Romanian security company Bitdefender has signed an agreement with Microsoft, whereby the latter will use its technology to provide security for endpoints in organisations that use mac OS and Linux.
In a statement, Bitdefender said it had integrated its endpoint security solutions for mac OS and Linux into the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection management console.
Microsoft has also signed deals with Lookout and Siften to detect threats across Android and iOS endpoints.
The Bitdefender integration is now available as a public preview with the Lookout and Siften previews to follow.
{loadposition sam08}Since mac OS and Linux are not vulnerable to Windows malware, iTWire asked Bitdefender whether the protection in question extended to Linux and Mac servers which were running Samba.
The company did not provide a direct answer, but group product manager Deepakeswaran Kolingivadi said: "Bitdefender’s Gravityzone Advanced business security for Mac and Linux uses sophisticated machine learning models to detect and stop malware in their pre-execution stage. This includes Windows platform specific malware, Mac/Linux platform specific malware, as well as platform-agnostic malware.
"Mac devices are vulnerable to harbouring and the spread of Windows-specific malware to the Windows fleet using familiar channels such as emails and file shares. Mac/Linux devices face advanced attacks (such as APT28) and adversaries are now employing generic script-based malware that can execute on Windows and non-Windows platforms alike. This requires a formidable solution that defend against a wide spectrum of attacks."
Asked whether the product had a new name, Kolingivadi said the product names would remain as such: Bitdefender Gravityzone Advanced Business security for Mac and Linux and Microsoft Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection.
"The two products have an integration that establishes a connection between them so that Microsoft customers can enjoy a seamless management interface to oversee security not just for their massive Windows endpoint deployments, but their Mac and Linux endpoints from the Windows Defender ATP console," he said. "The integration does not involve any sharing of source code between the companies."