Microsoft Details How It’s Using AI to Improve Windows Security

Microsoft announced two years ago that it was making security its “top priority,” and the company has been increasing its use of AI to find vulnerabilities earlier. Pavan Davuluri, EVP, Windows + Devices at Microsoft, penned a blog post today to detail the company’s latest efforts to keep Windows users protected against attackers.

First of all, Microsoft Security’s multi-model agentic scanning harness (MDASH) now uses multiple AI models, including third-party models, to detect Windows vulnerabilities earlier. The company also started using AI earlier in the Windows development process to help its security experts identify potential security issues before new features or updates are released to the public.

“As AI helps defenders discover more issues, customers will see a higher volume of security updates included in each security release. This is evidence that defenders are getting better at identifying and addressing issues. Our focus is to effectively utilize these AI tools to support faster protection, stronger engineering systems and more actionable guidance for customers,” the exec said.

When Microsoft identifies a security vulnerability, it now uses AI to improve the process for developing a fix. The company said that it’s investing in “new technology including Windows-specific tools and agentic harnesses to enable end-to-end generation and validation of fixes using AI, keeping humans in the loop when it comes to code review.”

All in all, Microsoft believes that AI-powered discovery is a double-edged sword, as it also “accelerates the speed at which vulnerabilities can be discovered and exploited.” However, AI can also help Microsoft accelerate engineering work to fix these vulnerabilities, and the company has already implemented robust processes to deliver security patches to customers.

“The threat environment will continue to evolve as AI advances, with researchers continuing to find new classes of issues and attackers looking for ways to move faster. Our response is to keep strengthening the systems that help us find vulnerabilities earlier, fix them responsibly, and support customers through safe, timely updates,” Davuluri said today.