microsoft Security Essentials, an antivirus product from Microsoft which provided protection against a wider range of malware. Upon installation, Microsoft Security Essentials disabled and replaced Windows Defender.[46][47]
In Windows 8, Microsoft upgraded Windows Defender into an antivirus program very similar to Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7,[7] and it also uses the same anti-malware engine and virus definitions from MSE. Microsoft Security Essentials itself does not run on Windows versions beyond 7.[46] In Windows 8 or later, Microsoft Defender Antivirus is on by default. It switches itself off upon installation of a third-party anti-virus package.[48][49]
Following the consumer-end launch, Windows Server 2016 was the first version of Windows Server to include Windows Defender.[50]
Until Windows 10 version 1703, Windows Defender had a dedicated GUI similar to Microsoft Security Essentials.[7] Additionally, Windows Security and Maintenance tracked the status of Windows Defender. With the first release of Windows 10, Microsoft removed the "Settings" dialog box from Windows Defender's GUI in favor of a dedicated page in the Settings app. Then, in the 1703 update, Microsoft tried to merge both Windows Defender's GUI and Windows Security and Maintenance into a unified UWP app called Windows Defender Security Center (WDSC).[51] Users could still access original GUI by alternative methods,[52][53] until the 1803 update, which saw the UI removed altogether.[b] The Security and Maintenance control panel entry however, is still available in Windows 11; it contains links to reliability and performance monitoring, which is of the telemetry (one of the countless Vista major innovations) and allows to examine in depth issues detected, to the maintenance tools, File History, UAC Settings and Recovery (among others).
With the release of Windows Server 2016, Microsoft introduced a Defender module for PowerShell, which allows interacting with Windows Defender via a command-line interface (CLI).[59]
Microsoft continued to decouple the management front-end from the core antivirus. In addition, to WDSC and PowerShell, it is possible to manage the antivirus via Windows Admin Center, Group Policy, WMI, Microsoft Endpoint Manager, and Microsoft Intune's "tenant attach" feature.[60]
In Windows 10 version 1703, Microsoft renamed Windows Defender, calling it Windows Defender Antivirus.[61] Windows Firewall and Microsoft SmartScreen also saw their names changed to Windows Defender Firewall and Windows Defender SmartScreen.[62] Microsoft added other components under the "Windows Defender" brand name, including Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG),[62] Windows Defender Exploit Guard (WDEG),[62] Windows Defender Application Control,[63] and Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (Defender ATP).[63]
A year later, Microsoft began dissolving the Windows Defender brand in favor a of the cloud-oriented "Microsoft Defender" brand. The company removed WDSC from the brand in the 1809 update, renaming it Windows Security Center (WSC).[64] The 2004 update renamed Windows Defender Antivirus, calling it Microsoft Defender Antivirus, as Microsoft extended Defender ATP's capabilities beyond the Windows OS.[65][66]
In October 2026, Microsoft Defender for Linux was released, supporting Ubuntu, Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Oracle Linux, Fedora, and SUSE distros. Targeted toward enterprise customers, it is available for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 and Microsoft 365 E5/E7 subscribers. A centralized portal to manage threat response and analysis in Linux systems is available.[67]
Windows Defender Offline (formerly known as Standalone System Sweeper)[68] is a stand-alone anti-malware program that runs from bootable removable media (e.g. CD or USB flash drive) designed to scan infected systems while the Windows operating system is offline.[69] Since Windows 10 Anniversary Update in 2016, the option to boot into Windows Defender Offline can be initiated from within Windows itself, negating the need for the separate boot disk.
Microsoft Defender for Individuals was released to the general public in June 2022 for Windows 10, Windows 11, Mac OS, Android, and iOS devices.[70][71] On Windows it works alongside Microsoft's first and third-party antivirus solutions, such as Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
Microsoft Defender for Individuals requires a Microsoft 365 personal or family license.[72]
Microsoft Defender for Individuals is a stand-alone app that adds central management with visibility of family devices, as well as Identity Theft Monitoring (in supported regions[73]) to existing anti-malware features on Windows devices. On macOS and Android, the app includes its own anti-malware protection and on Android and iOS it also includes web protection (malicious link detection).[74]
All supported platforms share a common user interface, which is also accessible from a web browser through Microsoft's My Defender portal.
