Microsoft Defender

Not to be confused with Microsoft Anti-Virus.

Microsoft Defender (formerly known as Windows Defender and Microsoft AntiSpyware) is an antivirus software component from Microsoft that is designed to remove and quarantine malicious software in Microsoft Windows.

History[]

Microsoft Defender was first released as a downloadable free anti-spyware program from Windows XP in 2004. Later, it was shipped with Windows Vista and Windows 7. It has evolved into a full antivirus program, replacing Microsoft Security Essentials in Windows 8 and later versions.

In March 2019, Microsoft announced Microsoft Defender ATP for Mac for business customers to protect their Mac devices from attacks on a corporate network; a year later, to expand protection for mobile devices, it announced Microsoft Defender ATP for Android and iOS devices, which incorporates SmartScreen, a firewall, and malware scanning. The mobile version of Microsoft Defender also includes a feature to block access to corporate data if it detects a malicious app is installed.

Features[]

Application Guard[]

Application Guard allowed Microsoft Edge users to sandbox their browsing session, preventing malicious content from affecting the system and the browser. This feature is only available for Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise editions. In May 2019, Microsoft announced Application Guard for Google Chrome and Firefox. Once installed, the extension would open the current tabs web page in Microsoft Edge with Application Guard enabled. However, Microsoft announced in April 2024 that the Microsoft Defender Application Guard would be deprecated for Edge for Business, and that the extensions would not be migrating to Manifest V3 on Firefox and Chrome after May 2024.

Browser integration[]

Browser Integration allowed Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge to scan as they are downloaded to detect malicious software. Microsoft Defender was also available for Google Chrome via an extension and works in conjunction with Google Safe Browsing, but has since been deprecated as of late 2022.

Controlled Folder Access[]

Controlled Folder Access protects user's important files from ransomware. The feature sends a notification every time a program tries to access these folders and will be blocked unless given access by the user. If allowed, Windows will warn the user with a User Account Control popup as a final warning.

Real-time protection[]

Real-time protection scans the system in the background and warns you if malware is detected.

External links[]

Windows Security: Microsoft Defender Antivirus & More at Microsoft
- Microsoft 365 Defender
- Microsoft Defender Antivirus in Windows at Microsoft Docs (2022-01-27)
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac at Microsoft Docs (2022-02-10)
Microsoft Defender at Wikipedia

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