Elly Yates-Roberts |
Microsoft has released a number of new security updates for Office 365 to increase cybersecurity and help to protect users from cybercrime.
“With the growing presence and sophistication of online threats like viruses, ransomware, and phishing scams, it’s increasingly important to have the right protection and tools to help protect your devices, personal information and files from being compromised,” said Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president of Office, in a recent blog post. “Microsoft already provides robust security for Office services, including link checking and attachment scanning for known viruses and phishing threats, encryption in transit and at rest, as well as powerful anti-virus protection with Windows Defender.”
The new protection capabilities include file recovery, tools to help keep information secure and advanced protection from viruses and cybercrime.
To help protect customers from ransomware attacks, Microsoft is introducing Files Restore which allows users to restore their entire OneDrive to a previous point within the last 30 days. This feature can be used to recover files from an accidental mass delete, file corruption or ransomware. If an attack is detected, users will be alerted through an email, mobile, or desktop notification and guided through a recovery process where they’ll find the date and time of attack pre-selected in Files Restore, making the process simple and easy to use.
Microsoft is also adding three new capabilities to Office 365 to help keep data secure and private.
Password protected sharing links, an additional security option for links shared in OneDrive, allows users to set and require a password to access a shared file or folder. This prevents others from accessing files if the intended recipient accidentally forwards or shares the link.
Email encryption, meanwhile, offers an added layer of protection and ensures the end-to-end encryption of emails.
Meanwhile, the new ‘prevent forwarding’ feature allows users to restrict their email recipients from forwarding or copying emails sent from Outlook.com.
Ransomware detection & recovery and Files Restore start rolling out today and will be available to all Office 365 subscribers soon. Password protected sharing links, email encryption, and prevent forwarding will start rolling out in the coming weeks.