Starting with the launch of Windows 8 back in 2012, Microsoft’s offering its desktop operating system with a pre-installed antivirus solution called Windows Defender and based on an older security product known as Security Essentials.
Since the release of Windows 10, however, Windows Defender has evolved substantially. So substantially that it’s now the antivirus of choice for many users out there who no longer feel the need for third-party protection that usually comes with a fee.
I, for one, am using Windows Defender as the one and only security software on my Windows 10 laptop, and until now, I’ve never experienced any sort of problem with it. Needless to say, no malware has ever reached my files, and Windows Defender managed to block all infections before any damage was made.
Getting back to the evolution of Windows Defender in Windows 10, this is something that’s pretty clear right from the moment you run the operating system for the first time.
In Windows 10 April 2018 Update, Windows Defender is the central part of a more advanced feature called Windows Defender Security Center and grouping all security tools in the operating system, including parental controls and firewall settings. This means Microsoft is slowly pushing Windows Defender beyond its antivirus condition, eventually making it the one and only security product Windows 10 users would need.
At this point, Windows Defender has the essential feature package that’s also available in third-party products, including real-time protection, frequent updates, and scheduled scan support. Furthermore, since it’s integrated into Windows 10, the impact it has on system performance is minimal, and you won’t even notice that it’s there protecting your data.
Windows Defender becoming a top security solution is also reflected in the most recent antivirus tests. German institute AV-TEST’s latest research shows that Windows Defender has improved detection capabilities and it now blocks most of the known and zero-day malware on Windows 10.
For example, Windows Defender blocked 98 percent of the 0-day malware attacks in a March test and 100 percent of them in April, while the industry average is at 99.5 percent. When it comes to detection of known malware, it blocked 100 percent and 99.9 percent of the threats, with the industry average sitting at 99.9 percent.
Windows Defender also scores big in terms of usability and it returns nearly zero false positives. The industry average for false detection of legitimate software as malware during a system scan is 10, and Windows Defender only offered 4 such warnings in the two tests.
There are some people out there who’d rather put their data in the hands of a third-party security solution, mostly because of the history behind Windows Defender and the feature lineup that often includes many more options in the case of other vendors.
But sticking with Windows Defender and staying away from malware isn’t necessarily just a thing of having the antivirus product block all threats. It also involves users paying attention to the most basic security recommendations, such as not visiting websites known for spreading malware or downloading apps from sources they do not trust and ignoring all warnings.
I’d say that Windows Defender is just the perfect security solution for Windows 10 users who know how to protect their data, though the simple fact that it’s a native app enabled by default in the operating system and protecting all Windows 10 devices makes it the right choice for beginners as well.
Sooner or later, however, Windows Defender would become an even more advanced security product, not necessarily thanks to improved antivirus capabilities, but because all Windows 10 security features would be built around it. And with Windows 10 becoming the most widely-adopted OS on the desktop, it’ll be interesting to see how many users would still want a third-party antivirus.
Windows 10 comes equipped with Windows Defender Security Center that does a great job fighting against viruses and other types of malware. Many users will say Defender is all they need, while others want a third-party option handling their PC's security.
If you're interested in taking your security to another level, check out this roundup of the best antivirus software available in 2017.
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus provides amazing protection against system-crippling viruses and other annoying malware.
Its robust protection is built on the data gathered from over 500 million Bitdefender users — algorithms measure the data to uncover unknown threats and to discover new threats just now hitting the internet.
Chosen as the best basic antivirus by Tom's Guide and as Top Ten Review's first choice overall choice, it's clear you're getting your money's worth. From Top Ten Reviews:
Impressive performance, useful features, solid support and a superb user experience make Bitdefender Antivirus Plus an excellent antivirus.
This program also includes an anti-ransomware feature to protect against having your files maliciously encrypted, a web filtering feature that makes online banking more secure, and an anti-rootkit feature that ensures your PC boots safely each time.
If you're looking for antivirus software with strong security and up-to-the-minute threat protection, but don't want to spend a fortune, check out Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2017. It starts at about $40 for one year of protection, and it is available for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and later.
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Bitdefender's Internet Security 2018 is like the bigger, stronger sibling of their Antivirus Plus package. You get the same leading security against crippling viruses and other annoying malware, as well as a bunch of extra features that protect you from threats against your computer and against your privacy.
