Microsoft has rolled out automatic installs of the new version of malware removal tool and security dashboard Microsoft Defender on Windows devices with active personal Microsoft 365 (M365) subscriptions.
Documentation (opens in new tab) for the new Microsoft Defender (via Windows Latest (opens in new tab)) confirms that M365 subscribers are being used as guinea pigs, stating that other users can expect to be hit by the change in March 2023, despite needing a M365 subscription to use the service.
But if, for some reason, you really can’t wait to install the latest refresh of a largely ineffective security app, you can grab it right now from the Microsoft Store via the official website (opens in new tab).
The new Microsoft Defender
While the latest Microsoft Defender isn’t yet available to business users, owing to the bizarre requirement to log into the app with a Microsoft account and work accounts not being supported yet, they’re likely not missing out on much.
Microsoft Defender itself does very little, acting more as an overview of a system’s security. On a PC, it’s actually Windows Security carrying out most of the actual day-to-day security protection like detecting files and performing periodic system scans.
Even then, TechRadar Pro highly recommends investing in an alternative, more robust business antivirus software solution. Microsoft Defender at least has the sense to disable itself if it detects a third-party device installed on the system.
For everyone else who insists on staying with Microsoft’s default offering, note that even avoiding Windows 11, at time of writing the current version of the operating system, won’t be enough, as one commenter on Windows Latest wrote that the new Microsoft Defender installed itself on their Windows 10 device.
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