Microsoft has been striving to enhance the security of its Windows operating system for many years. With the release of Windows 8, the company started including antivirus software to safeguard users against various threats. Additionally, several security features and shields have been integrated into the operating system to ensure that users can work with it without encountering any difficulties.
Microsoft Defender Application Guard is a particular security feature that offers protection against untrusted programs and websites. It works by quarantining such programs and websites to prevent any potential threats from affecting the system. The shield was initially designed for untrusted programs downloaded from the internet, but it has since been extended to web browsers as extensions, as well as Microsoft Office to safeguard users from threats hidden in Word, Excel, and other programs.
However, Microsoft has announced that it will be discontinuing the Microsoft Defender Application Guard security shield in Windows 11. The company hasn’t provided any explanation for this move, but it’s worth noting that the shield’s Chrome and Edge extensions will be shut down first. These extensions are responsible for analyzing the websites the user visits and opening potentially dangerous sites separately to protect the PC from any potential risks.
When Manifest V3, the new version of the extension permissions and operations tool in Chrome, is deployed, the Microsoft Defender Application Guard extension will be disabled entirely. Although this change won’t impact home users too much as the shield is primarily designed for businesses and organizations, Microsoft recommends that users look for alternatives to stay protected from potentially dangerous websites.