Just because the person who passed it to you is a trusted source doesn’t mean the link, program, or drive itself is trustworthy. Clicking on links, downloading files, installing programs, or plugging in external USB drives without first thinking about where they originally came from-and what they might gain access to-can create the problems that security hardware and software try to shield you from. What you choose to do on your PC directly affects your level of risk. No matter what operating system you use, remain careful about what you click on, what you download, and what you install.

Once you’ve got these locked down, you can then move on to more fun things, like Windows 11’s best hidden features or the six new features you should try in Windows 11.

You probably already know how to protect yourself against these dangers, and in Windows 11, you should still be vigilant.

These defenses stand against newer kinds of attacks, but older, more commonly known threats still exist, like malware targeting your activity within the operating system. For its part, Secure Boot makes sure that the signature of the BIOS (technically, UEFI) drivers and operating system are valid and trusted before control is given over the OS. To keep it safe, it monitors your hardware configuration-if it notices a change, it’ll lock you out until you provide a recovery key or use an alternative method for login. A TPM stores information related to encryption or authentication (like Windows Hello biometric data). TPM and Secure Boot only protect against two types of threats.

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