Windows 11 will become the first operating system with anti-phishing protection at the kernel level

Microsoft has repeatedly warned Windows users about the problem of storing passwords in plain text format. In fact, there are many people who have a habit of storing their account passwords in Notepad and saving them as .txt files. This is not a good security method because the password, if it is to be kept secure, must at least be hashed.

To overcome this problem, with the Sun Valley 2 update (22H2) scheduled to be released in the near future, Microsoft is planning to provide anti-phishing protection at the operating system level. on Windows 11. This new security feature will essentially use Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, a tool that's already built into the operating system and provides protection from apps or browser extensions. toxic. On version 22H2, Microsoft Defender will add anti-phishing protection with AI-powered auto-detection technology.

The purpose of this feature is to protect Windows 11 users from phishing attacks by determining when they enter their credentials in applications such as Notepad or malicious programs, and provide a warning message. notification via a pop-up window that appears on the screen, just above the open application or tab.

So how does this security feature work? In theory, Windows 11's Smart Screen protection tool works at the kernel level, and it should be able to recognize whenever a user enters their password into any application. In addition, it can also detect passwords in input forms on websites that are trying to duplicate an original page, such as Microsoft or Facebook. This will ensure that only trusted apps are run and block potential attacks on Windows 11 devices by default.

This new anti-phishing protection feature will be made available to Windows 11 users starting with Sun Valley release 2. Windows will become the world's first operating system with kernel-level anti-phishing protection. .

In the past, Microsoft has successfully prevented 25.6 billion brute force authentication attacks, and detected or prevented 35.7 billion phishing emails with Microsoft Defender for Office 365.

Microsoft Azure or Office users are regularly attacked by various forms of phishing related to password leaks. Microsoft will use its expertise in this area to improve Windows 11's anti-phishing protection, ensuring that users' passwords stay secure.

Lesley Montoya

Update 14 April 2022