Why You Should Use Windows Defender Ransomware Protection

An important security feature in Windows Defender is disabled by default: Ransomware protection. This is surprising because ransomware is a serious threat that locks your device and blocks access to your data until you pay an attacker. This is even more surprising when you consider that ransomware protection was added back in October 2017 with a Windows 10 update.

The best possible explanation of why the protection of ransomware programs is disabled by default, as indicated by gHacks, lies in the fact , that this feature may be subject to false positives. This is a serious issue, but we sympathize with those looking to protect their data given how debilitating ransomware attacks can be.

We’ve covered general ransomware prevention tips before , but built-in Windows 10 features add an extra layer of protection to your PC. Fortunately, Windows Defender not only includes ransomware protection, but users can expand or limit coverage to suit their needs. Here’s how:

1. Open the Start menu and click the Settings icon.
2. From the Settings menu, choose Update & Security> Windows Security> Virus & Threat Protection .
3. Scroll down to the Ransomware Protection section and click Manage Ransomware Protection.
4. In the next menu, enable Controlled Folder Access.
5. By default, Controlled Folder Access protects only specific folders: documents, pictures, videos, music, desktop, favorites. You can extend ransomware protection to other files and folders by clicking Add Protected Folder in the same window.
6. Navigate to the folder you want to add to protect against ransomware. Repeat these steps for each folder you want to protect.

Now that you’ve configured Controlled Folder Access, Windows Defender will track which programs have access to protected folders and the files stored in them. It will then block attempts by suspicious programs to gain access. While this gives you some peace of mind, the problem is that some “suspicious” programs are not actually malware. To avoid false positives, you can add the program to the Controlled Folder Access White List.

1. Open the start menu and click the settings icon.
2. Select Update & Security> Windows Security> Virus & Threat Protection> Manage Ransomware Protection .
3. Scroll down and tap “Allow this application through controlled folder access, ” then find and add the program you want to the list. You will have to repeat this process for each application that you want to share.
4. You can also click Block History to view a list of programs that Windows Defender has blocked access to your protected files. If you do not recognize the specified program or are not sure why it is trying to access your files, uninstall it.

Even with finely tuned Windows Defender ransomware protection, you should also regularly back up your files (so as not to block anything important in the event of a ransomware attack). For example, you can use an external hard drive, or you can set up OneDrive data recovery, which you can turn on in Controlled Folder Settings – in the same Anti-Ransomware screen we talked about earlier. You will need to set up OneDrive if you haven’t already, and you only get 5GB of free space, but you can recover important data in the event of a ransomware attack.

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