Microsoft has been offering its Windows Defender software for a while now to help protect PC users from viruses, malware, and other malicious software, and now it's bringing Defender to Android.
Microsoft Defender ATP for Android is a new antivirus app that's launching today in public preview. When installed, Microsoft says its Defender app can protect against phishing and access to risky domains using web protection that'll block unsafe sites accessed through SMS/text, WhatsApp, email, browsers, and other apps.
To do this, Microsoft is using its Defender SmartScreen service to determine if a URL is potentially malicious. The user will get a notification if access to a malicious site is blocked and from there they can choose to allow the connection, report it safe, or dismiss the notification.
SmartScreen is also used to block unsafe network connections that apps might automatically make without the user knowing. Again, the user will be alerted if an activity is blocked and can then allow it, report it unsafe, or dismiss the notification.
Defender also promises to perform proactive scanning of malicious apps and files that are downloaded to your Android device. Microsoft touts that its app "uses cloud protection powered by deep learning and heuristics to provide coverage for low-fidelity signals which are inconclusively handled by signatures" along with signature-based malware detection.
There are other enterprise-focused features of Defender as well. For example, it can fight the impact of breaches to an organization by blocking a device that's been compromised with malicious apps or malware from accessing corporate resources.
Instructions for trying Microsoft Defender ATP for Android can be found right here. Microsoft says it plans to launch additional features for Android users in the coming months along with a mobile defense app for iOS devices.