You're getting a two-way firewall that keeps viruses already on your PC from communicating with the internet, a standalone internet browser designed for secure banking, a thorough virtual file shredder that will remove all traces from your PC, and webcam protection that keeps you from being spied on. In their review, Tom's Guide talked about added features:
While Internet Security adds antispam tools, file encryption, and a two-way firewall, the big step up is the addition of Bitdefender's Parental Advisor.
These features are a bonus to Bitdefender's proven antivirus technology, anti-ransomware and anti-phishing features, and rescue mode that ensures your PC boots in safety from rootkits.
If you're in the market for strong security and constantly updated protection, as well as extra features like a secure internet browser, webcam protection, and a virtual file shredder, check out Bitdefender Internet Security 2018. It starts at about $50 for one year of protection, and it is compatible with Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and later.
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Kaspersky's most complete antivirus software comes, as the name implies, with Total Security. This suite of tools is designed as a sweeping safeguard for you and your PC — Kaspersky Total Security includes a kid-safe mode to protect your young ones from inappropriate content and messages, a built-in password manager to keep track of your ever-expanding list, and an online backup to keep your files safe.
Selected as the best premium PC security suite on Tom's Guide, they had this to say in their review:
Kaspersky Total Security lives up to its name with a slew of protective services and features that range from traditional viral scanning to a password manager and backup software and can often be found heavily discounted online.
These features are, of course, an added bonus to what you'd normally expect out of antivirus software. You're getting a firewall to protect against unknown connections, adept anti-malware security to catch viruses before they infect your PC, and anti-phishing protection to help keep your personal information safe.
If you don't mind spending a premium amount for your antivirus software and you need something that works on multiple platforms, Kaspersky Total Security is where it's at. It starts at about $60 for one year of protection, and it can be installed on up to five devices. It is compatible with Windows XP and later, as well as macOS, iOS, and Android.
Editor's note from June 2018: The media narrative that Russian spies are using Kaspersky Antivirus to 'attack American computer networks' continues. We're still not aware of any concrete evidence that backs these claims up, and so far sources for outlets have remained anonymous. Kaspersky issued an official statement last year, claiming, 'As a private company, Kaspersky Lab has no ties to any government, and the company has never helped, nor will help, any government in the world with its cyberespionage efforts.' Germany's BSI found no evidence that Kaspersky was used by Russian hackers. We will update this post with more information when it is available, but for now, Kaspersky stays on the list.
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Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus is an interesting package — its signature database is stored in the cloud, which means it only takes up about 2MB of space on your hard drive and doesn't require constant updates. It also only takes up about 4MB of RAM during system idle, which is especially important for those of you that don't have much RAM to spare.
Here's how the cloud-based Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus works: new files and programs are scanned and their signature is sent to the cloud to be analyzed. In the meantime, the file or program in question is kept in a quarantine state with some of its function unusable. When Webroot determines the file or program to not be malicious, the quarantine state is lifted. If you don't have internet access, programs and files you've previously accessed on your PC remain usable, but new ones will be placed in the quarantine state until you reconnect to the internet.
Chosen as an Editors' Choice on PCMag, they remarked in their review:
In my malware-blocking, antiphishing, and malicious URL blocking tests, its scores were perfect, excellent, and very good, respectively.
If you're someone who is always connected to the internet and could use the extra space on your hard drive, have a look at Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus. It starts at about $30 for one year of protection, and it can be installed on up to three devices. It is compatible with Windows 7 and later, as well as macOS.
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Norton has been around for a long time, so it has had time to make plenty of friends and plenty of enemies — many people swear by it, many people hate it. In a review conducted by Tom's Guide, malware protection was praised while system impact was listed as a concern. Likewise, Top Ten Reviews gave it an almost perfect rating, citing this:
In tests by respected software lab AV-Test, Norton Security accomplished a perfect protection score for the most recent Windows operating systems — Windows 10, 8 and 7. [..] Norton tends to cause your computer to slow down a bit, but it will still run faster than average for computers running antivirus software.
Like most big security companies, there are multiple options to choose from — the simplest, Norton Antivirus Basic, costs only about $20 and was named an Editors' Choice by PCMag. The step up, though, comes with a firewall, great customer support, and a few other extras that make it worth the $35 per year.
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Avast has a great free option that many people take advantage of, but this step up into their paid selections is perfect for anyone who wants a few more tools when it comes to protecting their PC.
