How to Review and Configure Exploit Protection in Windows

Secure your Windows system by reviewing Exploit Protection settings to mitigate vulnerabilities. Follow this step-by-step guide to harden your device.

1. Access Windows Security settings. Open the Start menu and type Windows Security. Press Enter or click the result to launch the security dashboard.
2. Locate App & browser control. Within the Windows Security home screen, select App & browser control from the sidebar or the main menu grid. This section houses the advanced exploit mitigation tools.
3. Open Exploit protection settings. Scroll to the bottom of the App & browser control page. Click the link labeled Exploit protection settings to open the mitigation configuration panel.
4. Examine System settings. Under the System settings tab, review the status of core mitigations like DEP (Data Execution Prevention), ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization), and Control Flow Guard. Ensure these are set to 'On by default' for maximum system stability and security.
5. Audit Program settings. Select the Program settings tab to view application-specific security overrides. This list identifies programs that have customized security rules separate from the global system defaults.
6. Backup your configuration. To save your current security profile, scroll to the bottom of the System settings tab. Click Export settings to save a .xml file containing all your mitigation rules.