On May 5, 2017, Tavis Ormandy, a vulnerability researcher from Google, discovered a security vulnerability in the JavaScript analysis module (NScript) of Microsoft Antimalware Engine (MsMpEngine) that impacted Windows Defender, Microsoft Security Essentials and System Center Endpoint Protection. By May 8, 2017, Microsoft had released a patch to all affected systems. Ars Technica commended Microsoft for its unprecedented patching speed and said that the disaster had been averted.[75][76]
During a December 2017 test of various anti-malware software carried out by AV-TEST on Windows 10, Windows Defender earned 6 out of 6 points in detection rate of various malware samples, earning its "AV-TEST Certified" seal.[77]
During a February 2018 "Real-World Protection Test" performed by AV-Comparatives, Windows Defender achieved a 100% detection rate of malicious URL samples, along with 3 false positive results.[78]
An AV-TEST test of Windows Defender in October 2019 demonstrated it provides excellent protection both against viruses and 0-day / malware attacks.[79]
On December 1, 2021, AV-TEST gave Defender a maximum protection score of 34 points after successfully managing to detect ten out of ten ransomware samples in a lab test.[80]
In 2025, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint was included in a study of data handling practices, user choice, and update control and inspection. 14 security vendors participated in the study conducted by the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce (WKO) and AV-Comparatives.[81][82] The product demonstrated substantial flexibility: customers can minimize data sent to Microsoft from their machines, exercise granular update control, or make the product work offline.
Microsoft Defender has often been subjected to criticisms related to privacy concerns, performance issues, and intrusive behavior in recent versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems. Microsoft Defender features cloud file analysis and file submission under Microsoft Spynet Membership which eventually became Microsoft Advanced Protection Service (MAPS) when opted in with basic or advanced membership collects user data and sends to Microsoft which raises privacy concerns among users.[83][84] The cloud integration of Microsoft Defender also raised concerns among privacy advocates. The MsmpEngine of Microsoft Defender in recent versions of Windows was found to be using high amounts of system resources, especially CPU Resources when Real-time protection and scheduled scan is configured to be turned on.[85] This issue is more apparent in PCs with Intel CPUs.[86] Microsoft defender is configured by default to take up 50% of the system's CPU resources available by default, although this can be configured using Group Policy Editor along with limiting the process of MsmpEngine to use a Low Priority Process during a Realtime Scan and customizing scheduled scans.[87][88] Recent Windows Versions also deeply integrated Microsoft Defender with the operating system using mechanisms like Early Boot Anti-Malware, Tamper Protection, etc., making it almost impossible to remove or uninstall. Although these are useful to prevent malware from disabling or removing the antivirus itself, they also lead to frustration among users who utilize and seek 3rd party alternatives.[89][90][91][92] In late-July 2020, Microsoft Defender began to classify modifications of the hosts file that blocks Microsoft telemetry and data collection servers as being a severe security risk.[93][94]
Windows Defender no longer supports Windows 2000
If you install a different antimalware solution, Windows Defender disables its real-time protection but remains available.
In Windows 10, version 1703 (also known as the Creators Update), the Windows Defender app is now part of the Windows Defender Security Center.
There appears to be no way to access the "classic UI" in 1803.[dead link]
Since the new Windows 10 Update 1803, this no longer works. (Comments section)
Classic UI its gone on windows 10 enterprise 1803, try other way pls (Comments section)
In previous versions a link to [...] MSASCui.exe" opened the program in the "classic" user interface but no longer.
the "Classic" Windows Defender interface has been removed in the 1803 version of Windows 10
Applies to: ... Microsoft Defender Antivirus
Windows Defender is now called Windows Defender Antivirus
Windows Defender Security Center is now called Windows Security.
Formerly known as Windows Defender, Microsoft Defender Antivirus still delivers the [...]
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Microsoft Defender Antivirus (formerly Windows Defender) is an antivirus software component for Microsoft Windows and mobile. It was first released as a downloadable free anti-spyware program for Windows XP and was shipped with Windows Vista and Windows 7. It has evolved into a full antivirus program, replacing Microsoft Security Essentials in downloadable genuine copies of Windows XP to Windows 7. In March 2019, Microsoft announced Microsoft Defender ATP for Mac for business customers to protect their Mac devices from attacks on a corporate network, and a year later, to expand protection for mobile devices, it announced Microsoft Defender ATP for Android and iOS devices, which incorporates Microsoft SmartScreen, a firewall, and malware scanning. The mobile version of Microsoft Defender also includes a feature to block access to corporate data if it detects a malicious app is installed.
