New blog | Analyze IoT/OT device firmware with Microsoft Defender for IoT
Consider an organization that has thousands of endpoints on their network that are running 10-year old, unpatched SSH servers. Or when a critical vulnerability like log4shell is discovered, having no easy way to know which of those endpoints are exploitable. This is the situation organizations find themselves in when it comes to IoT and OT devices. This problem is so important that the US National Cybersecurity Strategy released a report in March 2023 indicating the IoT security threat as a strategic objective. Read the blog: Analyze IoT/OT device firmware with Microsoft Defender for IoTEnd of Windows 10 Support: What Defender Customers Need to Know
As of today, October 14, 2025, Microsoft is officially ending support for Windows 10. This means that Windows 10 devices will no longer receive security or feature updates, nor technical support from Microsoft. While these devices will continue to operate, the lack of regular security updates increases vulnerability to cyber threats, including malware and viruses. Applications running on Windows 10 may also lose support as the platform stops receiving updates. Will Defender continue to protect Windows 10 devices? Defender supports a range of legacy systems, including Windows 10. (See here for a full list of supported operating systems.) Microsoft Defender will continue to provide detection and protection capabilities to the extent possible on Windows 10 and other legacy systems. Keep in mind that security solutions on legacy systems are inherently less secure and may not be able to receive all new features, so please review the next section for important actions you can take. For Windows 10 customers without Defender, Microsoft will continue to provide security intelligence updates for the built-in Microsoft Defender Antivirus protection through October 2028. Of course, Defender Antivirus alone isn't a comprehensive risk mitigation posture without Microsoft Defender detection and response deployed across your digital estate. What should customers do to protect their Windows 10 devices? Upgrade to Windows 11: Moving to Windows 11 is strongly recommended for PCs eligible to upgrade. Windows 11 delivers the latest security features, improved performance, and ongoing support at no additional cost. This is the best way to ensure your endpoints remain protected and compliant. Devices running Windows 10 will be more vulnerable, even with ongoing security intelligence updates (SIUs). Extended security update (ESU) program: If upgrading isn’t immediately possible, Microsoft offers an ESU program for Windows 10. The ESU program provides critical and important security updates but does not include new Windows features or technical support. Enterprise customers can purchase ESU for up to three years or receive it at no additional cost with a Windows 365 subscription. Cloud and virtual environments: Windows 10 devices accessing Windows 11 Cloud PCs via Windows 365 or Virtual Machines are entitled to ESU at no extra cost, with automatic updates. Consumer customers have options to enroll for one year of ESU, including free enrollment methods in certain regions. For further guidance, check out the posts below or connect with your Microsoft account team. End of support for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 | Microsoft Windows How to prepare for Windows 10 end of support by moving to Windows 11 today | Windows Experience Blog Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10 | Microsoft Learn To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.Announcing mobile device tagging for iOS and Android
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is helping decentralized SOC teams improve their approach to security and privacy across mobile devices by making it easier to tag iOS and Android devices – giving security admins more control over who has access to specific groups and device data.Defender for Endpoint and disconnected environments. Which proxy configuration wins?
This article is a follow-up to a previous one discussing conflicting proxy configurations and how Microsoft Defender for Endpoint behaves in these situations. The first article can be found in here. In this article we'll explore how Defender for Endpoint network traffic flows depending on which proxy configuration is in use, as well as what network traffic looks like when all three proxy configurations are set.
Introducing tamper protection for exclusions
One of the most requested features for tamper protection is protection of antivirus exclusions. With that in mind, the Microsoft Defender team has implemented new functionality that allows (path, process, and extension) to be protected when deployed with Intune.
