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Configure Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Linux for static proxy discovery

4 September 2026Doc update+10 / −10 lines

In brief

The documentation now explains proxy handling for Linux package managers, distinguishes global settings from command-only settings, and clarifies runtime proxy configuration through the mdatp CLI or managed JSON configuration.

What Defender admins need to know

Administrators can more easily choose the appropriate proxy scope and deployment method for Defender for Endpoint on Linux.

Summaries are generated from the documentation change itself.

Documentation change

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Configure Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Linux for static proxy discovery

Configure static proxy discovery during installation

During installation, the HTTPS_PROXY environment variable must be passed to the Linux package manager.manager (such as APT, YUM, or Zypper) that installs the Defender for Endpoint package. The package manager reads this variable so it can read thisdownload packages through the specified proxy. You can configure the variable in any of the following ways:

  • The HTTPS_PROXY variable is defined in /etc/environment with the following line:line. This sets the proxy globally so that all processes, including the package manager, can route traffic through the specified proxy server:

    HTTPS_PROXY="http://proxy.server:port/"

  • The HTTPS_PROXY variable is defined in the package manager global configuration. This setting routes package downloads through the specified HTTPS proxy during installation. For example, in Ubuntu 18.04, you can add the following line to /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/proxy.conf:

    Acquire::https::Proxy "http://proxy.server:port/";

  • The HTTPS_PROXY variable is prepended to the installation or uninstallation commands. This approach applies the proxy setting only for that single command invocation without affecting other applications. For example, with the APT package manager, prepend the variable as follows when installing Microsoft Defender for Endpoint:

    HTTPS_PROXY="http://proxy.server:port/" apt install mdatp

Method 1: Configure static proxy discovery using the mdatp command-line tool

Run the following command on the endpoint to configure proxy forset the Defender for Endpoint.Endpoint runtime proxy through the mdatp CLI, enabling ongoing cloud connectivity through the specified proxy server.

mdatp config proxy set --value http://address:port
<a name="2-using-managed-configuration"></a>
### Method 2: Configure static proxy discovery using managed configuration

Set the proxy in the managed configuration at `/etc/opt/microsoft/mdatp/managed/mdatp_managed.json`. This approach is ansuited for centrally managed deployments where a management tool distributes the configuration file. The following example ofshows the json schema:JSON schema for setting the cloud service proxy:

```json
{
}

A management tool of choice can be used to deploy the managed configuration in /etc/opt/microsoft/mdatp/managed/mdatp_managed.json. Please checkFor details about the managed configuration file format and deployment, see Set preferences for Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Linux for more details on managed configuration..