Microsoft Defender Adds Linux Desktop Support in Public Preview
Microsoft Defender now officially covers Linux desktops in a public preview, bringing antivirus, endpoint detection and response, vulnerability management and device isolation to developer workstations.
The preview covers workstations running distributions including Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and bundles antivirus protection, endpoint detection and response, vulnerability management, threat hunting and device isolation.
Microsoft is also offering streamlined onboarding methods for desktops, a unified security operations experience, strengthened security and improved response times, the report said. Organizations already familiar with securing Linux servers through Defender should find the desktop experience identical, because Defender identifies whether it is securing a device in a data center, in the cloud, or one owned by a developer, and reflects that distinction in inventory and security workflows.
According to the report, every Linux server distribution supported by Defender is also supported on desktops: RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, SLES, Fedora and Oracle Linux, along with GNOME, KDE and other desktop environments. The report describes the release both as official support for Linux desktops and as a public preview of the threat-detection app.
Using the capability requires a Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 or a Microsoft 365 E5 or E7 subscription. Workstations can be enrolled with the same deployment methods used for servers, though the report notes that the listed prerequisites must be met first.