Microsoft added ASLR to Windows Defender Exploit Guard in Windows 10. In previous versions, like Windows 7 and Vista, you must have Microsoft EMET installed to run this feature. You can now enable the same using the App & browser controls of Windows Defender Security Center without depending on EMET. ASLR is a random form of Address Space Layout Randomization to execute code on the operating system using an arbitrary memory address.

Unfortunately, however, when users enable this feature system-wide, an error prevents generating enough random data to start a binary application in random memory regions. As a result, it allows users to launch attacks that reuse code. However, you can Enable the ASLR feature in Windows Defender to fix a small problem.

If ASLR does not execute after enabling it from Exploit Protection Settings, you need to properly configure the Windows Registry. However, Microsoft is expected to address this issue in upcoming patches. Until then, you can enable it by doing a Registry edit.

How to Enable ASLR in Windows Defender

The process is as follows:

Step 1:   Type in notepad in the taskbar search field and press Enter. Here, create a first blank text script by entering the following text –

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Control Session Manager kernel]
“MitigationOptions” = hex: 00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

Step 2: After you copy the entire text into Notepad, click File at the top, and from the submenu, choose Save as. Save this file using a .reg extension, and you can name the file as ASLR.reg.

Bật ASLR trong Windows Defender H1

Step 3: Go to Cortana search and type regedit command, and press Enter when you notice the same command.  

Step 4: This will open Registry Editor after selecting Yes on the UAC prompt. In the Registry window, click File in the menu.

Step 5: Now, from the drop-down menu, click Import.

Bật ASLR trong Windows Defender H2

Step 6: Navigate to the location where you stored the reg file in Step 2 above. Select the ASLR.reg file and click the Open button to import the file.

Bật ASLR trong Windows Defender H3

Step 7: Finally, you notice that the file you previously created with the .reg name will be imported.

Reboot your computer and enjoy the feature. Here’s how you can fix the error as well as Enable ASLR in Windows Defender in Windows 10.