In their review, PCMag identified exactly why you might want to upgrade:
To the cornucopia of bonus features found in its free counterpart, it adds protection against DNS poisoning and a sandbox for running iffy programs safely.
While this might not be enough of a reason for many people to buy this $50 yearly subscription, it's great for anyone who trusts the Avast name.
As far as protection goes, Avast's security performed perfectly in tests done by AV-Test. On top of general protection, you get a Wi-Fi scanner that detects problems on your network, you can create bootable environments for extreme cases, and there's a simplistic password manager.
Trend Micro's Antivirus+ option is one of the cheaper selections on our list at $25 for a yearly subscription, but that doesn't mean it isn't a decent antivirus. Testing conducted by independent lab AV-Test saw Trend Micro's protection work perfectly.
A review by Tom's Guide confirmed the lab's protection testing:
Trend Micro's security programs provide most of the protective services you'll need, are fast to scan and provide a near-perfect shield against malware.
There are differing opinions about how this AV affects the performance of a PC, but overall it's no worse than the average. If it's a powerful antivirus you need but don't want to shell out as much money, Trend Micro Antivirus+ might be your best option.
Like Norton, McAfee has been around for a long time, and many people have already formed an opinion. Regardless of whether or not you like McAfee, one thing is certain: a $55 one-year subscription provides protection on an unlimited amount of devices, including Android, macOS, and iOS. That's a pretty sweet deal, but keep in mind that not all features are found on all devices.
What you get on PC is great malware protection, a simple user interface, wonderful tech support, and a firewall. Chosen as an Editors' Choice by PCMag, they had this to say:
It has a huge feature set when installed on your Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices. It's that amazingly broad protection that earns McAfee an Editors' Choice for commercial antivirus.
While Kaspersky and Bitdefender might perform a bit better when it comes to protection, you can't deny that McAfee is great for anyone with a household full of devices.
Microsoft ships its own full-featured antivirus software with Windows 10 called Windows Defender. Previously, this suite used to be ranked behind others but the company has invested time and effort in bringing Defender up to speed with other security solutions. In 2017, Windows Defender is adaquate enough for use.
There's also the bonus that Microsoft doesn't bundled pointless bloatware with its security protection, because it doesn't need to. Microsoft also has the user's best interest at heart, instead of making ends meet through sales and subscriptions. And AVTest, while finding the suite slow in areas of application installing compared to other security software, rates Windows Defender to offer a good level of protection.
Not sure if you want to shell out money for an antivirus? There are plenty of great free alternatives!
Updated June 19, 2018: We refreshed this list to ensure you're still getting the absolute best options when it comes to your PC's antivirus.
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.
Windows 10 has built-in real-time antivirus named Windows Defender, and it’s actually pretty good. It automatically runs in the background, ensuring all Windows users are protected against viruses and other nasties. Here’s how it works.
RELATED:What’s the Best Antivirus for Windows 10? (Is Windows Defender Good Enough?)
Starting with the Creators Update for Windows 10, Windows Defender’s interface changed a bit, and it was integrated into the new Windows Defender Security Center—which also provides access to security-related tools like family protection, firewall settings, device performance and health reports, and browser security controls. If you haven’t yet updated to the Creators Update, you should still be able to follow along pretty well.
Microsoft offered a standalone antivirus app named Microsoft Security Essentials in the days of Windows XP, Vista, and 7. With Windows 8, the product was tidied up a bit, bundled with Windows, and renamed Windows Defender. And it’s pretty good, if something of a mixed bag. It’s true that other antivirus apps—like BitDefender and Kaspersky—protect against more viruses in benchmarks.
But Windows Defender boasts some advantages, too. It’s by far the most non-invasive app, handling things in the background whenever it can and not nagging you all the time. Windows Defender also plays nicer with web browsers and other apps—respecting their security and privacy settings more than most other antivirus apps.
RELATED:How to Run Malwarebytes Alongside Another Antivirus
What you use is up to you, but Windows Defender is not a bad choice (and has overcome most of its problems from a few years back). We do, however, recommend running an anti-malware app like Malwarebytes in addition to whatever antivirus app you choose.
Like other antivirus apps, Windows Defender automatically runs in the background, scanning files when they’re downloaded, transferred from external drives, and before you open them.
