Late last week, Microsoft announced the Mobile Network Protection feature for Android and iOS devices will be integrated with the company’s cloud-based security platform Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE). According to the announcement, the feature will help businesses find weaknesses in their mobile data networks.
MDE’s new service will be toggled off by default, Microsoft said, claiming once users turn it on, it will notify IT security admins of different Wi-Fi threats and rogue certificates. It is also capable of spotting unwanted hardware like the Hak5 Wi-Fi Pineapple device that is often used by threat actors to steal data moving through the target network.
Furthermore, Mobile Network Protection will push a notification if it spots a suspicious or unsecured network, or if it finds a new open Wi-Fi network.
Securing the networks
To use the new feature, Android users need to give MDE location permissions, in order to track networks and send out alert notifications. For iOS devices, it will require onboarding permissions.
Also, admins can configure the tool on their Android and iOS devices via the Microsoft Endpoint Manager Admin center.
Mobile Network Protection was first announced in June, when the company described such networks as an “increasingly complex and unique avenue” for nefarious activity, if left unattended.
"To combat this, Microsoft offers a mobile network protection feature in Defender for Endpoint that helps organizations identify, assess, and remediate endpoint weaknesses with the help of robust threat intelligence,” the company said.
Microsoft has been hard at work building its endpoint and malware protection solutions. Besides frequent updates to MDE, it also recently announced plans for a new Intune Premium Suite next year. This endpoint management plan is expected to include Microsoft Tunnel for Mobile App Management, Remote Help and Endpoint Privilege Management, among other advanced endpoint analytics offerings.
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Via: BleepingComputer
