Important
If you are currently using EMET, you should be aware that EMET reached end of life on July 31, 2018. You should consider replacing EMET with exploit protection in Windows Defender ATP.
You can convert an existing EMET configuration file into Exploit protection to make the migration easier and keep your existing settings.
This topic describes the differences between the Enhance Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) and exploit protection in Windows Defender ATP.
Exploit protection in Windows Defender ATP is our successor to EMET and provides stronger protection, more customization, an easier user interface, and better configuration and management options.
EMET is a standalone product for earlier versions of Windows and provides some mitigation against older, known exploit techniques.
After July 31, 2018, it will not be supported.
For more information about the individual features and mitigations available in Windows Defender ATP, as well as how to enable, configure, and deploy them to better protect your network, see the following topics:
Feature comparison
The table in this section illustrates the differences between EMET and Windows Defender Exploit Guard.
| Windows Defender Exploit Guard | EMET | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows versions | All versions of Windows 10 starting with version 1709 | Windows 8.1; Windows 8; Windows 7 Cannot be installed on Windows 10, version 1709 and later |
| Installation requirements | Windows Security in Windows 10 (no additional installation required) Windows Defender Exploit Guard is built into Windows — it doesn’t require a separate tool or package for management, configuration, or deployment. |
Available only as an additional download and must be installed onto a management device |
| User interface | Modern interface integrated with the Windows Security app | Older, complex interface that requires considerable ramp-up training |
| Supportability | Dedicated submission-based support channel[1] Part of the Windows 10 support lifecycle |
Ends after July 31, 2018 |
| Updates | Ongoing updates and development of new features, released twice yearly as part of the Windows 10 semi-annual update channel | No planned updates or development |
| Exploit protection | All EMET mitigations plus new, specific mitigations (see table) Can convert and import existing EMET configurations |
Limited set of mitigations |
| Attack surface reduction[2] | Helps block known infection vectors Can configure individual rules |
Limited ruleset configuration only for modules (no processes) |
| Network protection[2] | Helps block malicious network connections | Not available |
| Controlled folder access[2] | Helps protect important folders Configurable for apps and folders |
Not available |
| Configuration with GUI (user interface) | Use Windows Security app to customize and manage configurations | Requires installation and use of EMET tool |
| Configuration with Group Policy | Use Group Policy to deploy and manage configurations | Available |
| Configuration with shell tools | Use PowerShell to customize and manage configurations | Requires use of EMET tool (EMET_CONF) |
| System Center Configuration Manager | Use Configuration Manager to customize, deploy, and manage configurations | Not available |
| Microsoft Intune | Use Intune to customize, deploy, and manage configurations | Not available |
| Reporting | With Windows event logs and full audit mode reporting Full integration with Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection |
Limited Windows event log monitoring |
| Audit mode | Full audit mode with Windows event reporting | Limited to EAF, EAF+, and anti-ROP mitigations |
(1) Requires an enterprise subscription with Azure Active Directory or a Software Assurance ID.
(2) Additional requirements may apply (such as use of Windows Defender Antivirus). See Windows Defender Exploit Guard requirements for more details. Customizable mitigation options that are configured with Exploit protection do not require Windows Defender Antivirus.
Mitigation comparison
The mitigations available in EMET are included in Windows Defender Exploit Guard, under the exploit protection feature.
The table in this section indicates the availability and support of native mitigations between EMET and Exploit protection.
| Mitigation | Available in Windows Defender Exploit Guard | Available in EMET |
|---|---|---|
| Arbitrary code guard (ACG) | As «Memory Protection Check» | |
| Block remote images | As «Load Library Check» | |
| Block untrusted fonts | ||
| Data Execution Prevention (DEP) | ||
| Export address filtering (EAF) | ||
| Force randomization for images (Mandatory ASLR) | ||
| NullPage Security Mitigation | Included natively in Windows 10 See Mitigate threats by using Windows 10 security features for more information |
|
| Randomize memory allocations (Bottom-Up ASLR) | ||
| Simulate execution (SimExec) | ||
| Validate API invocation (CallerCheck) | ||
| Validate exception chains (SEHOP) | ||
| Validate stack integrity (StackPivot) | ||
| Certificate trust (configurable certificate pinning) | Windows 10 provides enterprise certificate pinning | |
| Heap spray allocation | Ineffective against newer browser-based exploits; newer mitigations provide better protection See Mitigate threats by using Windows 10 security features for more information |
|
| Block low integrity images | ||
| Code integrity guard | ||
| Disable extension points | ||
| Disable Win32k system calls | ||
| Do not allow child processes | ||
| Import address filtering (IAF) | ||
| Validate handle usage | ||
| Validate heap integrity | ||
| Validate image dependency integrity |
Note
The Advanced ROP mitigations that are available in EMET are superseded by ACG in Windows 10, which other EMET advanced settings are enabled by default in Windows Defender Exploit Guard as part of enabling the anti-ROP mitigations for a process.
See the Mitigation threats by using Windows 10 security features for more information on how Windows 10 employs existing EMET technology.