Windows Update is a Microsoft service for the Windows 9x and Windows NT families of the Microsoft Windows operating system, which automates downloading and installing Microsoft Windows software updates over the Internet. The service delivers software updates for Windows, as well as the various Microsoft antivirus products, including Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials. Since its inception, Microsoft has introduced two extensions of the service: Microsoft Update and Windows Update Client Policies (formerly Windows Update for Business). The former expands the core service to include other Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Office and Microsoft Expression Studio. The latter is available to business editions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 and permits managing updates for enterprises, including delaying updates by category. As the service has evolved over the years, so has its client software. For a decade, the primary client component of the service was the Windows Update web app that could only be run on Internet Explorer. Starting with Windows Vista, the primary client component became Windows Update Agent, an integral component of the operating system. The service provides several kinds of updates. Security updates or critical updates mitigate vulnerabilities and security exploits in Microsoft Windows. Cumulative updates are updates that bundle multiple updates, both new and previously released updates. Cumulative updates were introduced with Windows 10 and only some have been backported to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Windows 11 24H2 also introduced checkpoint cumulative updates and updates with Hotpatch capability in the name, where some of the updates no longer require a reboot. Microsoft routinely releases updates on the second Tuesday of each month (known as the Patch Tuesday B updates) but can provide them whenever a new update is urgently required to prevent a newly discovered or prevalent exploit, so-called out-of-band updates. System administrators can configure Windows Update to install critical updates for Microsoft Windows automatically, so long as the computer has an Internet connection. In Windows 10 and Windows 11, the use of Windows Update is mandatory; however, the software agreement states that users may stop receiving updates on their device by disconnecting their device from the Internet. There also exist optional non-security preview releases (formerly known as "C" or "D" releases), that users can choose to install in the Windows Update UI.
Windows Vista introduces numerous new security and safety features intended to deliver greater privacy, security, and system integrity than earlier releases of Microsoft Windows. In 2002 Microsoft announced its Trustworthy Computing initiative, which introduced within the corporation an ambition to build secure software by means of new development policies and procedures. New principles mandated the reviewal of software to ensure that architectures, designs, and implementations promote resilience to attacks and vulnerabilities; that default configurations promote security from the onset; that software patches are broadly distributable and securely deployable; and that straightforward security guidance is available. Windows Vista is the first Microsoft Windows operating system built in full accordance with the principles of this initiative. During its development Microsoft executives including Bill Gates and Jim Allchin cited security as being both its most important development factor and value proposition for consumers. New security features in Windows Vista include anti-malware software (Windows Defender); exploit protection features such as Address Space Layout Randomization, Data Execution Prevention improvements, and stack overflow detection for operating system binaries. Windows Firewall introduces new features such as support for IPSec, Kerberos, and outbound filtering. For privacy, Windows Vista introduces features such as Encrypting File System improvements (page file encryption and smart card support), and parental controls. For system integrity, Windows Vista introduces features such as Code Integrity for the enforcement of kernel-mode code-signing to assess the legitimacy of the boot process and of crucial system components. Windows Service Hardening reduces privileges of Windows services and limits their interactions between file system object resources, processes, and other Windows services (which was a noteworthy avenue of attack in earlier releases of Windows, with Blaster being a prominent example). There are major changes to or replacements of components that originated in earlier releases of Windows. CryptoAPI is replaced by Cryptography API: Next Generation. GINA is succeeded by Credential Providers (with refactoring in Winlogon). With the introduction of User Account Control, Windows Vista is built on the principle of least privilege. The use of NTFS for the partition on which Windows is installed is now mandatory. Mandatory Integrity Control enforces lower and higher levels of privilege across file system object resources and processes. Windows Resource Protection supersedes Windows File Protection. There are several changes to strengthen access-control lists of system directories when contrasted with previous releases of Windows. On x64-based systems kernel-mode driver signing is mandatory; unsigned software will not load and will not run. Windows Vista is the first release of Microsoft Windows with functionality based on firmware and hardware designed by the Trusted Computing Group (TCG), with native support for the TCG specification and secure cryptoprocessor, Trusted Platform Module (TPM). BitLocker Drive Encryption, a full-volume encryption feature available in Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows Vista Ultimate relies on both TCG-compliant firmware and TPM 1.2 to ensure boot integrity by sealing volume encryption secrets to an environment; if subsequent environments do not match these measurements, secrets will not be revealed, and the volume will not be decrypted. Windows Vista additionally introduces digital rights management (DRM) for commercial high-value content.
Microsoft Active Protection Service (abbreviated MAPS and formerly known as Microsoft SpyNet) is the network of Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials users that help determine which programs are classified as spyware. The signatures created for any submitted programs by the users of the product are available to all users, displayed as a bar graph that shows the percentage of people who have allowed, blocked, or removed an item. This method of spyware classification allows rare, unknown, or new spyware to be categorized as most people choose to send their data.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →The Greenwood District.
