User:Anhkiet0112

The digital revolution has made data one of the most sought-after commodities, which has driven the growth and evolution of cybersecurity attacks. Microsoft is one of the largest software companies in the world and its main product, Windows, is arguably the operating system with the highest number of users. The company has invested a lot in improving the security features of its products. Windows Defender is the company’s main security feature for its latest operating systems versions. The antivirus is effective at detecting malicious software and taking action to protect users. However, users still face a lot of security risks by using Windows and this paper will discuss how Windows can improve the security features on their products. The paper will also detail how Windows can help users improve the security of their computers or laptops. The cybersecurity landscape has evolved drastically and now countries, individuals or organizations can be attacked at the touch of a button. Microsoft Windows was considered one of the most unsafe operating systems in the world because it had the majority of users, and malicious attackers created software that targeted Windows users. The company responded by making significant changes to their operating system, and they released better versions of Windows. The main security software used on Windows products is Windows Defender, an in-built antivirus that protects users from malicious software (Aquilino, 2019). The software is useful but still has limitations in eliminating all threats to endpoint users. In addition, there are instances where Windows Defender does not work efficiently. Despite the numerous changes that Microsoft has made to improve their security, malicious attacks are still on the rise and Microsoft should educate their users on improving the security of their computer, and update Windows Defender with added features such as real-time protection, and clearing out malicious software if it is found on the computer. Despite the majority of the current generation being born after or during the digital revolution, many users are still not aware of how to improve the security of their computers. Microsoft has a wide consumer base and many of them buy their computers, or laptops without knowing about Windows Defender (Winder, 2019). The antivirus is the main security feature used by Microsoft against malicious software. The fact that users do not know about the software reflects negatively on Microsoft because it shows that the company has not raised awareness about its product. Users who know about Windows Defender are able to turn it on once they buy their computer, which means that they do not have to worry about the security of their software (Winder, 2019). Users unaware of Windows Defender may fail to turn it on or they may unintentionally disable the software’s real-time protection by installing another antivirus (Aquilino, 2019). However, it is unlikely that users will buy professional antiviruses because of mistrust or the high cost of the product. In addition, some users may not trust the efficacy of professional antiviruses. Despite the numerous updates that Windows makes to Windows Defender, not educating users about how to improve the security on their PC will lead to more cybersecurity risks. Windows Defender is very effective on Windows 10 but only to a certain level, especially if users are not updating their personal computers on a regular basis. Microsoft releases updates regularly and adds new features to its products at least twice a year (Jenic, 2021). Hence, it is very likely that many users do not update their computers at the time when the new features are released. Microsoft introduced the ‘software-as-a-service’ model for their products which means that poor management of updates negatively affects Windows Defender (Jenic, 2021). There are numerous updates that users now have to manage, which require a reliable internet connection, and many users either do not have access to an internet connection or cannot afford it. Updates and newly released features is one of the main ways that Windows improves the security of its operating system. Hence, failure to get these updates leaves the end-user exposed to numerous risks. Waterson (2020) argues that end-users and endpoints account for approximately 70% of all security breaches, and they are the focal point of any cybersecurity attack. Getting the required updates is easy, the hard part is installing them at the right time to enhance the security of the computer. Installing updates at the wrong time may lead to compatibility issues because Windows examines the full compatibility of newly-released features after 1 or 2 weeks (Waterson, 2020). The security measure in Windows Defender is very easy to bypass because users can choose to turn off real-time protection, or it will do so automatically if there is another antivirus. Thus, Windows should ensure that the in-built antivirus has automatic real-time protection and comes with the added feature of clearing out malicious software. Many users have reported having trouble turning on real-time protection on Windows Defender, especially in the Windows 10 version (Jenic, 2021). The main reason for this is that the time and date settings are incorrect. In addition, the real-time protection may be off if the software has not been updated in a long time. If users have administrative privileges and they turn off real-time protection, they may have trouble turning it back on without the same privileges (Winder, 2020). The security features of one version of the Windows operating system improve with every newer update. For instance, Windows 10 is considered as having the most advanced security features and that is expected to improve with Windows 11 (Jenic, 2021). The functionality of Windows Defender thus improves with every new version, because it has more features and better updates that make it more efficient. End-users of Windows are the weakest link in maintaining and improving the security features offered by the operating system (Waterson, 2020). The security features of Windows are designed to complement each other and many users are still unaware of their role in improving the security of their own computers. Windows has improved the security features of their products since the early 2000s, when they were the main target of cyber-attacks. These attacks were specifically designed to target end-users, vendors and developers. Windows has made significant improvements to the security features it offers to vendors and developers such as Windows Defender cloud protection feature (Aquilino, 2019). However, Windows has neglected its users, who are still unaware of the great risk they face from the growing number of malicious hackers. The most common attacks are phishing, spyware, malware, drive-by attack, and cross-site scripting (Winder, 2019). These and many more attacks are evolving with cybercriminals developing new and ingenious ways to bypass firewalls and take advantage of the existing vulnerabilities in antiviruses. Windows should equip its users with the basic knowledge on how to become better protected from cyber-attacks by teaching them which sites to follow, and how to check for viruses when downloading data from the internet. The security features of Windows may be rendered useless if users are neither taught about the features nor involved in the release of new security updates and tools. Despite the considerable adjustments made to improve Windows cybersecurity, security threats are still on the rise due to the ingenuity of cybercriminals and the evolving nature of cybercrime. Users are now the main target of all cybercriminals because they are more likely to fall victim to malicious attacks. Microsoft should educate its users on improving the security of their computers. It has become evident that users do not fully understand the security features of Windows and the importance of installing new security updates (Jenic, 2021). By educating users, Microsoft would improve the functionality of present and future security features on the Windows operating system. The end-user should be the focal point of all Windows security features because that is the main target of cybercriminals (Waterson, 2020). Microsoft can offer free online tutorials and courses to Windows users to improve their knowledge about the security features of its products. Microsoft should also update Windows Defender with added features such as automatic real-time protection, which will not go off if the computer gets another antivirus (Winder, 2019). In addition, Microsoft should ensure that the compatibility issues experienced when users install new updates are resolved immediately and without exposing the user to any security risk.