While the world is trying to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic, most organizations including essential businesses have seen a surge in cyberattacks, with more hackers sending out phishing emails targeting people working from home. Cybersecurity firm Check Point recently revealed its findings to confirm that around 71% of the IT professionals noticed an increase in security threats. Moreover, 61% of respondents reported that they are concerned about the security threats associated with remote work.
Obviously, no one would like to become a victim of a cyber attack, especially during a global crisis like this. With that in mind, Microsoft has detailed today some straightforward threat intelligence and security guidelines to protect users of its services. In a blog post, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365 Security, Rob Lefferts said that Microsoft is actively monitoring the security threats:
Our threat intelligence teams at Microsoft are actively monitoring and responding to this shift in focus. Our data shows that these COVID-19 themed threats are retreads of existing attacks that have been slightly altered to tie to this pandemic. This means we’re seeing a changing of lures, not a surge in attacks. Our intelligence shows that these attacks are settling into a rhythm that is the normal ebb and flow of the threat environment.
Furthermore, Lefferts highlighted the security protections that are built-in to Microsoft’s products:
- Protect endpoints with Microsoft Defender ATP — a platform designed to help enterprise networks prevent, detect, investigate, and respond to advanced threats.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) and Conditional Access through Azure Active Directory to protect identities
- Safeguard inboxes and email accounts with Office 365 ATP — which safeguards your organization against malicious threats posed by email messages, links (URLs) and collaboration tools.
- Microsoft Cloud App Security — which provides simple deployment, centralized management, and innovative automation capabilities.
You can read all about the threat intelligence and security guidance report here. In the meantime, Microsoft recommends its users to check out its Coronavirus response support page to stay updated with the latest guidelines. Do you think that Microsoft is taking all the necessary steps to protect its users? Let us know in the comments section below.
