Microsoft
has announced that its anti-malware protection is becoming available for users
of macOS. Previously known as Windows Defender, the software has been renamed
more broadly as “Microsoft Defender” in coordination with the news that it will
be available on operating systems other than Windows.
More specifically, the anti-virus software for Apple machines
going by the name “Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) for
Mac,” and as of today users running macOS Mojave, macOS High Sierra, or macOS
Sierra can sign up for a limited preview. The move is intended in part to
provide businesses who have a mix of Windows and Mac-based computers with the
option to protect their machines using the same security platform. Being that
Microsoft has already delivered its Office suite to other platforms, and that
Defender is a part of the Microsoft 365 package, the company felt it was time
to shift away from the Windows-centric approach to its security offerings.
Folks who install Microsoft Defender on macOS can anticipate the addition of
new features during the preview phase. Most notably, the company says that it
plans to introduce Endpoint Detection and Response as well as Threat and
Vulnerability Management (TVM). Microsoft’s blog post about this announcement
explains that TVM provides the following abilities:
Microsoft Defender (again, previously known as Windows Defender)
has been built into the company’s operating system as the default form of
protection for around a decade. Along the way it has undergone various name
changes, having originally been known as “Microsoft Security Essentials.”
Microsoft refers to its security solution as being a “next-gen”
anti-virus. All the same, though early versions originally scored well among
anti-virus testing outlets – both for threat detection and for being so lightweight
– the effectiveness of Windows’ integrated security software has slipped behind
most third-party competitors according to the in-depth testing performed by
AV-Comparatives last year.
One of the enduring preconceptions about Apple’s Macs has been
that, unlike Windows PCs, they don’t require anti-virus protection. While that
may have been true at one point in time, the greater prevalence of macOS has
demonstrated that Apple’s machines are as much a target for malware and virus
authors as those running Microsoft’s OS. Attacks like the Flashback trojan saw
a reported 2-percent of all Macs infected.
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