Microsoft Brings Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection to Windows 7, 8.1

Microsoft Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, a service that Windows 10 users can utilise to prevent advanced attacks on a network, will now be available for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users as well. The Windows antivirus tool has essentially been back-ported from Windows 10 to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

The unified endpoint security platform is currently available only for Windows 10 operating system. However, since a lot of users are still on the previous versions of the OS, Microsoft has announced that it is adding Windows Defender ATP down-level support for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows 8.1. Separately, Microsoft is testing a way users can preview new versions of native apps without being on Windows Insider Preview builds.

Users moving to Windows 10 will be able to add Windows Defender ATP Detection and Response functionality to Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and Windows 8.1 from this summer. Microsoft says that it wants to help its customers "achieve the best security possible on their way to Windows 10 ahead of the end of support for Windows 7 in January 2020." As per an earlier report, Windows 10 is said to finally be the most popular version of Windows out there, edging out 8-year-old Windows 7.

This rollout will enable users holding on to older versions of the Windows OS to get some of the exploit and malware-infection prevention and event reporting features that the company offers on Windows 10. It will also help enterprises where older computers can be brought under a uniform security management and administration tools, that are used for Windows 10 PCs. As mentioned, users must be moving to Windows 10 to add Windows Defender ATP Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) functionality to their devices.

Also, Microsoft has said that it is building a behavioural based EDR solution to "give security teams rich insights into threats on their endpoints." It added that all detections and events are surfaced in Windows Defender Security Center, which is the cloud-based console for Windows Defender ATP. With this, security teams can benefit from correlated alerts for known and unknown adversaries, additional threat intelligence, and a detailed machine timeline for further investigations and manual response options.

In other news, users interested in all the new features on Windows apps will no longer have to run an Insider build. Microsoft is reportedly developing a process where users will be able to test apps inside retail versions of the Windows. As per a Thurrott report, users will be able to preview Windows Camera, Microsoft Photos, Alarm, and some other apps.

According to the report, several inbox Windows 10 apps now have the option to preview new features, even if the user isn't part of the Insider Program. In an invite to the Windows Camera preview program, the company reportedly said, "You'll be one of the first to try out new features in the preview version of Camera, and your feedback will shape the future of the app."

While Microsoft has not provided details on how this programme will function, Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc, in a tweet, wrote: "This is us just trying to make it easier for those who want to test app updates on both Insider builds or retail."