(This is an instance where your own experience can serve as a sounding board. Windows Defender was also unusually heavy-handed with false positives, blocking a massive 74 legitimate apps and services. That’s not ideal-users would probably be inclined to allow the malware onto the system. The tests revealed three “user-dependent” test cases, where Defender didn’t immediately identify the malware, and asked the user for permission to install the file. To be fair, the AV-comparatives test showed a few weaknesses with Windows Defender. Here’s a snapshot of AV-comparatives’ findings: AV-comparatives ran its tests from February through May, 2019, to demonstrate the “average” level of protection over time.) (Malware and protection mechanisms are constantly evolving. Vendors whose PCs ended up compromised with malware included big names, such as McAfee and Symantec. One key point stood out: In AV-comparatives’ test, Microsoft was one of the four vendors (out of a total of sixteen) that didn’t allow any malware to take over its test systems.
