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What Windows 11 already gives you
Microsoft’s Windows security documentation lists several distinct built-in controls. They are separate features with separate jobs, so enabling one does not cover the others:
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- Microsoft Defender Antivirus: real-time, behavior, and script scanning, plus cloud-delivered protection.
- SmartScreen: reputation checks for sites, downloads, and apps.
- Tamper protection: resists unauthorized changes to key security settings.
- Network protection: blocks connections to malicious destinations.
- Attack Surface Reduction (ASR) rules: block risky application and script behaviors.
- Controlled folder access: limits which apps may change protected folders.
Windows Firewall, covered below, is the network-layer counterpart.
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- Edition: Microsoft says local ASR configuration through PowerShell or Group Policy is available on supported Windows editions. Check your edition against the current ASR documentation.
- Antivirus state: if another antivirus product is active, Defender may be in a passive or disabled mode, and its settings may not be enforced.
- Management: work or school devices often receive policy from Group Policy, Intune, or Configuration Manager. Those can override what you set locally.
- Application needs: macros, installers, scripts, and admin tools can trip hardening rules.
Open Windows Terminal as administrator (right-click Start, then Terminal (Admin)), make sure you have another way back in (a second admin account or a restore point), and capture the current state so you can revert:
Get-MpComputerStatus
Get-MpPreference | Out-File "$env:USERPROFILEDesktopmp-preferences-before.txt"
Get-NetFirewallProfile | Out-File "$env:USERPROFILEDesktopfirewall-before.txt"Treat the commands in this article as examples to verify against the current Microsoft Learn pages for your Windows build, not as a tested, universal bundle.
Keep core Defender protections enabled
Microsoft documents PowerShell configuration of cloud-delivered protection, real-time monitoring, behavior monitoring, script scanning, removable-drive scanning, and potentially unwanted application (PUA) protection through Set-MpPreference. Typical settings look like this:
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Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring $false
Set-MpPreference -DisableBehaviorMonitoring $false
Set-MpPreference -DisableScriptScanning $false
Set-MpPreference -DisableRemovableDriveScanning $false
Set-MpPreference -MAPSReporting Advanced
Set-MpPreference -PUAProtection Enabled| Setting | What it protects |
|---|---|
| Real-time monitoring | Scans files as they are opened or written. |
| Behavior monitoring | Watches process behavior for suspicious patterns. |
| Script scanning | Inspects scripts for malicious content. |
| Removable-drive scanning | Includes USB and other removable media in full scans. |
| Cloud-delivered protection (MAPS) | Queries Microsoft’s cloud for verdicts on unknown files. |
| PUA protection | Flags unwanted bundled or low-reputation software. |
Verify the result rather than assuming it. Get-MpPreference shows configured preferences; Get-MpComputerStatus shows what the engine reports, such as whether real-time protection is enabled. If the two disagree, or a command errors, suspect tamper protection, another antivirus product, or a management policy.
Stage ASR rules instead of switching them all on
ASR rules target behaviors such as launching downloaded files, running obfuscated scripts, or unusual actions by Office and other applications. Microsoft says rules in its standard protection set can typically be enabled in Block or Warn mode without prior testing, but it recommends testing other rules in Audit mode first. Audit records events without blocking anything, so you can see what would have broken.
Step 1: Put a rule in Audit mode
Each rule is identified by a GUID listed in Microsoft’s ASR rules reference. This example uses the GUID documented for blocking executable content from email clients and webmail; confirm it against the reference before use.
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Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids BE9BA2D9-53EA-4CDC-84E5-9B1EEEE46550 -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions AuditModeStep 2: Review what would have been blocked
Use normal workflows for a few days or weeks, then check the Windows event records for Defender (Event Viewer, Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > Windows Defender > Operational). Microsoft’s ASR documentation lists the relevant event IDs.
Step 3: Move to Block or Warn
Add-MpPreference -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids BE9BA2D9-53EA-4CDC-84E5-9B1EEEE46550 -AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions EnabledUse Warn where the rule supports it and you want users to be able to override a block. Check which rules support Warn in the reference.
Add, Set, and Remove behave differently
Add-MpPreferenceappends and preserves existing rule configuration.Set-MpPreferenceoverwrites the rule configuration you specify, so a careless call can wipe rules you already had.Remove-MpPreferenceremoves specified rules.
Default to Add unless you deliberately want to replace the list. Inspect the current list with (Get-MpPreference).AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Ids.
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Be stingy with exclusions
When a rule breaks a legitimate app, resist broad folder or process exclusions. Exclusions weaken the protection the rule gives, so scope them as narrowly as possible, or leave the rule in Audit mode until you understand the cause.
Network protection and Controlled folder access
These two follow the same pattern. Start in audit, then enforce:
Set-MpPreference -EnableNetworkProtection AuditMode
Set-MpPreference -EnableControlledFolderAccess AuditModeControlled folder access in particular can block legitimate programs from saving into Documents or Pictures, so audit first and allow specific trusted apps rather than disabling the feature.
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Why your local settings may not stick on a managed device
Microsoft’s ASR guidance ranks configuration methods, and local PowerShell is the lowest precedence. Group Policy and management tools such as Intune or Configuration Manager can override conflicting local values, and Microsoft notes local settings can be overridden at startup or when policy is applied. A command that succeeds in the console may therefore be reverted later.
| Method | Scope | Precedence | Reporting and central control | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local PowerShell | One device | Lowest | None built in; you check each machine | Personal or unmanaged PCs |
| Group Policy | Domain or local policy | Overrides local PowerShell | Policy-based | Domain-joined or policy-managed PCs |
| Intune or Configuration Manager | Fleet | Overrides local PowerShell | Central reporting and deployment | Organizations |
If your PC is managed by an employer or school, do not fight the policy: changes belong with whoever administers it. For an unmanaged home PC, local PowerShell is sufficient and no paid service is needed to use these built-in features.
Leave Windows Firewall on, and change it narrowly
The NetSecurity cmdlets manage firewall profiles and rules. Start by looking:
Get-NetFirewallProfile | Format-Table Name, Enabled, DefaultInboundAction, DefaultOutboundAction
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Private,Public -Enabled TrueMicrosoft is explicit about not turning it off: “Microsoft recommends that you don’t disable Windows Firewall because you lose other benefits, such as the ability to use Internet Protocol security (IPsec) connection security rules, network protection from attacks that employ network fingerprinting, Windows Service Hardening, and boot time filters.” (Microsoft, Manage Windows Firewall With the Command Line.) The same page says stopping the firewall service is unsupported and may cause problems in Windows or apps. If you need an app to work, add a rule for that program and profile instead of disabling the firewall or allowing broad inbound ranges.
Review existing rules with Get-NetFirewallRule -Enabled True -Direction Inbound, and remove only rules you can identify and no longer need.
Verify, keep notes, and maintain
- Compare configured values (
Get-MpPreference,Get-NetFirewallProfile) against effective state (Get-MpComputerStatus), especially if any policy management exists. - Re-run the checks after a reboot, since policy can reapply at startup and overwrite local values.
- Change one category at a time, so you know which change caused a problem.
- Recheck Microsoft’s current documentation after major Windows updates; rules, defaults, and parameters change.
- Roll back using the saved before-files: restore a rule’s mode with
Add-MpPreference(or remove it withRemove-MpPreference) and restore firewall profile settings by hand.
The sources behind this guide document the individual controls and how they are configured. They do not establish a single complete script validated across Windows 11 editions and management states, so build your own from the pieces above and test it on your hardware.
Quick Recap
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