In 2021, the protection built into Microsoft Defender for Windows, Azure, Microsoft 365 and Office 365 blocked more than 9.6 billion malware threats and more than 35.7 billion phishing and other malicious emails. According to Microsoft’s 2022 Work Trends Index report, cyber security issues and risks top the list of concerns for decision-makers in the coming year. Take a look at six new features of Windows 11 to help customers tackle the security challenges of distributed work scenarios:
Microsoft Pluton: Microsoft Pluton Security is an innovative solution to secure a critical layer of processor computing. It has several key capabilities that stem from its direct integration into the CPU and OS. It is said to be the only security processor that is regularly kept up to date with major security upgrades.
Personal Data Encryption: The new personal data encryption will be used to protect user files and data when the user is not signed in to the device. To access the data, the user must first authenticate with Windows Hello for Business. This means that if a device is lost or stolen, the data is more resistant to attack and the sensitive data has another layer of security built-in.
Smart App Control: It prevents users from running malicious applications on Windows devices. Using code signing with AI, the new Smart App Control allows running only processes that are deemed secure.
Microsoft Defender SmartScreen: Advanced phishing detection and protection built into Windows with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen will help check phishing attacks by warning users when they are entering their Microsoft credentials into a malicious application or a hacked website.
Credential Guard by default: Windows 11 uses hardware-assisted, virtualization-based security capabilities to help protect systems from credential theft attack techniques. It also helps prevent malware from accessing system secrets, even if the process is running with administrative privileges.
Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) Default Enhancements: In the next Windows 11 release, HVCI will be enabled by default on a wider set of devices. This will prevent attackers from injecting their own malicious code and ensure that all drivers loaded onto the OS are signed and trusted.