Andrew Heinzman
Microsoft is launching a preview version of its Defender ATP antivirus software for Android today. Defender ATP is an enterprise-grade Android security tool, with advanced anti-phishing protection, malware detection, and integration with Microsoft Defender Security Center for large businesses. If you’re a Defender ATP customer, then you can test the preview through Microsoft’s Intune Company Portal.
For the uninitiated, Defender ATP (or Advanced Threat Protection) is a security tool for businesses and corporations. It provides the same protection as the Defender software on your computer, but with more aggressive web protection and a serious emphasis on network security. IT professionals who run the Defender ATP software for businesses can remotely quarantine any computers that are compromised, thereby saving their million-dollar network from viruses, ransomware, or worms.
But corporations rely on more than just Windows computers, which is why Microsoft is trying to extend Defender ATP to Macs, iPhones, and Android devices. The company released a Defender ATP for Mac earlier this year, and a full release of Defender for Linux launched earlier today. We still haven’t heard any details about Defender ATP for iPhone.
Anyway, Defender ATP for Android is nearly identical to desktop versions of the software. It routinely scans for malware, it blocks unsafe networks, and it prevents you from opening fishy websites. It also scans text messages, emails, and chats for potential phishing links—websites that mimic you businesses’ web portal to try and steal your login information.
Regular folk like me can’t preview Defender ATP for Android. But if you do IT for a business that uses Defender ATP, then you can check out the preview on Microsoft’s Intune Company Portal app. Just activate preview features from your Defender ATP desktop software first.
