Will this New Windows 11 Feature Significantly Enhance Protection?

Let’s be honest, Windows 11 hasn’t gotten off to the best start. Anyone who has been around long enough for older Microsoft OS releases will remember that there used to be a lot more fuss and fanfare.

Windows 11 kind of released with a whimper - very few people noticed it happened at all. Soon, though, there will be a good reason to upgrade.

Smart App Control

Windows 11 Smart App Control will be built directly into the Windows core and will help protect devices from rogue apps, reducing the number of programs in the store that do more harm than good.

The technology uses code signing in conjunction with an AI process to protect users from rogue apps. According to Microsoft:

Smart App Control goes beyond previous built-in browser protections and is woven directly into the core of the OS at the process level. Using code signing along with AI, our new Smart App Control only allows processes to run that are predicted to be safe based on either code certificates or an AI model for application trust within the Microsoft cloud.

While still in development, Windows 11 Smart App Control seems to be looking good.

There is a catch though. In the current version, once the system detects an app it doesn’t like, it blocks it and there’s no way to restore it. That will likely change once a release version is ready, but it renders the evaluation version a little too dangerous to use right now in case it gives a false positive.

Reinstall Windows

Having to reinstall Windows from scratch is a definite downside, but not the showstopper it used to be.

Reinstalling Windows used to be a regular process to keep the OS running smoothly and to stop it becoming bogged down with config settings and apps.

Since Windows 10, that has become a thing of the past, with the OS being much better at managing resources. Plus, the rise of cheaper SSDs means Windows has a significant performance boost without it actually having to do anything.

Once released and working properly, we imagine Windows 11 Smart App Control will provide reassurance that Windows is safe. Combined with your own precautions, it’s a big step forward in security and protection against infected apps.