Windows 11 Gets Major Security Boost with Memory Integrity Enablement
Microsoft is set to enable Memory Integrity in Windows 11 by default as part of its October patch release. This change may impact gaming performance, but it's expected to provide a significant security boost.
Memory Integrity uses a virtualized environment to verify kernel-mode drivers before they execute, preventing malware from exploiting vulnerable drivers to reach the system kernel.
In the past, disabling Memory Integrity was one way to boost FPS for gamers. However, with modern hardware acceleration, there's almost no performance difference between having it enabled or disabled.
The new patch will enable Memory Integrity on platforms that meet the minimum system requirements, which include Intel 8th-generation processors and newer, AMD Zen 2 processors and newer, and at least 8GB of RAM on x64 systems.
Users who have already explicitly disabled Memory Integrity via the registry or a Windows Group Policy change will not be affected by this update. However, those with older drivers for legacy devices may want to disable it due to potential compatibility issues.