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As soon as Microsoft Defender detects a malicious file or software, Microsoft Defender blocks it and prevents it from running. And with cloud-delivered protection turned on, newly detected threats are added to the antivirus and antimalware engine so that your other devices and users are protected, as well.
Microsoft Defender Antivirus detects and protects against the following kinds of threats:
- Viruses, malware, and web-based threats on devices
- Phishing attempts
- Data theft attempts
As an IT professional/admin, you can view information about threat detections across Windows devices enrolled in Intune in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Summary information includes:
- How many devices need antivirus protection
- How many devices aren't in compliance with security policies
- How many threats are currently active, mitigated, or resolved
Actions you can take
When you view details about specific threats or devices, you see recommendations and one or more actions you can take. The following table describes actions that you might see.
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Configure protection | Your threat protection policies need to be configured. Select the link to go to your policy configuration page. Need help? See Manage device security with endpoint security policies in Microsoft Intune. |
| Update policy | Your antivirus and real-time protection policies need to be updated or configured. Select the link to go to the policy configuration page. Need help? See Manage device security with endpoint security policies in Microsoft Intune. |
| Run quick scan | Starts a quick antivirus scan on the device, focusing on common locations where malware might be registered, such as registry keys and known Windows startup folders. |
| Run full scan | Starts a full antivirus scan on the device, focusing on common locations where malware might be registered, and including every file and folder on the device. Results are sent to Microsoft Intune. |
| Update antivirus | Requires the device to get security intelligence updates for antivirus and antimalware protection. |
| Restart device | Forces a Windows device to restart within five minutes. IMPORTANT: The device owner or user isn't automatically notified of the restart and could lose unsaved work. |
View and manage threat detections in the Microsoft Defender portal
Go to the (Microsoft Defender portal) and sign in.
In the navigation pane, choose Threat Analytics to see all the current threats. Threads are categorized by threat severity and type.
Select a threat to see more details about the threat.
In the table, you can filter the alerts according to many criteria.
Manage threat detections in Microsoft Intune
You can use Microsoft Intune to manage threat detections as well. First, all devices whether Windows, iOS or Android, must be enrolled in Intune.
Go to the Microsoft Intune admin center at https://endpoint.microsoft.com and sign in.
In the navigation pane, select Endpoint security.
Under Manage, select Antivirus. You see tabs for Summary, Unhealthy endpoints, and Active malware.
Review the information on the available tabs, and then take any needed action.
For example, suppose that devices are listed on the Active malware tab. When you select a device, certain actions are available, such as Restart, Quick Scan, Full Scan, Sync, or Update signatures. Select an action for that device.
The following table describes the actions you might see in Microsoft Intune.
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Restart | Forces a Windows device to restart within five minutes. IMPORTANT: The device owner or user isn't automatically notified of the restart and could lose unsaved work. |
| Quick Scan | Starts a quick antivirus scan on the device, focusing on common locations where malware might be registered, such as registry keys and known Windows startup folders. Results are sent to Microsoft Intune. |
| Full Scan | Starts a full antivirus scan on the device, focusing on common locations where malware might be registered, and including every file and folder on the device. Results are sent to Microsoft Intune. |
| Sync | Requires a device to check in with Intune. When the device checks in, the device receives any pending actions or policies assigned to the device. |
| Update signatures | Requires the device to get security intelligence updates for antivirus and antimalware protection. |
Tip
For more information, see Remote actions for devices.
How to submit a file for malware analysis
If you have a file that you think was missed or wrongly classified as malware, you can submit that file to Microsoft for malware analysis. Users and IT admins can submit a file for analysis. Visit https://www.microsoft.com/wdsi/filesubmission.
See also
Best practices for securing Microsoft 365 for business plans
Overview of Microsoft Defender for Business (Defender for Business is rolling out to Microsoft 365 Business Premium customers, beginning March 1, 2022)
