I am considering enabling Controlled Folder Access to minimize the chance of a ransomeware attack. However, adding all of the programs that should be allowed to access files one .EXE at a time will take months. Is there any way to add all of the executables in the Program Files folder at once? Thanks.
Some related info that may help a little:
Add or Remove Allowed Apps for Controlled Folder Access in Windows 10 | Tutorials
- so you can see what is allowed nowThe list of allowed apps is stored in the registry key below.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Exploit Guard\Controlled Folder Access\AllowedApplications
To note:
Add additional folders and apps to be protected | Microsoft DocsBy default, Windows adds apps that it considers friendly to the allowed list - apps added automatically by Windows are not recorded in the list shown in the Windows Security app or by using the associated PowerShell cmdlets. You shouldn't need to add most apps. Only add apps if they are being blocked and you can verify their trustworthiness.
Personally I use
This allows you to 'white list' everything on a PC in a 'known good' state, and then when an unknown exe or dll is detected, prompts you to approve them.
Coupled with that is the ability to upload suspicious or new files to something akin to Virustotal - the result of a scan with multiple AV engines.
This really is fairly unobtrusive and well supported, and runs alongside any conventional AV
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