Microsoft Defender Antivirus
| Microsoft Defender Antivirus | |||||||||
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| Other names | Windows Defender Windows Security | ||||||||
| Original author(s) | Microsoft | ||||||||
| Developer(s) | Microsoft | ||||||||
| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||||||
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| Operating system |
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| Platform | Windows | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Microsoft Security Essentials | ||||||||
| Type | Antivirus software, personal firewall, parental control, intrusion prevention, email filtering and anti-phishing | ||||||||
| License | Proprietary | ||||||||
Microsoft Defender Antivirus (formerly Windows Defender) is an antivirus software component of Microsoft Windows. It was first released as a downloadable free anti-spyware program for Windows XP and was shipped with Windows Vista and Windows 7. It has evolved into a full antivirus program, replacing Microsoft Security Essentials in Windows 8 or 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, and a year later, to expand protection for mobile devices, it announced Microsoft Defender ATP for Android and iOS devices, which incorporates Microsoft 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.