RELATED:Why Does Antivirus Software Quarantine Viruses Instead of Deleting Them?
You don’t really have to think about Windows Defender at all. It will only pop up to inform you when it finds malware. It won’t even ask you what you want to do with the malicious software it finds—it just cleans things up and quarantines the files automatically.
You’ll occasionally see a notification popup to let you know when a scan has been performed, and you can usually see the details of the last scan by opening the Action Center in Windows 10.
If Windows Defender does find a threat, you’ll also see a notification letting you know that it’s taking action to clean those threats—and no action is required from you.
RELATED:You Won’t Be Able to Disable (or Delay) Windows Updates on Windows 10 Home
Antivirus definition updates automatically arrive through Windows Update and are installed like any other system update. These types of updates don’t require rebooting your computer. That way, don’t need to worry about updating Windows Defender, because it’s all handled quietly and automatically in the background.
You can view Windows Defender’s scan history anytime you want, and if you’re notified that it has blocked malware, you can view that information too. To fire up the Windows Defender Security Center, just hit Start, type “defender,” and then select “Windows Defender Security Center.”
In the Windows Defender Security Center window, switch to the “Windows Defender” tab (the shield icon) and then click the “Scan history” link.
The “Scan history” screen shows you all current threats, plus information about your last scan. If you want to see the full history of quarantined threats, just click the “See full history” link in that section.
Here, you can see all the threats that Windows Defender has quarantined. To see more about a threat, click the arrow to its right. And to see even more, click the “See details” link that shows up when you expand a particular threat.
RELATED:How To Tell If a Virus Is Actually a False Positive
You don’t really need to do anything else here, but if you didn’t have Windows Defender delete the threat when it was found, you’ll be given the option to do that on this screen. You’ll also be able to restore the item from quarantine, but you should only do this if you’re absolutely sure the detected malware is a false positive. If you’re not absolutely, 100 percent sure, don’t allow it to run.
RELATED:Why You Don’t Need to Run Manual Antivirus Scans (And When You Do)
Back on the main “Windows Defender” tab, you can also have Windows Defender run a quick manual scan by clicking the “Quick Scan” button. Typically, you won’t need to bother with this since Windows Defender offers real-time protection and also performs regular automatic scans. However, if you just want to be safe—maybe you just updated your virus definitions—there’s absolutely no harm in running a quick scan.
You can also click the “Advanced scan” link on that screen to run three different types of scans:
By default, Windows Defender automatically enables real-time protection, cloud-based protection, and sample submission. Real-time protection ensures Windows Defender automatically finds malware by scanning your system in real time. Install my canon printer on my windows tablet. You could disable this for a short period if necessary for performance reasons, but Windows Defender will automatically re-enable real-time protection to keep you safe later. Cloud-based protection and sample submission allow Windows Defender to share information about threats and the actual malware files it detects with Microsoft.
To enabled or disable any of these settings, click the “Virus & threat protection settings” link on the main “Windows Defender” tab.
And then toggle the settings on the screen that appears.
If you scroll down the very bottom of that same “Virus & threat protection settings” page, you can also set exclusions—files, folders, file types, or processes that you don’t want Windows Defender to scan. Just click the “Add or remove exclusions” link.
If antivirus is dramatically slowing down a certain app you know is safe by scanning it, creating an exclusion can speed things up again. If you use virtual machines, you might want to exclude those large files from the scanning process. If you have a huge photo or video library that you know is safe, you don’t really want scanning slowing down your editing.
To add an exclusion, click the “Add an exclusion” button, select the type of exclusion you want to add from the dropdown menu, and then point Windows Defender to whatever you want to exclude.
RELATED:Antivirus Slowing Your PC Down? Maybe You Should Use Exclusions
Just be careful to use exclusions sparingly and smartly. Each exclusion you add reduces your PC’s security by a bit, because they tell Windows Defender not to look in certain places.
Windows 10 automatically disables Windows Defender if you install another antivirus app. While another antivirus app is installed, Windows Defender won’t continue performing real-time scans, so it won’t interfere with your other app. You can still use Windows Defender to perform a manual—or offline—scan as a backup to your preferred antivirus app, though.
If you ever uninstall the other antivirus, Windows Defender will automatically kick into gear once again and take over, providing antivirus protection.
