Microsoft, Partners Expand Threat Detection Across Platforms

Windows Defender ATP console

Microsoft has partnered with Bitdefender, Lookout, and Ziften to extend the threat detection capabilities of its Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service across multiple platforms, including macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

What Is Windows Defender ATP?

Windows Defender ATP is a threat intelligence and protection service that Microsoft launched in 2016. The service targets primarily enterprise customers who want to protect themselves against sophisticated attackers, such as nation state-sponsored attackers or organized cybercrime groups.

Due to the new partnerships with the three security companies, Windows Defender ATP subscribers can now see, in a single window, which of their devices are under attack. Every device also has its own rich event timeline, so security professionals can dig down and analyze all events for a device from the past six months, if there’s a suspicion that the respective device has been hacked.

Threat Detection Across Devices

According to Microsoft, its enterprise customers have been asking the company for a security solution that can detect threats across a whole range of devices. As Microsoft doesn’t typically offer security solutions for most platforms out there, it has partnered with antivirus maker Bitdefender, mobile security company Lookout, and cloud security company Ziften to create a security solution that can work on all platforms.

Bitdefender's GravityZone Cloud integration with Windows Defender ATP will enable customers to view comprehensive threat intelligence on malware and suspicious files, such as threat type, category, and other details. Lookout Mobile's Endpoint Security will give customers real-time visibility into the type of threats that may be affecting mobile devices as well as ways to respond to those threats. Ziften’s Zenith cloud security solution will enable customers to detect zero-day exploits and to uncover the full scope of a data breach on internal systems.

Windows Defender ATP integration with Bitdefender is now in Public Preview, and Lookout and Ziften will join it soon. Microsoft noted that these three products are just the first of the several upcoming partners for its Windows Defender ATP service, so we can expect the company to make more related announcements soon.

Lucian Armasu
Lucian Armasu is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He covers software news and the issues surrounding privacy and security.
  • austintx1985
    Considering how horribly awful Windows Defender is at catching even the most basic malware, you would have thought Microsoft would have incorporated this kind of stuff earlier. Maybe now non-IT folks will be a bit more protected.
    Reply
  • sykozis
    20356900 said:
    Considering how horribly awful Windows Defender is at catching even the most basic malware, you would have thought Microsoft would have incorporated this kind of stuff earlier. Maybe now non-IT folks will be a bit more protected.

    Windows Defender ATP is for Windows 10 Enterprise.... It has nothing to do with Windows 10 Home or Pro and thus, nothing to do with consumers. Unless MS decides to migrate Defender ATP to Windows 10 Home or Pro, it's meaningless for the "non-IT folks"....
    Reply
  • berezini
    Microsh@ft needs to buy out bitdefender and build it into windows directly. From the way bitdefender is going; they need the money badly.
    Reply
  • sykozis
    20358606 said:
    Microsh@ft needs to buy out bitdefender and build it into windows directly. From the way bitdefender is going; they need the money badly.

    Why does Microsoft need to buy and then completely destroy one of the most successful security companies in existence?
    Reply