Windows 10: Windows Defender PUA Protection

Some Reason can't get our 2nd Desktop PC to keep on with Windows Defender Pua Protection, Avast was removed with Wise Uninstaller, rebooted system, used Avast clear in safe mode as additional step, then ran ConfigureDefenderx64 to configure Defender, made sure enabled Pua protection, then restarted, and when i opened that little app today

Showed Pua Protection disabled still


Any advice? should i do a repair install on that system? and work my way around the other household systems as they all previously ran Avast, and was uninstalled in similar fashion on each one recently


Desktop 1 a repair Install might be hard as I got Programs on D Drive, as well as a few on C:\ Drive that is SSD (1 game), Windows, that is all on the SSD, and a few small programs

D: has Steam games, Firestorm 3rd party viewer for Secondlife, User library folders, and such

Last time I attempted to restore Macrium system image, some how lost Pro, and ended up back with Home, I do have images saved, but nothing before Avast was reinstalled on advice from another online friend. Or should I just wait til 1909 is released and do a clean install

:)

 

Windows Defender PUP/PUA protection blocked BitTorrent

Suggestion to read all of these articles:

• How to Add or Remove Exclusions for Windows Defender in Windows 10
  
• Enable or Disable Windows Defender PUA Protection in Windows 10
• How to Configure Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager
• Configure Windows Defender in Windows 8, 8.1 and 10

 

Enable or Disable Windows Defender PUA Protection in Windows 10  


Hi Shawn
For some reason Powershell suggestion in this tut does not work on my computer, though your REG File does.
This in on Build 1703....see attachments.

 

Why AdWare protection , PUA ,and PUP protection are not enabled by default in windows defender ?

It isn't enabled because the PUA protection in Windows Defender wasn't designed with consumer users in mind, it was instead designed for businesses which require this for compliance or other high security reasons.

Block Potentially Unwanted Applications with Windows
Defender AV - Microsoft Docs

If you read the title above carefully, you'll notice that it states "Block Potentially Unwanted Applications". This is because the MS PUA protection provides no granular control over these like antimalware apps such as MBAM, instead it can only block them.

The reason for this is that it was designed for businesses which don't want any such PUA apps installed on their machines and can so be used to lock these down. This means that there's no way provided to allow that single coupon or advertising app that
some consumers might want, so the support issues this would create for Microsoft with consumers aren't worth their time, thus it's not easily possible for consumers to enable PUA protection.

Remember that any program that is truly acting as malware is already treated by Windows Defender as such, while as Microsoft clearly states about PUAs in their article:

"These applications are not considered viruses, malware, or other types of threats, but might perform actions on endpoints that adversely affect their performance or use. PUA can also refer to applications that are considered to have a poor reputation."

So Microsoft doesn't make it easy for consumers to enable PUA protection, since they never intended it to be used by them in the first place.

In fact, in the years since 2005/6 that I've been using the Microsoft security products, I've had only a single item identified by Malwarebytes Antimalware as a PUP and this was actually an add-on included by Dell on a laptop that wasn't really of any concern
at all. Typically the only people whom ever receive PUPs are those who either install 3rd-party (usually free) programs or use their computers in risky ways, a careful person will almost never experience one of these during years of computer use.

Rob