Windows Defender Security Centre has come a long way from its inception as a basic antivirus app in Windows 10. Microsoft has developed the application to now be a very potent antivirus software for basic Windows users, with the security definitions being updated regularly.
One of the most notable features is the tamper protection feature. Here, I shall discuss what this feature is and how you can enable or disable it accordingly.
What Is Tamper Protection In Windows 10?
Tamper protection was introduced in Windows 10 v1903, as an additional security measure for the users. As the name suggests, tamper protection prevents third-party apps and services from making any changes to Windows Security and Windows Defender Settings.
When enabled, this feature will prevent all changes to the Windows Security antivirus made via any third-party applications, registry changes, group policy changes, or commands through command line interpreters.
Instead, a user has to open and interact with the Windows Security application directly, or via Microsoft Enterprise management software like Intune.
Why Is Tamper Protection Important?
Tamper protection is an extremely important feature of new Windows 10 devices. There are many viruses and trojans which can change the way certain apps and services perform and remain undetected if they can alter the way the antivirus works.
Such malicious files can alter the Windows Security settings by modifying the registry or group policy where the configuration files are stored, or via command line interpreters like PowerShell. If such a virus bypasses the security restrictions, it can remain on your computer for a very long time without getting detected.
Tamper protection tackles this by simply resetting the Settings when such attempts to modify the settings are made. You should leave tamper protection on your computer to prevent such mishaps from happening.
How To Turn On Tamper Protection In Windows 10?
Windows 10 tamper protection can be enabled from the Windows Security application, which is the dashboard for security settings in Windows 10. Follow these steps for the same:
- Open the extended notification area on your taskbar by clicking on the small arrow.
- Double click on the Windows Security icon to launch the application.
- Here, locate and click on Virus and threat protection to launch Windows Defender settings.
- Click on Manage Settings under the Virus and threat protection settings.
- Scroll down to the Tamper Protection section, and make sure that the toggle next to it is enabled.
Windows Enterprise users will require to use the Intune app for the same. You will find the Tamper protection settings under the Dashboard for the Enterprise you are managing with the app. The workstations will show a message saying that ‘This setting is managed by your administrator’.
Within the Intune app, you can also monitor the requests made to change the security settings. Using this report, you can take the necessary actions.
Wrapping Up
With the viruses and malware becoming more powerful as each day passes, the Tamper protection feature is particularly important on any computer, for complete protection of the Windows 10 user. Now you know what tamper protection Windows 10 is and how you can enable it on your computer as shown in the method above. Comment below if you found this useful, and to discuss further the same.
