Protection of unwanted programs in the defender of Windows 10

Windows 10 Defender is a built-in free antivirus, and, as the latest independent tests show, sufficiently effective in order not to use third-party antiviruses. In addition to embedded protection against viruses and explicitly malicious programs (which is enabled by default), Windows Defender has a built-in hidden protection function from unwanted programs (PUP, PUA), which can be enabled if desired.

In this manual details two ways to include protection against potentially unwanted programs in the Windows 10 defender (you can do this in the registry editor and using the PowerShell command). It can also be useful: the best means of removing malicious programs that your antivirus does not see.

For those who do not know what unwanted programs are: This software that is not a virus and does not carry a direct threat, but with a bad reputation, for example:

• Unnecessary programs that are automatically installed with other, necessary, free programs.
• Programs that introduce advertising in browsers changing homepage and search. Changing Internet operation parameters.
• "Optimizers" and "cleaners" of the registry, the only task of which inform the user about the fact that there are 100,500 threats and things that need to be corrected, and for this you need to buy a license or download something else.

Enabling PUP protection in Windows Defender using PowerShell

Officially, the protection function from unwanted programs is only in the Windows 10 version of Enterprise, but in reality, it is possible to include blocking such software in domestic or professional editors.

The easiest way to do this is using Windows PowerShell:

1. Run PowerShell on behalf of the administrator (the easiest to use the menu that opens on the right click on the Start button, there are other ways: how to run PowerShell).
2. Enter the following command and press ENTER.
3. SET-MPPREFERENCE -PUAPROTECTION 1

   

4. Protection against unwanted programs in the Windows Defender is enabled (you can turn off the same method, but to use 0 instead of 1 in the command).

After turning on the defense, when you try to start or installing potentially unwanted programs on your computer, you will receive approximately the following notification of the Windows 10 defender.

And the information in the magazine of the antivirus will look like the following screenshot (but the name of the threat will be different).

How to enable protection against unwanted programs using the registry editor

You can also include protection against potentially unwanted programs in the registry editor.

• Open the registry editor (Win + R, enter the REGEDIT) and create the necessary DWORD parameters in the following registry sections:
• Catch_local_machine \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows DefenderPrameter with the name Puaprotection and value 1.
• VhKey_Local_machine \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows Defender \ MPEngineArameter DWORD named MPENABLEPUS and value 1. In the absence of such a partition, create it.

Close the registry editor. Locking the installation and launch of potentially unwanted programs will be enabled.

Perhaps in the context of the article will also be useful material: the best antiviruses for Windows 10.