Microsoft will bring its antivirus software to iOS and Android

Microsoft is planning to bring its Defender antivirus software to Android and iOS later this year. The software giant is currently developing applications for both of the world's most popular mobile operating systems, providing a solution to prevent viruses and a " complete command line experience". Microsoft did not disclose exactly what these applications would do, but the company plans to perform them at the RSA Conference next week.

Defender's mobile applications appeared less than a year after Microsoft introduced the public preview of the Defender antivirus for macOS. The company has renamed Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), and the Mac version also offers a full range of features to protect users from viruses and threats, combined with Ability to conduct quick or full scans.

Microsoft's mobile Defender application is likely to be very different from the desktop versions, especially because Apple's iOS platform does not allow malware scanning applications on iPhone or iPad. As for Android, the platform already has plenty of antivirus applications. Microsoft will enter a more and more crowded market, aiming to prevent malware in Android applications from being sideloaded onto devices and performing shady behaviors when running in the background.

One of the bigger goals for Defender on iOS and Android is the ability to prevent scams, helping employees at companies not accidentally disclose their username, password, or other account information. It's unclear how Microsoft will achieve this on iOS.

Both of these mobile applications are part of Microsoft's enterprise security platform, so the likelihood of them being rolled out to the general consumer is quite low. Besides mobile applications, yesterday, Microsoft also announced Microsoft Defender ATP for . Linux. A preview of this software can now be downloaded for trial by businesses. All show that Microsoft is trying to implement many solutions to protect devices on all platforms, but not limited to Windows and macOS as usual.

Reference: TheVerge