Why am I seeing so many more malware alerts in Windows 10?

Q. I've had several attacks from viruses, Trojans, malware, and so forth since I upgraded to Win10. So far, Windows Defender and Malwarebytes have found them and burned them. I’ve never had this many before; do you think it’s a problem with the new OS?

​A. I don’t think the increase in malware alerts is a Windows 10 problem.

I checked various malware-tracking sites such as Trend Micro, Symantec, and McAfee; I also checked several general discussion boards. But I didn’t find any reports of increased malware activity that specifically or uniquely targets Win10. Nor have I seen anything unusual on my four Win10 PCs.

Here are two likely explanations for what you’re seeing:

Regardless of what’s causing the problem, it appears your anti-malware defenses are doing their jobs — and that’s great!

You can help ensure your PC stays clean by keeping Windows and your anti-malware apps fully up to date; i.e., accept and install all security-related updates and patches.

If you’d like to further improve your security, consider installing an anti-malware app with aggressive, real-timesystem monitoring. This type of software goes further than relatively simple “detect-on-scan” protection; it continuously monitors your system and blocks malware before it can gain a solid foothold. Real-time apps can also let you see exactly what triggered the malware — for example, the site you’re currently on or the app you’re currently installing/running.

The free version of Malwarebytes is excellent at detecting infections, but it doesn’t have real-time monitoring. For that level of protection, you should try the paid version; it’s U.S. $25 per year for personal use, but the company offers a two-week free trial.

And if you don’t like Malwarebytes, there are many other good, real-time anti-malware tools available.

If the infections are arriving via your browser, you might want to switch browsers. You might also consider installing an ad- or script-blocking extension to your browser. For example, AdBlock and Adblock Plus are two favorites for Chrome. There are many others for major browsers — except Microsoft’s new Edge, which currently doesn’t allow plugins.

And remember: Once you find that a given site or app is hosting or allowing infections, avoid using that site/app in the future!

(Originally published on Windows Secrets on Thursday, December 17, 2015.)

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