Windows Defender is an anti-malware program developed by Microsoft that provides protection against a wide range of threats, including viruses, spyware, rootkits, worms, Trojans, adware, and other malicious software. Windows Defender also protects against exploits that can be used to gain unauthorized access to your computer or network.
Windows Defender scans both incoming and outgoing files for potential threats. If it finds any malicious content, it will alert you and give you the option to remove it from your system. It also provides real-time protection against malicious programs, blocking them from running and downloading. Windows Defender can also detect and remove previously installed malicious software.
Windows Defender is designed to protect against traditional virus threats by scanning for known malicious code and also recognizing and blocking unknown threats using behavior-based detection algorithms. It can detect viruses, worms, and other threats at the file level, as well as monitor system and application activities for suspicious activity. It also helps protect against online threats such as phishing attacks.
In addition, Windows Defender has tools to help protect against the exploitation of vulnerabilities in applications and the operating system. These include Data Execution Prevention (DEP), Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), and Structured Exception Handler Overwrite Protection (SEHOP). These technologies help to protect against buffer overflow, heap overflow, return-oriented programming attacks, and other attack types.
Windows Defender also has several additional security features, such as Parental Controls and Windows Firewall. Parental Controls allows parents to restrict access to certain websites, programs, and applications, as well as control when their children can use the computer and for what time periods. Windows Firewall helps to protect your computer by blocking potentially harmful traffic from entering your network.
Overall, Windows Defender provides a comprehensive suite of protection against a wide range of potential threats, from traditional viruses to more advanced threats such as rootkits and web-based attacks. While Windows Defender cannot provide complete protection against all threats, it does offer a strong line of defense against most of the common threats on the internet.