Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Endpoint Security

New Microsoft Defender ATP Capability Blocks Malicious Behaviors

Microsoft this week announced a new feature in Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) that is designed to block and contain malicious behavior.

Microsoft this week announced a new feature in Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) that is designed to block and contain malicious behavior.

Called “endpoint detection and response (EDR) in block mode,” the capability is meant to provide post-breach blocking of malware and other malicious behaviors, by taking advantage of Microsoft Defender ATP’s built-in machine learning models, Microsoft says.

EDR in block mode aims to detect threats through behavior analysis, providing organizations with real-time protection, even after a threat has been executed. It aims to help companies respond to threats faster, thwart cyber-attacks, and maintain security posture.

To block the attack, EDR in block mode stops processes related to the malicious behaviors or artifacts. Reports of these blocks are shown in Microsoft Defender Security Center, to inform security teams and enable further investigation, as well as the discovery and removal of similar threats.

Now available in public preview, EDR in block mode has already proven effective in stopping cyber-attacks. In April, the tech giant says, the capability blocked a NanoCore RAT attack that started with a spear-phishing email that had as attachment an Excel document carrying a malicious macro.

Microsoft customers who already turned on preview features in the Microsoft Defender Security Center can enable EDR in block mode by heading to Settings > Advanced features.

The tech giant encourages customers who preview EDR in block mode to provide feedback on their experience with the behavioral blocking and containment capabilities in Microsoft Defender ATP.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Related: Microsoft Adds New Data Corruption Preventions to Windows

Related: Safe Documents Feature in Microsoft 365 Apps Now Generally Available

Related: Microsoft Defender ATP Gets UEFI Scanner

Related: Microsoft Threat Protection Now Generally Available

Written By

Ionut Arghire is an international correspondent for SecurityWeek.

Click to comment

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

SecurityWeek’s Threat Detection and Incident Response Summit brings together security practitioners from around the world to share war stories on breaches, APT attacks and threat intelligence.

Register

Securityweek’s CISO Forum will address issues and challenges that are top of mind for today’s security leaders and what the future looks like as chief defenders of the enterprise.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Cybercrime

The changing nature of what we still generally call ransomware will continue through 2023, driven by three primary conditions.

Cybercrime

A recently disclosed vBulletin vulnerability, which had a zero-day status for roughly two days last week, was exploited in a hacker attack targeting the...

Cybercrime

No one combatting cybercrime knows everything, but everyone in the battle has some intelligence to contribute to the larger knowledge base.

Malware & Threats

Threat actors are increasingly abusing Microsoft OneNote documents to deliver malware in both targeted and spray-and-pray campaigns.

Endpoint Security

Today, on January 10, 2023, Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU) and Windows 8.1 have reached their end of support dates.

Malware & Threats

Unpatched and unprotected VMware ESXi servers worldwide have been targeted in a ransomware attack exploiting a vulnerability patched in 2021.

CISO Strategy

Varied viewpoints as related security concepts take on similar traits create substantial confusion among security teams trying to evaluate and purchase security technologies.

Malware & Threats

A vulnerability affecting IBM’s Aspera Faspex file transfer solution, tracked as CVE-2022-47986, has been exploited in attacks.