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Microsoft 365 Security

What is Microsoft 365 Security?


Microsoft 365 (formally Office 365) is one of the most widely-used Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms in the world, currently used by over one million companies globally. However, despite its convenience, it also introduces new security risks that organizations must consider and manage as part of their cybersecurity risk management strategies.

Security Risks of Microsoft 365

When considering the risks associated with Microsoft 365, email security is a vital consideration. However, email is not the only attack vector within the Microsoft 365 product suite. Some of the most common security risks that Microsoft 365 users encounter include:

Phishing
Attacks

The Microsoft 365 suite of software provides a number of delivery mechanisms for phishing content. Malicious links and attachments can be delivered via email, included in shared documents on OneDrive, or dropped in the chat in Microsoft Teams.

Malware
Delivery

Malware is often composed of malicious files, and sharing and delivering files is a core capability of Microsoft 365. Whether via email, OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams, there are multiple vectors by which malicious content can enter an organization or spread laterally from a compromised account.

Business Email
Compromise

To help prevent malicious software such as ransomware and viruses from sneaking into your network, we help make sure your anti-malware software is consistently updated with the latest definitions.

Data
Breaches

One of the biggest selling points of Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms like Microsoft 365 is that they make it very easy to share data inside and outside an organization. However, this same easy sharing also makes it possible for data to be shared with unauthorized parties, which may lead to a data breach.

Microsoft 365 Security Best Practices

Protecting against the cybersecurity risks of Microsoft 365 requires a multi-pronged approach. Some security best practices to help reduce Microsoft 365 security risks include:

Employee Awareness Programs

Employee cybersecurity awareness training is an essential component of an Microsoft 365 security strategy. Many of the most common threats associated with Microsoft 365 rely on an employee falling for a scam or accidentally breaching data out of ignorance or negligence

ML-Based Phishing Prevention

Cyberattacks are constantly evolving, and many Microsoft 365 attack vectors – such as BEC – do not use malware that can be detected via signature analysis. Protecting against the diverse threats facing Microsoft 365 requires an email security solution that uses machine learning

Anti-Malware Defenses

Microsoft 365 is ideally suited to delivering malware through an organization. A company should have anti-malware defenses in place at both the network and endpoint level to ensure that malware infections are detected and eliminated before they cause damage to the target system.

Outbound Data Protection

Microsoft 365’s data sharing capabilities are useful but also pose a major threat of data exfiltration and loss. Strong data security requires outbound data protection that monitors Microsoft 365 traffic for indications of attempted exfiltration of sensitive company data.

Securing Office 365 with Axio

Microsoft 365 is a major asset for many organizations, especially when remote work makes the ability to communicate and collaborate online more important than ever. However, Microsoft 365 also creates a number of potential attack vectors as cybercriminals abuse these same features.

Protecting against the cybersecurity risks associated with Microsoft 365 requires a multi-layered security solution. At the network level, an organization should implement solutions for inspecting emails and other shared content for malware and phishing content, attempted data exfiltration and other threats. However, it is possible that some attacks may slip past these network-level defenses. This makes a comprehensive solution that secures users, devices, and access necessary to ensure that all potential attack vectors are closed and that an attack can be detected and remediated at any stage of its lifecycle.

Axio365 provides a cloud-based security solution to help close the attack vectors associated with Microsoft Office 365. To learn more about its capabilities and how it can help to protect your remote workforce, you’re welcome to schedule a free demo.

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