MC1392568: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Retires Support for Amazon Linux 2 on ARM64 Starting October 31, 2026

3 minutes
MWPRO IMPACT SCORE
OPERATIONAL IMPACT
63
0 25 50 75 100
HIGH IMPACT • REVIEW RECOMMENDED
Recommended Action:
Review the update and plan any required actions before rollout.
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Primary Audience

Tenant AdminsMicrosoft 365 AdminsSecurity TeamsIT ManagersService OwnersAzure Admins
Why this score?
AI Confidence
HIGH
Enough detail is available to trust this assessment.
Assessment Reasoning
Support for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Amazon Linux 2 ARM64 ends on 31 October 2026, affecting security posture. Admins need to identify impacted devices, halt updates beyond the last supported build and migrate workloads to a supported Linux distribution before the deadline. This requires planning, device management, testing and stakeholder coordination, but direct user disruption is limited.
78
🛡️ Admin Impact
CRITICAL
15
👥 User Impact
LOW
70
⚡ Urgency
HIGH
75
🔧 Effort
CRITICAL
ℹ️ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
📌

AT A GLANCE

Support for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Amazon Linux 2 (ARM64) ends 31 October 2026. After this, no updates or support will be provided.
👥

END USERS

No major end-user change expected.
🛡️

IT ADMINS

Identify affected devices and migrate to a supported Linux distribution before 31 October 2026.
📅

ROLLOUT TIMELINE

Upcoming:
October 31, 2026

📢 Official Microsoft Message Center Announcement

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: Support for Amazon Linux 2 (ARM64) retiring October 31, 2026
Message ID: MC1392568

Updated September 23, 2026: We have updated this post as a reminder. Thank you for your patience. 

[What and Why]

We are retiring support for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) on Amazon Linux 2 (AL2) running on ARM64 architecture, effective October 31, 2026.

[Schedule]

  • Retirement effective: October 31, 2026
  • After this date, support and updates will no longer be available.

[Impact on Your Organization]

Who is affected

  • Organizations using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Amazon Linux 2 (ARM64)
  • Organizations using AL2 on AMD64/x86_64 are not affected

Platforms/Services

  • Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
  • Amazon Linux 2 (ARM64)

What will happen

  • Defender versions released after this build will not install on AL2 (ARM64) due to platform incompatibility.
  • Version 101.25122.0004 is the last supported version for this platform.
  • After October 31, 2026:
    • No security updates
    • No bug fixes
    • No technical support
  • Devices remaining on this platform may:
    • Miss new features, detection improvements, and protection enhancements
    • Be exposed to increased security and stability risks over time

[Action Required / Recommendations]

Action required by October 31, 2026.

Admins should:

  • Identify devices running Amazon Linux 2 (ARM64) with Defender for Endpoint.
  • Prevent upgrades beyond version 101.25122.0004 on those devices.
  • Plan migration to a supported Linux distribution for MDE.
  • Complete migration before October 31, 2026.

No action is required for devices running Amazon Linux 2 on AMD64/x86_64 architectures.

Learn more: Prerequisites for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Linux | Microsoft Defender for Endpoint | Microsoft Defender | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance Considerations]

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

Source: Microsoft Message Center • Analysed by MWPro

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