Microsoft has unveiled new changes to its Windows 10 antivirus platform designed to give administrators greater insight into the level of vulnerability present in device fleets.
Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), recently rebranded as Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, will now offer a dashboard that breaks down crucial information including bug severity levels, exploit availability and vulnerability age.
“The report shows graphs and bar charts with vulnerable device trends and current statistics,” wrote Microsoft in a blog post. “The goal is for you to understand the breadth and scope of your device exposure.”
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Users can customize their reports using a selection of filters, depending on the data type they intend to isolate and analyze. Reports are also split into two columns: Trends (over time) and Today.
The new reporting feature is available immediately in public preview and can be accessed via Reports > Vulnerable devices.
Windows 10 antivirus upgrade
With the new Microsoft Defender for Endpoint dashboard, administrators can dig deeper into security trends that have emerged among devices managed by their organization.
Armed with this information, IT teams may be better equipped to snuff out inefficiencies with regards to patching and device maintenance. Alternatively, the data could be used to identify specific vulnerabilities present across multiple machines or any particularly high-risk operating systems at play.
The new reporting facility comes hot on the heels of a major overhaul to the Windows 10 antivirus service, announced at Ignite 2020, that brought all of Microsoft’s extended detection and response (XDR) facilities under the umbrella of Microsoft Defender.
According to the firm, the move to consolidate its security offerings is designed to minimize complexity and any issues that might arise as a result.
“Security teams have historically struggled to keep up with threats and signals across a patchwork of poorly integrated solutions that fail to cover the breadth of workloads, clouds and devices that businesses run on,” explained Vasu Jakkal, VP of Microsoft Security Compliance and Identity.
By consolidating its XDR facilities and improving the visibility of at-risk devices, Microsoft is hoping to simplify threat detection, analysis and resolution - especially in the context of changes to the security landscape brought about by the remote working boom.
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