As enterprise networks welcome more and more wirelessly connected mobile devices, these smartphones and other portable devices can pose significant cyber attack/security threats to the hybrid workplace.

As enterprise networks welcome more and more wirelessly connected mobile devices, these smartphones and other portable devices can pose significant cyberattack/security threats to the hybrid workplace. However, recently, Microsoft added a new "Mobile Network Protection" feature in Defender for Endpoint, thereby extending the platform threat detection capabilities to the Android/iOS mobile operating system.

Potential threats can infiltrate already vulnerable enterprise networks via Wi-Fi, and Mobile Network Protection attempts to protect enterprises from malicious attacks from infected devices.

Microsoft pointed out that as the Internet becomes more and more complex, if left unattended, it is easy to be targeted by criminals.

To resolve concerns in this regard, Defender for Endpoint specifically provides relevant functions to help organizations identify, assess, and repair the shortcomings of each endpoint with the support of powerful threat intelligence.

The company is pleased to announce that users can now benefit from this through Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Android and iOS platforms.

It should be pointed out that the Microsoft Endpoint Manager Management Center provides network protection settings instructions for Android / iOS mobile devices, and most protection measures on the platform are enabled by default.

● Protects against malicious Wi-Fi related threats and malicious hardware (such as Pineapple devices)

● Notifies when Wi-Fi related threats are detected

● Provides an in-app guided experience to connect to a secure network

● Available on the web Provides remediation options for changing networks when unsafe or suspicious

● Can issue medium priority alerts when suspicious/open networks are detected

It is important to note that MDE requires Onboarding Permission to enable storage and notifications on iOS devices. Android smartphone users need to grant location permissions to allow MDE to monitor their network and issue relevant threat notifications.

In addition, Microsoft warns that MDE can only provide limited protection against network threats. Platforms can only protect users from forged credentials if they refuse to grant location permissions.

Finally, the company is gradually expanding the scope of the platform. For example, last month, Microsoft confirmed that Microsoft 365 subscribers have access to Microsoft Defender, which now also allows for the quarantine of unmanaged but compromised Windows devices.