PROTECTED FOLDER ACCESS

Question

I am not even sure I can properly word this to ask the question but will try.  In SETTINGS and then in WINDOWS SECURITY, I find a "section" that is shown as "PROTECTION HISTORY" and here there are listed, in my system, four items. This page is shown as PROTECTION HISTORY and immediately below it is the statement:  "View the latest protection actions and recommendations from Windows Security."  And immediately next is: "Filtered by: Blocked folder access          Filters (with a down pointing arrow).

Then it shows four actions, which are

     PROTECTED FOLDER ACCESS BLOCKED                             Low

1/19/2020  1:18 AM

     IF you click on the item, it then shows:

     Your administrator has blocked this action

     App or process blocked:

Protected Folder:

Blocked by:  Controlled folder access

You can allow apps to access your protected folders, but

you should only allow apps you trust.

Controlled folder access settings

PROTECTED FOLDER ACCESS BLOCKED                             Low

1/10/2020  11:18 AM

PROTECTED FOLDER ACCESS BLOCKED                             Low

1/6/2020  5:17 PM

PROTECTED FOLDER ACCESS BLOCKED                             Low

12/22/19  2:39 PM

Each of the items listed are the same with different folders being shown for each.  Here then are my questions:

1.  This has never happened since I went to Windows 10 in August of 2016, until the last item shown above which is dated December 22, 2019.  Why did this suddenly begin happening?

I never download anything unless I trust the source.  If it is from some unknown source and it looks like it would be great to use, I will first go to CNet.com and see if it is listed and what is shown relative to the app.  If it then appears safe and useful and will do what I think it will do, I will download it and install it.  Therefore my next question is: 

How do I avoid the above happening when I download something?

Is there a "global" setting that will avoid the system from stopping what I am attempting to do or, must I follow some action every time I want to download and install a new app?

Is this the result of some new feature included in some new update and if so, how do I avoid these types of features that change normal processes into something of a headache?

Wouldn't it be nice if we could review all aspects of new updates and disallow the features or sections we do not want when we want the other parts of the update?

Lastly, what other information or advice can you offer with regards to this situation?

Thanks for your attempts to help.

Answer 1

If you go into Settings/ Win. Security/Virus etc. protection/Ransomware/Manage Ransomware you should find an on/off button; turning it to off and re-starting however apparently has no effect on the previously blocked apps. which remain listed.  To get any of these through you could click on "Add an allowed App" and select the "recent" option which probably works; for any others it's as you might expect with Win. 10; following the obvious options presented will take you down a rabbit hole with no apparent hope of resolution.