Instead of packing your Windows PC with antivirus software, firewalls, and other security programs, many people now rely on Microsoft’s integrated security package, Windows Security (formerly known as Windows Defender.) But does it provide the same level of protection in 2025 as third-party antivirus software?
To come to a verdict, we evaluated the current features in Windows Security for its strengths and weaknesses. We also examined how it stacks up against other antivirus programs using our own benchmark comparison tests.
Content
- Windows Security at a Glance
- Windows Security Key Features
- Comparing Windows Security to the Competition
- The Biggest Drawbacks to Windows Defender-based Security
- Final Verdict: Is Windows Security Good Enough in 2025
Windows Security at a Glance
Windows Security is Microsoft’s built-in security solution that comes preinstalled on Windows laptops and PCs. It is integrated into your Windows device as a core system component. You can access it from Settings -> System -> System components, listed alongside other system components like the Microsoft Store, Game Bar or Phone Link.
Every antivirus solution is unique, yet they share certain common features. To evaluate the effectiveness of Windows Security, we can compare its features with those of other third-party antivirus solutions and identify any gaps. Our guidelines outline the essential features that every antivirus solution should have. We’ll use this internal criteria to evaluate how the specifications of Windows Security compare to other antimalware solutions.
| Features Availability | |
|---|---|
| Sandboxing | No |
| Email and web protection | Yes |
| Firewall integration | Yes |
| Phishing protection | Yes |
| Identity and dark web protection | No |
| VPN | No |
| Real-time malware scanning and protection | Yes |
Windows Security offers a mixed bag of protection. However, as a freeware, Windows Security lacks certain specifications found in many other antivirus solutions. For example, BitDefender Total Security not only offers everything that Windows Security does, but also includes the missing specifications listed in the table above.
These include sandboxing, which allows testing applications or files for malware in a safe virtual environment, an identity protection feature to monitor data breaches, and a multi-server VPN. Clearly, when comparing the necessary specs for 2025, Windows Security falls short compared to its competitors.
Did you know? Many Windows Security features have retained the old name, “Defender.” And Microsoft Defender is a separate premium solution.
Windows Security Key Features
Although it may be lacking in some essential specs compared to its competitors, we cannot dismiss Windows Security entirely. It still offers a powerful mix of features that make it effective and suitable for many users.
To start with, its standard antivirus provides on-demand malware scanning with a powerful firewall that is fully equipped to block intrusions. The App & browser control, including the Reputation-based protection feature with SmartScreen, is comparable to other antivirus solutions. It effectively blocks phishing attempts, unwanted apps, and downloads. Smart app control delivers advanced protection from any infected apps that you may download. Recently, it added an Exploit Protection module to protect your systems and programs.
There is one thing I really like about Windows Security: its advanced Device security feature is best suited for Windows 11 or 10. It consists of Core isolation, which protects your device from kernel-level malware. Windows 11 includes a Trusted Platform Module, and it’s something you cannot do without.
Secure Boot provides guaranteed protection against offline malware that acts up during boot. My favorite feature is Device encryption, which encrypts all your data in case your device is lost or stolen. No third-party antivirus solution, whether free or paid, can seal off your entire laptop or PC from device-level threats like Windows Security can.
The other security features unique to Windows Security include account protection with dynamic lock feature which requires your device to be paired with a smartphone. This creates a two-factor authentication which prevents access from remote threat agents. Put together, all these offer a very powerful array of features that you just cannot do without.
Related: find out the minimum Windows Security settings that you should enable for a powerful security cover.
Comparing Windows Security to the Competition
Despite its numerous device-level and account protection features, the best way to compare an antivirus solution is to measure its benchmark performance against competitors. Sites like AV Test have been doing that for two decades. According to their August 2024 evaluation, Microsoft Defender Antivirus (a key feature of Windows Security) ranks in the lowest tier, with Avast, BitDefender, and Avira among the highest-ranked.
But is it really true? We had to check ourselves. We evaluated how effectively Microsoft Defender security handles unexpected malware, and compared it to the offerings of the top-ranked antivirus solutions according to AV Test.
Note: It is very risky to test malware strains on Windows Security as it lacks a sandboxing feature unlike the other solutions in our list. Do not try to replicate these tests as it may lead to an unremovable malware on your PC.
- EICAR: the European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research (EICAR) creates malware test files. Along with the other three antivirus solutions, Windows Security promptly identified the malware strain in a ZIP file and deleted it from the Downloads folder where it was saved.
- WICAR: the WICAR site has a series of test malware strains. We tested Windows Security for malware strains like “JavaScript CryptoMiner” and “Adobe Flash Hacking Team leak.” Not only did it identify the malware strain, it blocked me from visiting the harmful link on Google Chrome browser.
- FortiGuard: FortiGuard has some extremely advanced malware strains. We started with its zero-day sample virus in the form of a DOS file called “zhvo_test.” Microsoft Defender SmartScreen immediately blocked it preventing it from running. It also has a behavioral-based sample executable. The sneaky download was blocked by Windows Defender Antivirus.
- Palo Alto WildFire: There was just one malware strain that Windows Security couldn’t identify in our test. It’s a company APK malware by Palo Alto called “WildFire.” I was able to download it to my Windows PC without any issues, and open the file using Notepad without Windows Security issuing any warnings. However, with BitDefender and Avast, I immediately received pop-up warnings asking me to not open this file.
While these test samples are too small for a detailed analysis, our findings somewhat agree with AV Test and other sites that Windows Security, while very effective at controlling most malware strains, may miss out on newly created malware or something outside its scope. The other third-party antivirus software definitely have a wider coverage when it comes to latest threats.
This gap was evident during the CrowdStrike outage in July 2024, where global airline systems came to a halt due to CrowdStrike not addressing its update vulnerabilities in time. The Windows Defender security systems could not address this issue in real time.
The Biggest Drawbacks to Windows Defender-based Security
Having seen the features and test scenarios of Windows Defender-based security, it’s easy to see that it has some major drawbacks.
- Lack of endpoint protection: Windows Defender-based security lacks an ability to restore your device’s integrity in the event of a ransomware or DDoS attack, which was evident during the CrowdStrike disruption. Most commercial antivirus solutions have a stronger endpoint protection feature.
- Average detection capabilities: although Windows Defender Antivirus is quite effective at detecting a vast majority of malware strains, as seen in our own tests above, it may miss out on one or two important ones. And even one incident is too many.
- Lack of a hardened/secure browser: while Edge has many security features, and SmartScreen is indeed a good one, it has got nothing on some really secure browsers like Epic, Brave, and Opera.
- Lack of a VPN: as per recent trends, antivirus and VPN solutions are becoming interchangeable and all our top VPN providers offer a high degree of antimalware protection, and vice versa. In this age, Windows Security is seriously lacking in something very essential.
Final Verdict: Is Windows Security Good Enough in 2025
Most third-party sites show a marked improvement in Windows Defender Antivirus’s performance over the years. But is it wise to rely solely on Windows Security to defend your PC?
It might have been a good decision a couple of years ago. However, today’s malware landscape has drastically shifted to an increasing threat level. Newer malware strains by companies (as seen with Palo Alto’s “Wildfire” malware strain and CrowdStrike’s faulty update) and state-level threat actors are some vulnerabilities that Windows Security has failed to diagnose in real time. In such a scenario, it would be far better to go for a third-party antivirus on top of Windows Security.
Image credit: Pixabay. All screenshots by Sayak Boral.
Sayak Boral –
Staff Writer
Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.
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