Does the built-in Microsoft Defender in Windows 10 have firmware scanning capabilities at the UEFI level?

Question

Does the built-in Microsoft Defender in Windows 10 have firmware scanning capabilities at the UEFI level?

Answer 1

Hello SUIKA,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

Microsoft Defender in Windows 10 does not perform an in-depth scan of UEFI firmware. Here are a few key points to understand:

1.UEFI firmware operates at a level below the operating system.  

2.Most antivirus solutions (including Defender) don’t have native mechanisms to read and analyze firmware, partly because firmware is not directly accessible in the same way as file systems. 3.Microsoft Defender (often just Windows Defender) primarily focuses on scanning files, processes, and other content visible to the OS. It does include several checks to help ensure boot integrity (such as leveraging Secure Boot and certain code integrity checks), but these are preventative measures rather than active scanning of UEFI firmware.

4.Windows 10 relies on technologies like Secure Boot to help ensure that the firmware hasn’t been compromised by ensuring that only properly signed boot loaders and OS components are loaded. 5.For organizations or scenarios needing deeper firmware security, specialized security solutions or vendor-provided tools (it might involve firmware attestation or integrity verification) are typically used.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

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