Microsoft releases free anti-malware for Azure VMs

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Free anti-malware software is not hard to find: even reputable vendors offer product at the low, low, price of $0.00 for client devices/

Microsoft is now doing the same for servers – or at least for virtual machines in its Azure cloud with a new offering called (deep breath now)
Microsoft Antimalware for Azure Cloud Services and Virtual Machines.

There's nothing startling about the product, which Microsoft says can “identify, block and remove malicious software” and “provides real time protection from the latest threats, can perform on-demand scanning, and monitoring at no additional charge to Microsoft Azure customers.” Microsoft also looks to be taking the product seriously, as its log files are consumable by HDInsight or another security information and event management product. That's if you choose to have the event logs stored in Azure storage, which does come at a cost.

Microsoft releases free anti-malware for Azure VMs ? The Register

 

[JMH]

Shields up: Microsoft adds antimalware protection for Azure VMs

Most people associate Microsoft antimalware with only Windows Defender on the desktop, but the company has long offered server- and infrastructure-level protection through its Forefront and System Center products.

Now Microsoft is making the same antimalware technology available for free on virtual machines (albeit only Windows VMs) hosted in Microsoft Azure.

In a blog post, Microsoft describes how the new security extension for Azure VMs "provides an additional layer of security by helping to identify, block and remove malicious software on virtual machines managed by Azure customers."

Protection is provided in real time, so administrators don't need to manually perform scans, and the service is provided at no additional charge for Azure customers. Analytics generated by Microsoft Antimalware can be exported and analyzed, and the product integrates with PowerShell for the sake of automation.

Shields up: Microsoft adds antimalware protection for Azure VMs | InfoWorld