Guide: How to Protect PC Against Malware using Windows 10 Memory Integrity Protection
Security is a major concern these days, especially after widespread attacks such as WannaCry and deep exploits such as Specter and Meltdown. There is a lot you can do to protect yourself from further ransomware attacks similar to WannaCry, as well as daily protection against malware and harmful viruses. However, the typical day-to-day protections we use against this sort of thing don’t work well against more sophisticated attacks. That’s why it’s important to keep your computer updated with the latest security patches and software, and to use strong passwords that are difficult to guess.
Memory Integrity Protection is a new security feature in the Core Isolation feature set of the new Windows 10 operating system. This feature enables virtualization-based protection against some of the more complex attacks out there. ..
To enable core isolation and memory integrity on your Windows 10 device, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Under System, click Security & privacy.
- Under System security, click Advanced security settings.
- Under Processes and services, click Memory management.
- In the Memory management section, under Core isolation and memory integrity, select Enable core isolation and memory integrity (recommended).
Now that you have enabled core isolation and memory integrity on your Windows 10 device, you can specify how all this works by following these steps: - In the Settings app, under System, click Security & privacy > Advanced security settings > Processes and services > Memory management > Core isolation and memory integrity (recommended).
- On the Core isolation and memory integrity page, under Configure how this works: a) Select one of the following options: Use default settings (recommended): This will use the default settings for process confinement in Windows 10 devices with Intel processors or AMD processors that are compatible with Windows 10 version 1703 or later versions of the operating system; Use a custom setting: This will allow you to create a custom setting for process confinement in Windows 10 devices with Intel processors or AMD processors that are compatible with Windows 10 version 1703 or later versions of the operating system; or Do not use process confinement: This will not use process confinement in Windows 10 devices with Intel processors or AMD processors that are compatible with Windows 10 version 1703 or later versions of the operating system ..
What is Memory Integrity?
Kernel-level exploits are a common problem, and they can be used to spread ransomware and other malware without running into security fences or sandboxes. This is why it’s important to be aware of kernel-level exploits and how they can be used to spread ransomware and other malware.
Microsoft has recently brought virtualization-based security (VBS) to consumer versions of Windows 10, which uses hardware virtualization in a nutshell to not only create, but also set aside and isolate some of the memory that is separate from the Windows 10 operating system itself. It is basically a virtual protected mode in which the kernel checks or verifies the integrity of drivers and binaries before running. This means that unsigned system files or drivers cannot be loaded into system memory and run, which would prevent another WannaCry or Petya completely. ..
Microsoft’s new virtualization protection system is effective, but not foolproof. If a bad piece of ransomware or other malware were to emerge, it would be very limited in what it could do. Here’s how Microsoft puts it:
Windows 10 offers a type of security called kernel-level security. This type of security is designed to protect your computer from viruses and other malware. If something like WannaCry or Petya ever happened again, this type of security will save you time and money as the virus doesn’t completely destroy your Windows 10 installation and all the personal files in it.
If you want to ensure that your computer can’t be damaged by a mistake, you’ll need to enable memory integrity.
How to Turn on Memory Integrity
To enable memory integrity within Windows 10, you will need to first enable virtualization in your BIOS or UEFI. If you don’t have virtualization enabled in your BIOS or UEFI, you may need to use a third-party software to do so.
To access the UEFI, you can usually reboot your system and press the F2 key during boot up.
If you want to access your BIOS or UEFI from Windows 10, you can. Just go to the Settings app and go to Update & Security> Recovery. Under “Advanced startup”, press Restart now.
To access the UEFI firmware settings, first click on the “Solve problems” icon. Then, under “Advanced options,” click on “UEFI Firmware Settings.” Finally, under “Restarting,” click on the button that follows. This should take you to your BIOS or UEFI firmware. ..
ASUS laptops have a variety of support options for virtualization in BIOS and UEFI. In some cases, it is under the “Advanced” settings. You may need to search for it to find it on your computer, but it should look something like the image above. Make sure that virtualization is turned on.
If you want to enable virtualization in your BIOS / UEFI, there are a lot of built-in Windows 10 protections enabled by default. For example, Hypervisor Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) – which can help protect your computer from viruses and other malware. You can read more about all this on Microsoft’s website.
In Windows 10, we can finally enable memory integrity by saving our BIOS / UEFI settings and restarting our computer.
Once booted into Windows 10, open it Windows Defender Security Center. This is quite easily accessible – you can simply search for the term in the search bar in the Windows 10 taskbar. After the application is opened, select it Device security and under Core Isolation, select the Core Isolation Details link.
This will take you to the settings for Core Isolation. Once you are here, simply click on the memory integrity slider so that it is in the “On” position.
Windows 10’s settings can only be changed by an administrator. To disable Memory Integrity, we need to go to Registry Editor with administrator privileges. Before opening the Registry Editor, do a full backup of your PC. messing with values in Registry Editor can cause irreversible damage to your current copy of Windows 10.
If you follow our steps exactly, you won’t run into any problems in the registry; however, make sure you have a full system backup up in case your Windows 10 installation breaks for some odd reason.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management In this key, you will see a subkey called IntegrityLevel. Change the value of this subkey to Full. Restart your computer. To open the registry editor, type “regedit” at the command prompt and press Enter. This will open the registry. You need to follow this path to get into memory integrity in core isolation: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management In this key, you will see a subkey called IntegrityLevel. Change the value of this subkey to Full. Restart your computer. ..
This guide will show you how to enable memory integrity on your computer. If you have been having trouble with applications not working correctly or memory integrity issues, follow these steps to enable it:
- Open the Windows Defender security center and click on the Enabled key.
- Set the value to 0 and click OK.
- Restart your computer and the changes should be applied automatically.
- Memory integrity should be turned off and you should be able to use the application you were having trouble with without any problems. If you ever want to re-enable memory integrity, follow these steps from the Windows Defender security center:
- Open the registry editor and change the value we just changed to 1 instead.
After you complete the security update, reboot your computer. You have successfully enhanced your computer’s security against advanced attacks. ..
Problems with memory integrity in core isolation
Some users have reported issues with their computer systems when the Windows 10 Creators Update is enabled. This update includes a new feature called “Windows Hello.” This feature allows users to log in to their computer using facial recognition technology. Some users have found that their computer systems do not work correctly when this feature is enabled. They may experience slowdowns or errors when trying to use certain applications. Additionally, some users have reported that their computers will not start at all when this feature is enabled. These are all minor issues and should not cause any major problems. However, it is important to note that many applications have not been updated to take full advantage of this new feature yet, so there are likely to be some compatibility issues. ..
Disable Windows Defender Security Center and set the memory integrity slider to “Off” in BIOS
Closing
The Memory Integrity Protection feature enables users to have extra security when using their devices. Compatibility issues with other apps can happen if the feature is enabled, but it is easy to disable if needed.
With Memory Integrity Protection enabled, you can rest assured that your computer will be protected from advanced attacks like WannaCry and Petya. Memory integrity protection makes it difficult for attackers to execute malicious code on your computer, so you can continue to use your traditional anti-virus software alongside it to stay safe. ..
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How to Protect PC Against Malware using Windows 10 Memory Integrity Protection: benefits
Faq
Final note
This guide will show you how to use Windows 10’s memory integrity protection feature to help protect your computer from malware. ..
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