Microsoft has committed to issuing regular security updates to its Windows 11 operating system. This is incredible news for anyone using Windows 11 or considering investing in a next-gen PC that runs it natively. Part of the next massive security upgrade is a new utility called Smart App Control designed to prevent you from inadvertently installing malicious software onto your PC. But there’s a little bit of a catch.
The new Smart App Control Utility will most likely require you to perform a full factory reset on your PC in order for it to become active. Usually, Windows 11 and even Windows 10 updates are done in as efficient and unobtrusive a way as possible. You can choose to perform major updates that require your device to restart when you’re not using it, and smaller updates usually happen in the background while you’re doing whatever you need to do. This new utility is so pivotal and game-changing to the Windows 11 ecosystem, however, that it may require a complete reset and reinstallation of the Windows 11 OS.
Microsoft’s VP of Security, David Weston, explained how the new framework operates in a post on the official Microsoft blog:
‘Using code signing along with AI, our new Smart App Control only allows processes to run that are predicted to be safe based on either code certificates or an AI model for application trust within the Microsoft cloud. Model inference occurs 24 hours a day on the latest threat intelligence that provides trillions of signals. When a new application is run on Windows 11, its core signing and core features are checked against this model, ensuring only known safe applications are allowed to run.’
He also confirmed that the Smart App Control utility would ship with new devices that natively run Windows 11 but that any previous versions of Windows 11 will have to receive a clean installation of the Windows 11 OS. This means that devices will have to go through a complete factory resetting process, after which the latest version of Windows 11 will be installed.
If you’ve never performed a factory reset on a PC before, don’t sweat. Our comprehensive guide to factory resetting Windows 11 and 10 has you covered. Comprehensive isn’t a dramatic use of words here either; it’s the best guide you’ll read today.
