Windows Defender ATP Is Now Microsoft Defender ATP, Coming to Mac

Microsoft is announcing some major changes for its Windows Defender ATP product. The company is rebranding Windows Defender ATP to Microsoft Defender ATP as it’s bringing the service beyond Windows devices. Microsoft says the company has been interested in helping its enterprise customers protect their non-Windows devices for a while, and so it’s bringing Microsoft Defender ATP to the Mac.

It’s not clear whether Microsoft will start to rename the app as Microsoft Defender ATP on Windows devices, however.

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Microsoft Defender ATP will be available as a regular app on the Mac. The app isn’t available via the App Store, so you will have to get the installer from Microsoft itself. In terms of features, the new app provides next-gen protection from malware and allows users to review threats using the web-based ATP dashboard.

The app is available for users on macOS Mojave, High Sierra, and Sierra as part of a limited preview.

Functionality wise, you will be able to manually run scans for any potential threats, take action on threats, get real-time protection, cloud-delivered protection, and more. Most of these features are configurable, so you can turn certain features off if you would like.

If you are interested, you can apply for the preview of Microsoft Defender ATP for Mac here.

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Conversation 16 comments

  • dontbe evil

    21 March, 2019 - 6:56 am

    <p>maybe mac users will be a bit more safe, their os is full of security flaws, but worst part is they think is the most secure OS evaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa</p>

    • jedwards87

      21 March, 2019 - 9:29 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414226">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p>Not all Mac users think like this so please do not group us all together. Actually I think this line of thinking is old.</p>

      • murray judy

        21 March, 2019 - 11:17 am

        <blockquote><a href="#414284"><em>In reply to jedwards87:</em></a><em> You're right to point out that not all Mac users are the same, especially the ones that hang out here. But, I have a lot of photographer friends that are Mac users and know the "Macs are totally safe' attitude is still quite strong.</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

    • ryandevega

      21 March, 2019 - 2:01 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414226">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p>I love that we get to share the Internet with people of all levels of intellectual development and maturity.</p>

      • dontbe evil

        22 March, 2019 - 8:52 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#414473">In reply to ryandevega:</a></em></blockquote><p>I agree, like apple fans for example</p>

  • mrdrwest

    21 March, 2019 - 8:00 am

    <p>Apple computers don't need virus protection (…iCattle say moo).</p>

  • jedwards87

    21 March, 2019 - 9:39 am

    <p>So is Microsoft Defender any good ? I have recently powered up my Windows machine and my Norton subscription has expired. If Defender is as good as the others I may just stick with it.</p>

    • lwetzel

      Premium Member
      21 March, 2019 - 9:59 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414288">In reply to jedwards87:</a></em></blockquote><p>I've been using it for a couple of years on a couple of my machines and have had no problems. I really like the way it is mostly background and doesn't see to bog the machines down. </p>

      • jedwards87

        21 March, 2019 - 1:05 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#414299">In reply to lwetzel:</a></em></blockquote><p>Cool. I will give it a try. I try to stay away from trouble but you just never know what you are going to run into.</p>

    • sharpsone

      21 March, 2019 - 9:28 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414288">In reply to jedwards87:</a></em></blockquote><p>Been using it for years without issue, I no longer see a reason to recommend 3rd party AV for small biz or consumer based windows devices. </p>

    • hoomgar

      22 March, 2019 - 8:41 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414288">In reply to jedwards87:</a></em></blockquote><p>I agree with the others.&nbsp; I've been using it since it came out.&nbsp; Have not had a single issue and you really do not notice any performance hit at all unlike all the 3rd party offerings.</p>

    • Greg Green

      22 March, 2019 - 8:47 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#414288">In reply to jedwards87:</a></em></blockquote><p>From PCWorld, Jan 30, 2019: </p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">“But if you rank each suite by its “protection” ranking, Windows Defender comes in sixth out of the 20 suites AV-Test evaluated. And according to the lab (av-test.org), it blocked every zero-day malware attack it fielded (out of 259) as well as 99.9 percent of the 19,697 other pieces of “widespread and prevalent” malware it was tested against. (The industry average was 99.6 percent of all zero-day malware blocked, and 100 percent of all “prevalent” malware.) Avast’s free antivirus suite blocked everything, both zero-day and prevalent malware.”</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">So even people in your family trying to get their inheritance from Nigerian princes should be ok.</span></p>

  • igor engelen

    21 March, 2019 - 11:46 am

    <p>That's a nice move. Once the final is released I will certainly try it.</p>

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