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