Information Technology

IT Security

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Antivirus Instructions

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) is the licensed and preferred endpoint detection and response solution. This product is licensed for use on all UM-owned computers. It is not to be installed on personal devices.

MDE provides virus/malware/ransomware protection, real-time scanning, and automatic updates. It is compliant with the UM antivirus policy, fully supported by the IT Helpdesk, and recommended for all UM-owned computers running MacOS, Linux, & Windows.

Installation instructions and downloads (WebID required) are documented below.

Install Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on a UM Computer

MacOS Instructions

    1. Uninstall Sophos by running the uninstall program from Applications > Sophos and restart the computer.
    2. Download the installer, then double-click the file to install the software package.
    3. Download the Onboarding Package and extract the Defender.sh script.
      • Open the Terminal app.
      • Navigate to the Downloads folder using the following command: cd ~/Downloads
      • Press [Enter].
      • Run the onboarding script using the following command: sudo bash -x Defender.sh
      • Press [Enter]
        (You may be prompted for your password to proceed).
      • NOTE: If MDE is already installed you will receive an "installation failed" error.
    4. Restart the computer and provide full disk access as requested by MacOS.

    • Linux Instructions

    1. Install the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint application according to the Microsoft documenation for your specific Linux distro.
    2. Download the Onboarding Package and extract the .py script from the downloaded .zip file.
    3. Follow the Client Configuration documentation to properly run the onboarding script using python for your specific Linux distro.

    • Windows Instructions

    1. Uninstall Sophos from Settings > Apps > Installed Apps and restart the computer.
    2. Download the appropriate file for your Windows computer:
    3. Extract the onboarding script (.cmd file)
    4. Right-click the WindowsDefenderATPLocalOnboardingScript.cmd file and select Run as Administrator.
    5. Follow the prompts in the resulting window. You will be asked to type Y and then press [ENTER].
    6. Once installation is complete a confirmation message indicating Microsoft Defender for Endpoint has been successfully onboarded will display.

    • Additional Information

    About Automatic Software Updates

  • All computers with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint installed and onboarded will get security updates immediately to protect against the latest threats. New product versions will be updated automatically.


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