Wednesday, April 6th 2022
Microsoft Readies Security Feature-Update for Windows 11 Needing an OS Reinstall to Use
Microsoft is giving final touches to a what it refers to as a groundbreaking new security feature update for the Windows 11 operating system, which should significantly improve application-level security, and safeguard you from malicious apps based on the way they behave. Trouble is, to use the feature, you will have to reinstall your operating system (i.e. a clean reinstall), if you're on the current release of Windows 11, or any build that's older than the one that carries this update.
The Smart App Control feature by default blocks untrusted or uncertified applications from running on your PC, and unlike browser-level protections such as Smart Screen, is baked directly into the OS, and monitors application code at a process level, to detect potentially malicious application behavior. It does this using a combination of code-signing by the application publisher and an AI model for trust within the Microsoft cloud. The OS keeps in touch with the cloud 24x7 (whenever the PC is up), to receive the latest threat intelligence and AI model updates from the cloud. It's very likely that Smart App Control will be part of the next significant version milestone of Windows 11 (such as "22H2"), which means everyone on 22H1 or older will be made to reinstall to use it.
Sources:
Microsoft, PC World
The Smart App Control feature by default blocks untrusted or uncertified applications from running on your PC, and unlike browser-level protections such as Smart Screen, is baked directly into the OS, and monitors application code at a process level, to detect potentially malicious application behavior. It does this using a combination of code-signing by the application publisher and an AI model for trust within the Microsoft cloud. The OS keeps in touch with the cloud 24x7 (whenever the PC is up), to receive the latest threat intelligence and AI model updates from the cloud. It's very likely that Smart App Control will be part of the next significant version milestone of Windows 11 (such as "22H2"), which means everyone on 22H1 or older will be made to reinstall to use it.
115 Comments on Microsoft Readies Security Feature-Update for Windows 11 Needing an OS Reinstall to Use
I have all my stuff backed up, so won't lose nothing from a reinstall apart from 15 mins of inconvenience reinstalling, then another 30 or 40 mins installing my programs again.
What could be so radical about this update that it can't simply be patched into the OS like all the other thousands of other previous updates over the years? I'd really like to know.
Besides keeping personal files ms would have to gut installs like a pig to get rid of all third party ware.
I wish there was another GUI based OS for PC's besides windows and Linux for high end rigs.
@Tigger there's two more, chrome and steam OS.
I would probably do this mind, I quite like a fresh OS but I wouldn't do all of my PC, at least not initially, and I am not sure about the hive mind AI security bit , it's a step beyond they're usual data collection.
I'm a happy Linux user for about 3 Months now and would not go back to Windows at all.
Hell I'm on my second round of linux mint
First was 17.1 and now on 20.2
Tried it 4-5 years ago and I swear not much has changed it's still a pretty lame interface.
Only good thing it has going for it now is better steam support otherwise nothing would of changed at all in all this time :laugh:Yes don't install the new update :laugh:
For those of us in the Enterprise space, this is great. Whilst a form of this has been available for a while using Smartscreen lists at an OS level, this gives a much higher layer of application validation before run. But for everyone petrified of it, there will be an option to disable it, because if they enforced it it wouldn't survive anti-trust in the EU.
On a larger scale however I will say this however, this is how modern operating systems are made (look at iOS, Mac & Android for comparison, much of the same). If you don't like this, stop whining & move to Linux.
:)
i'll keep with Win10 all tweaked with faster performance