Tech Tidbit – Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUA)

Here's a quick Tech Tidbit:

Configure your "Potentially Unwanted Applications" (PUA) settings in Windows Defender.

Hopefully you kept Windows Defender on each workstation and server regardless of what your primary antivirus or EDR type security product is.

There is a setting inside Windows Defender that blocks potentially unwanted applications. I want you turn it on everywhere.

This can be set by:

• Group Policy
• Registry Key
• SCCM
• Manually

PUAs are all that nusiance ware that creeps into your system generally from web browsers. While not necessarily malware, it can sometimes evolve into malware or pull in even more nusiance ware. This bloat slows down browsers and computers and can in the worst case introduce malware.

You own this. It takes minutes to turn on globally with a Group Policy.

Just do it.

If you need help setting this up, give us a call.

-Scott Quimby