Web protection provider

I've opened up Windows Security and in the navigation pane at the bottom is "Settings" then "Manage security providers" which shows this:



My question is, do you guys use web protection provider and if so which one?
I would prefer to not install any kind of antivirus or firewall just to get web protection provider/app.

Thank you for reply Samuria!

Yes I already use Cloudflare, although didn't pay atention to their automated protection and I'm not aware if users are able to manage these settings without installing anything.

However since I've been using kaspersky in the past I know web protection isn't just DNS, it used to be browser addon which would monitor web activity and similar.

Now I also know that we already have most of this stuff in MS Edge which I already have enabled, but still confusion is why isn't this status reported in "web protection" then?

It confuses because "No providers" seems to imply that there is no web protection at all and that we should install one.

You have a "provider" its Window's Defender, its more than enough. Web Protection Provider = anti-virus.

Thank you for reply @Digmor Crusher

So from this information so far conclusion would be that "Web protection" entry is there just for case if some 3rd party security software installs an app or program that classifies as "web protection" program?

Maybe I'm wrong because if that's the case, such app would not prevent us from having:
1. anti-virus
2. smartscreen
3. DNS protection
4. reputation based protection
and so on..

meaning we would end up with 2 web protection suites, which just doesn't make sense.
I guess better description or "web protection" entry in there, would be broken or misinformed UI design.

Been awhile since I used Defender but from what I remember if it is showing that you are protected by Defender than you are good to go. If another anti-virus is installed it will automatically shutoff Defender, this is how it is supposed to work. I'm sorry but I do not remember what that "Web Protection" settings does. You can definitely run other programs that do not shut off Defender like Malwarebytes or OSArmour. I am pretty sure that they do not register in that "Web protection" setting.

TairikuOkami said:

probably MS planning something, currently there is only this provided by MS:
https://browserprotection.microsoft.com/learn.html

Thank you @TairikuOkami ; that sounds very logical

But worth noticing that MS Defender browser protection is for 3rd party browsers and already built into MS Edge Chromium.
And those others you listed are good candidates for "web protection" (although I would avoid installing them)

I think it would at no surprise if one day we see smartscreen, builtin edge protection and other web related security that's already built into Windows be classified (or combined) as "Microsoft web protection"

I think you input also answers my concern so I'm marking this as solved