Do note, however, that certain anti-malware apps—like Malwarebytes—can be installed alongside Windows Defender and both will offer complimentary real-time protection.
Whichever antivirus product you prefer, it’s good that every single new Windows installation going forward will come with at least a baseline built-in antivirus protection. While it may not be perfect, Windows Defender does do a decent job, is minimally intrusive, and—when combined with other safe computing and browsing practices—might just be enough.
Windows 10 won’t hassle you to install an antivirus like Windows 7 did. Since Windows 8, Windows now includes a built-in free antivirus called Windows Defender. But is it really the best for protecting your PC–or even just good enough?
Windows Defender was originally known as Microsoft Security Essentials back in the Windows 7 days when it was offered as a separate download, but now it’s built right into Windows and it’s enabled by default. Many people have been trained to believe that you should always install a third-party antivirus, but that isn’t the best solution for today’s security problems, like ransomware.
We definitely recommend you read the entire article so you fully understand why we recommend a combination of Windows Defender andMalwarebytes, but since we know that tons of people will just scroll down and skim, here is our TL;DR recommendation for how to keep your system secure:
Editor’s Note: This doesn’t even mention the fact that Malwarebytes, the company, is staffed by some really great people that we really respect. Every time we talk to them, they are excited about the mission of cleaning up the internet. It’s not often that we give an official How-To Geek recommendation, but this is our favorite product by far, and something we use ourselves.
You need antivirus software on your computer, no matter how “carefully” you browse. Being smart isn’t enough to protect you from threats, and security software can help act as another line of defense.
However, antivirus itself is no longer adequate security on its own. We recommend you use a good antivirus program and a good anti-malware program. Together, they will protect you from most of the biggest threats on the internet today: viruses, spyware, ransomware, and even potentially unwanted programs (PUPs)—among many others.
So which ones should you use, and do you need to pay money for them? Let’s start with the first part of that combo: antivirus.
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When you install Windows 10, you’ll have an antivirus program already running. Windows Defender comes built-in to Windows 10, and automatically scans programs you open, downloads new definitions from Windows Update, and provides an interface you can use for in-depth scans. Best of all, it doesn’t slow down your system, and mostly stays out of your way—which we can’t say about most other antivirus programs.
RELATED:Do I Really Need Antivirus If I Browse Carefully and Use Common Sense?
For a short while, Microsoft’s antivirus fell behind the others when it came to comparative antivirus software tests—way behind. It was bad enough that we recommended something else, but it’s since bounced back, and now provides very good protection.
So in short, yes: Windows Defender is good enough (as long as you couple it with a good anti-malware program, as we mentioned above—more on that in a minute).
If you look at that antivirus comparison we linked to above, you’ll notice that Windows Defender, while good, does not get the highest ranks in terms of raw protection scores. So why not use something else?
First, let’s look at those scores. AV-TEST found that it still caught 99.9% of the “widespread and prevalent malware” in April 2017, along with 98.8% percent of the zero-day attacks. Avira, one of AV-TEST’s top rated antivirus programs, has the exact same scores for April—but slightly higher scores in past months, so its overall rating is (for some reason) much higher. But Windows Defender isn’t nearly as crippled as AV-TEST’s 4.5-out-of-6 rating would have you believe.
RELATED:Beware: Free Antivirus Isn’t Really Free Anymore
Furthermore, security is about more than raw protection scores. Other antivirus programs may occasionally do a bit better in monthly tests, but they also come with a lot of bloat, like browser extensions that actually make you less safe, registry cleaners that are terrible and unnecesary, loads of unsafe junkware, and even the ability to track your browsing habits so they can make money. Furthermore, the way they hook themselves into your browser and operating system often causes more problems than it solves. Something that protects you against viruses but opens you up to other vectors of attack is not good security.
Windows Defender does not do any of these things—it does one thing well, for free, and without getting in your way. Plus, Windows 10 already includes the various other protections introduced in Windows 8, like the SmartScreen filter that should prevent you from downloading and running malware, whatever antivirus you use. Chrome and Firefox, similarly, include Google’s Safe Browsing, which blocks many malware downloads.
If you hate Windows Defender for some reason and want to use another antivirus, you can use Avira. It has a free version that works fairly well, a pro version with a few extra features, and it provides great protection scores and only has the occasional popup ad (but it does have popup ads, which are annoying). The biggest problem is that you need to be sure to uninstall the browser extension it tries to force on you, which makes it hard to recommend to non-technical people.
