As Macs keep growing in popularity with businesses of all types and sizes, they’ve also started catching the eye of hackers. An increased focus by hackers, combined with an increasing number of vulnerabilities, means Mac devices are ripe for attack and abuse. In 2024, the number of vulnerabilities in macOS increased 95% over 2023 to a total of 508. So, ensuring an organization’s Mac fleet is protected from threat actors and malware is vitally important.
Huntress is excited to announce that our Managed EDR has extended threat detection and response coverage for macOS users using Apple’s native XProtect antivirus and integration with Microsoft Defender for Endpoints (MDE) for macOS. The Huntress SOC now monitors alerts from these sources and will take action to neutralize hackers.
What is XProtect?
XProtect is the built-in antivirus tool in macOS to find and remove malware. XProtect provides proactive, automated malware defense and strengthens macOS security with constant updates and evolving threat intelligence. Apple regularly updates it to stay ahead of emerging malware threats. XProtect uses generic signature rules, behavioral analysis, and remediation engines to find and eliminate both known and variants of unknown malware. It scans for known malware when an app is launched, modified, or when malware definitions are updated. If malware is found, XProtect blocks it. It also periodically checks for infections.
Using XProtect, Huntress can trigger high-fidelity signals for our 24/7 SOC to investigate. Signals can be seen on a new Antivirus page on the Agent detail pages in the Huntress Managed Security Platform Portal.
Huntress Managed Security Platform showing investigated XProtect alerts
Extending Microsoft Defender to macOS
We have a lot of experience seeing how effective (in both performance and cost) the potent combination of Huntress Managed EDR and Microsoft Defender is. The integration with MDE for macOS builds on the coverage we’ve had for Defender for Endpoints for Windows for several years. Extending this to macOS allows customers to get more value out of their Defender licenses alongside Huntress’ purpose-built EDR, giving even more threat coverage and protection to Macs.
Managed EDR customers using MDE will see Signals generated from Defender alerts. Additionally, the Antivirus page in the Portal shows the status of MDE agents, as well as supports tasks such as requesting a scan or signature update.
View of the Huntress Managed Security Platform showing antivirus coverageDon’t wait for your Macs to be attacked
Macs are an increasing part of an organization's attack surface, and you need next-level threat detection and response outcomes. Reach out to our experts today to get a demo or test drive Managed EDR for free to experience the power of Huntress’ purpose-built tech, team of industry-recognized threat experts, and our 24/7 SOC.
And don't forget to have your say in what we build next—from macOS features and beyond. Join us at The Product Lab to get the inside scoop on our latest product innovations and tell us what you want to see on our roadmap.
