You need to use PowerShell or Group Policy. Audit mode can’t be enabled in the Windows 10 Settings app. Enable Controlled Folder Access in audit modeīefore you enable CFA in your organization, you can set it up in audit mode to assess the impact on endpoints. Network shares can also be protected, although the use of wildcards is not supported.įor more information about how to enable CFA, check out Controlled Folder Access in Windows 10 FCU on Petri. You can also add your own folders to the list.

The protected folders list includes the Documents, Videos, Music, Favorites, and Pictures folders for all users. However, users can enable it and receive better protection with the default settings. CFA is part of Exploit Guard and it helps users and organizations protect folders, such as Documents, from malicious apps.ĬFA is disabled by default. Windows Defender Exploit Guard replaced the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) in Windows 10.

Microsoft Defender vs ransomwareĬontrolled Folder Access (CFA) was added to Windows 10 in the Fall Creators Update to protect users’ files in the event of a ransomware attack. First by getting access to networks using brute force attacks against RDP and then introducing a vulnerable kernel driver that lets hackers take full control of systems. And more recently, malware in the RobbinHood family has been used to target large organizations. WannaCry and NotPetya may be distant memories but the vulnerabilities they rely on are still exploited. Ransomware has rarely been out of the headlines over the past few years and it is the most prevalent threat in 2020.

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