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Windows 11’s new security features are so secure you’ll need to reinstall the operating system to use them
Microsoft is preparing to roll out security feature updates Windows 11 (opens in new tab) Designed to “help protect hybrid jobs” from malicious apps and other potential security risks for business users. The price for this extra layer of security will be a complete reinstall of Windows 11.
Smart App Control is designed by default to prevent you from running malicious apps downloaded from the web, according to Microsoft (opens in new tab) (thanks computer world (opens in new tab)). Since the application is woven into the operating system (and therefore requires a reset), it uses a combination of the application manufacturer’s code signing and an “AI model of application trust” to track things at the process level to determine whether the software is safe or not of. Any app Windows 11 deems suspicious will be blocked from opening.
Smart App Control isn’t the only new feature in this security update. There are also improvements in account and credential security and encryption.as part of Microsoft zero trust (opens in new tab) push, the idea is to improve protection against phishing attacks and better detect users visiting sites with compromised security.
“Microsoft has been investing in improving Windows’ default security baseline and focusing on closing the gap for top attack vectors,” said David Weston, vice president of enterprise and operating system security at Microsoft.
These new security upgrades will be available as part of the upcoming “22H2” security update. This means that anyone running 22H1 or earlier on Windows 11 will have to do a forced system reset, or you can opt out.
If you’re still waiting to upgrade to Windows 11, you can defer until this update goes live without having to reinstall Windows.