1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,800 Remember when Norton, McAfee, and Webroot ruled the world and we were all buying separate 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:10,160 antivirus security suites for our computers? These days, many of us have forgotten about these 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:14,240 products and instead just opt for the built-in protection offered by Windows Defender, 4 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:21,600 now called Windows Security. Yet, paid, anti-malware software still exists. So is there any reason to 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:27,440 actually shell out money for it these days? To answer, let's explore what Windows Security does 6 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:32,160 and does not do, and we'd like to give a big thank you to our friends at HP Wolf Security 7 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:36,160 for sponsoring this video. So it used to be that the protection built into Windows was 8 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:41,600 relatively bare bones, but these days, Windows Security is a fairly comprehensive solution. 9 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:45,920 Most tech reviewers have noticed that Windows Security does a pretty good job of detecting, 10 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:51,760 stopping, and quarantining the usual viruses and malware, with multiple sites ranking it higher 11 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:56,960 than quite a few paid options, both in terms of how many pieces of malicious code it stops, 12 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:02,320 as well as having a low number of false positives. Windows Security uses two common strategies to 13 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:08,240 accomplish this high success rate. The first is by examining signatures against a database. 14 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,800 Microsoft publishes definition updates for Windows PCs multiple times a day with signatures for 15 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:17,680 newly found malware, and then Windows Security downloads these and compares them to possible 16 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:23,440 threats. The second strategy is the use of heuristics, analysis of program behavior without 17 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:29,440 using specific definitions or signatures. This way, if a zero-day or undiscovered threat 18 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:34,160 makes its way onto your system and behaves suspiciously, Windows Security can block it, 19 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:38,880 even if it's never been seen before. This is a pretty powerful one-two punch for most home 20 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:44,400 users, but it does still have its limitations. One is that Windows Security tends to rely somewhat 21 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:49,360 heavily on being able to connect to Microsoft's servers and access malware data stored in the 22 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:54,880 cloud. A recent AV-comparables test known to that Windows Security only detected around two-thirds 23 00:01:54,880 --> 00:02:00,720 of threats when its internet connection was lost, which lagged behind most paid competitors, 24 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:06,880 which tend to store more of the resources they need locally. Of course, most of us are online 25 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:12,160 consistently these days, but it's something to think about if, say, a piece of malware you've 26 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:16,640 unwittingly downloaded decides to act up when you're not connected to the internet, like when 27 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:21,360 you're on a plane, for example. More advanced paid software might also be less dependent on a 28 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:27,360 signature database and more dependent on cloud AI to more robustly prevent against new and evolving 29 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:31,920 threats. Indeed, this has helped some of Windows Defenders competitors who slightly outperform 30 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:37,280 it in terms of detection rates. And some paid services do throw in extra features, such as 31 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:42,480 including a VPN service, monitoring your home network for vulnerabilities, or providing alerts 32 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:47,680 when one of your accounts or passwords is involved in a data breach. But while these might not sound 33 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:52,080 like compelling reasons to pay for security software at home, moving away from relying on 34 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:57,200 just Windows Security might be a good idea for businesses and organizations who have to secure 35 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:02,000 lots of computers at once, and might not be able to ensure their employees are always following 36 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:07,440 best practices. This approach is commonly called Endpoint Security, since it involves robustly 37 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:12,960 protecting user-facing endpoints, which have historically gotten weaker protection than servers. 38 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:17,520 Endpoint Security is being provided by a growing number of companies these days, such as Crowdstrike, 39 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:22,800 HP Wolf Security, Sentinel-1, FireEye, and even Microsoft. It typically not only includes the 40 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:27,600 usual antivirus and anti-malware functions, but advanced features like automatically restoring 41 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:32,320 a system's BIOS if it gets attacked, more deeply examining files to detect malicious code, 42 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,880 sandboxing processes in memory so malware can't spread to other parts of the system, 43 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:41,200 keeping the security software running with a hardware controller, even if the operating system 44 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:46,560 is compromised, and allowing for easy remote management. So if you have a bunch of computers 45 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:51,680 you're trying to keep on lockdown, or if you need extra security for data that you just can't afford 46 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:57,440 to lose, it might be worth investing in a security solution you actually pay for. Otherwise, rolling 47 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:02,960 with Windows Defender is probably fine. Just be careful what you click on, as nobody legitimate 48 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:07,440 is going to offer you tech support through a shady looking webpage riddled with spelling errors. 49 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:11,360 Thanks again to HP Wolf Pro Security for sponsoring today's video. It's an easy to use 50 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:16,080 endpoint security solution that includes next-gen antivirus with powerful sandboxing, identity 51 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:21,280 protection, and a self-healing BIOS in case your system's firmware is hit by an attack. 52 00:04:21,280 --> 00:04:25,840 HP Wolf Security is pre-installed at the factory. You don't need extra IT resources, 53 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:29,840 you don't need aftermarket antivirus, and you don't even need to update your definitions. 54 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:33,760 Thanks to the powerful built-in AI, you don't even have to be connected to the internet to 55 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:39,040 detect and deal with threats, even ransomware. HP Wolf Pro Security also features a hardware 56 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,600 endpoint controller on the motherboard itself, which enforces protection. The controller ensures 57 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:48,400 your system is secure by keeping antivirus, firewall, and other critical functions running 58 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:52,640 properly, even if your operating system is attacked. And it even provides hardware-enforced 59 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:57,280 secure web browsing. And if the worst does happen and your data gets corrupted, never fear, because 60 00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:02,240 HP Wolf Pro Security also provides fast, secure, automated image recovery from anywhere. It's 61 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:06,480 great for businesses that need endpoint security or individuals who just need enhanced protection. 62 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:12,080 And it comes in your choice of one or three-year licenses, so check it out today at the link in 63 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:16,080 the video description. So thanks for watching guys. If you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe, 64 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:20,080 and hit us up in the comments section with your suggestions for topics that we should cover in 65 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:20,720 the future.