Antivirus is important, but these days, it’s more important that you use a good anti-exploit program to protect your web browser and plug-ins, which are the most targeted by attackers. Malwarebytes is the program we recommend here.
Unlike traditional antivirus programs, Malwarebytes is good at finding “potentially unwanted programs” (PUPs) and other junkware. As of version 3.0, it also contains an anti-exploit feature, which aims to block common exploits in programs, even if they are zero-day attacks that have never seen before—like those nasty Flash zero-day attacks. It also contains anti-ransomware, to block extortion attacks like CryptoLocker. The latest version of Malwarebytes combines these three tools into one easy-to-use package for $40 per year.
Malwarebytes claims to be able to replace your traditional antivirus entirely, but we disagree with this. It uses completely different strategies for protecting you: antivirus will block or quarantine harmful programs that find their way to your computer, while Malwarebytes attempts to stop harmful software from ever reaching your computer in the first place. Since it doesn’t interfere with traditional antivirus programs, we recommend you run both programs for the best protection.
Note that you can get some of Malwarebytes’ features for free, but with caveats. For example, the free version of Malwarebytes program will only scan for malware and PUPs on-demand—it won’t scan in the background like the premium version does. In addition, it doesn’t contain the anti-exploit or anti-ransomware features of the premium version.
You can only get all three features in the full $40 version of Malwarebytes, which we recommend. But if you’re willing to forego anti-ransomware and always-on malware scanning, the free versions of Malwarebytes and Anti-Exploit are better than nothing, and you should definitely use them.
There you have it: with a combination of a good antivirus program, Malwarebytes, and some common sense, you’ll be pretty well protected. Just remember that antivirus is only one of the standard computer security practices you should be following. Good digital hygenie isn’t a replacement for antivirus, but it is essential to making sure your antivirus can do its job.
Microsoft continually updates security intelligence in antimalware products to cover the latest threats and to constantly tweak detection logic, enhancing the ability of Windows Defender Antivirus and other Microsoft antimalware solutions to accurately identify threats. This security intelligence works directly with cloud-based protection to deliver fast and powerful AI-enhanced, next-generation protection.
Microsoft security intelligence updates include software that incorporates material from third parties. Third-party notices and information
To help ensure your antimalware solution detects the latest threats, get updates automatically as part of Windows Update. If you are having problems with Windows Update, use the troubleshooter.
If you don't already use Windows Defender Antivirus, learn how to turn it on.
A manually triggered update immediately downloads and applies the latest security intelligence. This process might also address problems with automatic updates. Windows Defender Antivirus and other Microsoft antimalware solutions provide a way to manually trigger an update.
In Windows 10, select Check for updates in the Windows Security Virus & threat protection screen to check for the latest updates.
Enterprise administrators can also push updates to devices in their network. To clear the current cache and trigger an update, use a batch script that runs the following commands as an administrator:
You can manually download the latest update.
The latest security intelligence update is:
You need to download different security intelligence files for different products and platforms. Select the version that matches your Windows operating system or the environment where you will apply the update.
Windows Defender Antivirus for Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 | 32-bit | 64-bit | ARM |
Microsoft Security Essentials | 32-bit | 64-bit |
Windows Defender in Windows 7 and Windows Vista | 32-bit | 64-bit |
Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) | 32-bit | 64-bit |
Forefront Server Security | 32-bit | 64-bit |
Forefront Endpoint Protection | 32-bit | 64-bit |
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager | 32-bit | 64-bit |
System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection | 32-bit | 64-bit |
Windows Intune | 32-bit | 64-bit |
The links point to an executable file named mpam-fe.exe, mpam-feX64.exe, or mpas-fe.exe (used by older antispyware solutions). Simply launch the file to manually install the latest security intelligence.
End of life for Microsoft Forefront Client Security was on July 14, 2015. Customers are encouraged to migrate to System Center Endpoint Protection. For more information, visit the Microsoft support lifecycle website.
The following products leverage Network Inspection System (NIS) updates:
These updates are designed to protect you from network threats, including exploits as they are transmitted. Check the version of the Antimalware Client component on your security software and download the right version of the NIS updates for your platform.
4.1.522.0 and newer | Network Real-time Inspection definitions | 32-bit | 64-bit |