Microsoft Defender coming to iOS and Android devices later this year

Microsoft Defender on mobile devices will help prevent malware and phishing attacks.

What you need to know

• Microsoft Defender will come to iOS and Android devices later this year.
• Microsoft Defender on mobile will focus on stopping malware and phishing attacks.
• Microsoft also announced the public preview for Microsoft Defender ATP for Linux today.

Microsoft Defender is on its way to iOS and Android devices. The protection software should be on the mobile platforms by the end of year, according to CNBC. The software will focus on preventing malware and phishing attacks.

CNBC highlights several quotes from Microsoft said in an interview last Thursday. Rob Lefferts, a Microsoft corporate vice president, said that iOS and Android are "pretty safe," stating, "They're pretty safe, but pretty safe is not the same as safe." He also added that "Malware does happen on those platforms."

Lefferts pointed out that Malware can get onto mobile phones when people install applications from insecure sources. He also said that people are subject to phishing attacks. Hackers can provide interfaces that appear to be genuine but instead trick people into exposing their usernames, passwords, and other sensitive data. According to Lefferts, Microsoft Defender could make devices less vulnerable to these types of attacks.

Microsoft mentioned its efforts to bring Microsoft Defender to iOS and Android briefly in a security blog post today. The post doesn't share many details about the efforts, but states that Microsoft will preview their efforts at RSA Conference next week.