Tech giants like Microsoft and Google are regularly featured in the news regarding privacy concerns. There have been many reports that Windows 10 spies on you through the compatibility telemetry feature, and other data that it collects. This is a topic of constant debate; however, Microsoft never hides the fact that it collects data on you.
One such concern among users is the windows_ie_ac_001 folder, which seems suspicious on the operating system. Here, I shall discuss what is windows_ie_ac_001, and what it does on your computer.
What Is Windows_Ie_Ac_001?
According to Microsoft Support, windows_ie_ac_001 is an app container that runs the Internet Explorer’s Enhanced Protected Mode tabs. Enhanced Protected Mode is a security feature that prevents incompatible features from running on your computer.
First introduced with Windows 8, Enhanced Protection Mode is turned off by default in Windows. The primary job of this feature is to load only those extensions and browser helper objects that are compatible with the Enhanced Protected Mode.
Is Windows_Ie_Ac_001 Secure?
Enhanced Protection Mode is a great security feature that isolates untrusted data and web content inside an AppContainer. This prevents any malicious files like viruses or malware from accessing your crucial data, as the incompatible apps and files are stored in a separate container.
This windows_ie_ac_001 container defines the internet Client, location and sharedUserCertificates, along with saving the temporary files. Blocking the incompatible add-ons provides additional security measures, which makes it easy to control and prevent malicious activity on your computer.
Running an app or file inside an AppContainer is a way to ensure that the harmful effects of the file are limited to the container, preventing any damage to the entire PC.
Can I Allow Windows_Ie_Ac_001 Through Firewall?
As you know by now, the app container is essential to prevent security flaws on your Windows 10 PC. Thus, if you see the container requesting permission through the firewall, you should be fine with allowing the AppContainer on your PC.
Also read: All you need to know about Firewall.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know what windows_ie_ac_001 is, and should you allow it through the firewall. Comment below if you found this useful, and to discuss further the same.
“blocks incompatible addons…” — how is compatibility determined