14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has released another Windows 10 Fall Creators Update preview build, once again with a plethora of improvements that allow insiders to try out the new OS version before the public release.
Windows 10 build 16232 comes with lots of security refinements, including some that are aimed at Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG). Microsoft has already announced a series of security updates coming in the Fall Creators Update (internally codenamed Redstone 3), and this is the first build that brings them to insiders.
Starting with build 16232, Windows 10 comes with support for Microsoft Edge data persistence while using Application Guard.
“Once enabled, data such as your favorites, cookies, and saved passwords will be persisted across Application Guard sessions. The persisted data will be not be shared or surfaced on the host, but it will be available for future Microsoft Edge in Application Guard sessions,” Microsoft explains.
Exploit Protection and Controlled folder
There is also a new feature called Exploit Protection, whose purpose is to block attacks even when patches are not available, which is particularly useful in the case of zero days. This feature works without Windows Defender Antivirus, but you can find it in Windows Defender Security Center > App & browser control > Exploit Protection.
There is also a new feature called Controlled folder access in Windows Defender Antivirus that prevents apps, but also threats like ransomware, from modifying your files and folders.
“Controlled folder access monitors the changes that apps make to files in certain protected folders. If an app attempts to make a change to these files, and the app is blacklisted by the feature, you’ll get a notification about the attempt. You can complement the protected folders with additional locations, and add the apps that you want to allow access to those folders,” Microsoft explains.
You can manually configure apps that can go through controlled folder filters, but also to define folders that are protected by this new feature. Windows system folders are protected by default.
There are also some other smaller changes and improvements, as well as several known issues, and you can check them out in the box after the jump.