What is Core Isolation and Memory Integrity?

Windows 11 is Microsoft’s newest operating system. One of the features that were introduced in Windows 10, but perfected in Windows 11 is Core Isolation. This feature isolates core components of the OS to ensure memory integrity and stability on each component. We will go over what this means for you as a user, so keep reading!

What is Virtualization-Based Security (VBS)?

Windows 11 also introduces a new security feature called Virtualization-Based Security (VBS). This allows for the operating system to run in a secure virtual environment. This isolates critical components of the OS, such as the kernel and user mode processes, from malicious or accidental modifications. By doing this, it helps protect your computer against attacks that try to exploit these vulnerabilities. Core Isolation is a virtualization-based security feature of Windows.

What is Core Isolation?

When you have a computer, whether it is for personal or business use, the last thing that any user wants to experience is instability. We all know how frustrating and time-consuming issues can be when they occur on your machine. This type of interruption in workflow generally leads to lost productivity which results in lost revenue opportunities. Windows 11 Core Isolation was developed with this knowledge in mind; to provide businesses and users alike with added stability by isolating certain components of the operating system from each other.

So what does this mean? It means that if one component malfunctions (for example, an application), only that specific component will be impacted rather than harming others like antivirus software running alongside it since they are isolated from each other!  This also helps to protect the system from malware and other attacks that may try to exploit vulnerabilities. 

What is Memory Integrity?

Memory Integrity is a component of Core Isolation that helps prevent apps from reading and manipulating memory that doesn’t belong to them. This is done by creating isolated containers for each app. This prevents data leaks and malicious code injection, which can both occur when an app has access to another app’s memory.

Memory Integrity was first introduced in Windows Server 2016. This feature monitors the pages of memory loaded into physical RAM to ensure that they have not been corrupted by malware or other threats. If a page of memory has been compromised, it will be replaced with a clean copy from storage ensuring that your data and applications are protected. Together, Core Isolation and Memory Integrity provide an added layer of security for your computer’s operation, keeping you productive and safe! 

How does Core Isolation work?

When you open an application on Windows 11, it will be executed within its own sandboxed container. This is where memory integrity will come into play. The isolated containers are protected by the VBS (Virtualization-Based Security) feature of Windows 11 which keeps them secure from another app that may try to access the data or manipulate the process.

As new containers are created for apps, they do not interact with other processes outside their container unless authorized to do so via a user request (for example, opening a document). If one of these sandboxes were to crash or malfunction due to outside interference or corruption caused by malware, only that specific sandbox would be affected rather than the entire system!  Furthermore,

What are the benefits of Core Isolation?

There are several key benefits that businesses and users can expect from Core Isolation.

1. Increased Stability – As we mentioned earlier, one of the main goals of Core Isolation is to provide increased stability for users by isolating certain components of the OS from each other. This helps protect against crashes and malfunctions that can occur when multiple applications are running at the same time.

2. Enhanced Security – The added security that Memory Integrity provides helps to protect your computer data leaks and malicious code injection.

3. Protection from malware – Since the entire system is protected from malfunctions or crashes caused by malicious code, you will be able to work uninterrupted and without fear of your computer being compromised.

4. Enhanced Privacy – The isolated containers protect apps from data leaks which helps to keep your information private.

5. Enhanced Compatibility – Memory Integrity allows Windows to run trusted and un-trusted code in separate containers. This enhances the compatibility of apps which reduces application conflicts and lets you run any app without risk.

How to enable Memory Integrity?

Memory Integrity uses hardware virtualization and Hyper-V to prevent attempts of any malware injection. Here are the steps to enable it:

1. On your Windows 11 system, open Settings and navigate to Privacy & security -> Windows Security.
2. Click on Device Security.
3. Under Core Isolation, click on Core isolation details.
4. Enable the Memory Integrity by toggling the switch ON.
5. Reboot the device to make the changes effective.

Summing Up

Core Isolation is a big step forward in the evolution of Microsoft’s Windows OS. Not only does it enhance security, but also stability and compatibility under the hood while giving users more control over their PC system settings.

As you can see, Core Isolation and Memory Integrity provide a number of benefits that businesses and users can take advantage of. By keeping your applications isolated from each other, you can maintain productivity while being safe from data leaks, crashes, and malware. If you’re looking for an added layer of security for your computer, be sure to enable Memory Integrity under the Core Isolation. 

Peter Brown

Peter is an Electrical Engineer whose primary interest is tinkering with his computer. He is passionate about Windows 10 Platform and enjoys writing tips and tutorials about it.