Windows 11's built-in security tools can't protect you from these threats

Windows today is much better at protecting your security than it used to be, but Windows Security and its associated tools are still not perfect. You need to be on the lookout for threats that computer security doesn't have a solution for.

5. Phishing and Social Engineering

Many of the most common security threats you face today aren't sophisticated malware, like traditional computer viruses. Instead, attackers take advantage of human psychology (called social engineering ) to manipulate you into giving away personal information without even realizing you're giving it to the scammer.

This can take many forms. Phishing emails , such as the 'cloud storage is full' fake emails that people often receive, are a good example. By tricking you into 'confirming' your credit card information or account login information on a fake website, these attacks don't require cracking Windows security tools.

While Windows Security does protect you from some phishing sites ( App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings > Warn me about malicious apps and sites ), it's not perfect. When reporting on scams, writers sometimes open fake sites to better describe them, and don't always have to bypass security warnings to access them.

4. Weak account security and data breaches

While poor password habits may not be a direct threat to your Windows PC, they are still a serious problem. If you use short, weak passwords for your accounts, Windows Security won't alert you to the problem. It won't give you guidance on whether your password is strong enough, or when two-factor authentication is available for one of your accounts but you're not using it.

Data breaches are also out of the control of Windows Security. If a website is breached, your passwords, credit card information, or other personal information could be leaked to the Internet (no matter how strong your password is). Windows tools also won't alert you when a website has been breached, like Have I Been Pwned?.

3. Zero-Day Attack

Zero-Day attacks are very difficult for security tools to defend against. The term refers to completely new vulnerabilities that manufacturers have '0 days' to address. Since they haven't been updated to cover the new attacks, Windows Security won't detect them.

The usual fix for these vulnerabilities is an emergency patch, illustrating the importance of keeping Windows up to date .

2. Exploiting outdated applications

The applications on your computer can be just as dangerous an attack surface as Windows itself. Outdated applications with known vulnerabilities provide a way for malicious attackers to get into your system. Many people have made this mistake; they have dozens of programs installed on their computers that just sit dormant because they are rarely used.

Unless they're Microsoft Store apps, they won't update automatically. You'll need to run a PC updater like Patch My PC to install regular updates without spending hours clicking "next" prompts. Otherwise, attackers have another surface to compromise your system.

1. Attacks on other devices

We focus on comprehensive security, not just locking down Windows devices. We've looked at why Windows Security can't protect your data on much of the Internet; it's similar to identifying common attacks on other platforms.

Good security practices are largely the same across devices these days. Android, iOS, and macOS all have built-in security protections, and the same advice about not clicking on strange email attachments and being wary of 'urgent' emails applies there. But on your phone in particular, scammers can try to manipulate you in ways they wouldn't on a PC.

One of the most common examples of this is romance scams, where a random person texts you, pretends they dialed the wrong number, and then says they want to be friends. In one of these 'scam' schemes, the scammer tries to romanticize you and then trick you into sending them cryptocurrency, pretending you're 'investing' in their awesome platform.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 20 August 2025