An Essential Guide to Protecting Your Business
Microsoft 365 is used by many businesses from the very small to the very large, for identity management, email, file storage, productivity, AI and much more. This makes it very valuable to your business, because there is a chance that a large proportion of your data is stored there. It also makes it very valuable to a hacker; and unsurprisingly we are seeing attacks against Microsoft 365 accounts becoming more regular and more sophisticated. For this reason, securing your Microsoft 365 environment is not just an option: it’s a necessity.
Microsoft 365 offers a suite of cloud-based services that has become indispensable for businesses of all sizes. With its comprehensive tools for communication, collaboration, and productivity, it’s no wonder that more than a million companies worldwide rely on Microsoft 365. However, with its widespread use comes the increasing risk of cyber threats and attacks. This article explores the basics of securing your Microsoft 365 environment and explores a worrying new trend in Microsoft 365 attacks, which is meaning the “basic” protections need to be much less basic.
Why Security Matters in Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a treasure trove of sensitive information, housing everything from internal communications to operationally critical and commercially confidential documents. Without adequate security measures, this data is vulnerable to breaches, data theft, and other cybercrimes. Here are some compelling reasons to prioritize security in your Microsoft 365 environment:
- Protect Sensitive Data
One of the primary benefits of securing your Microsoft 365 environment is the protection of this sensitive data. Businesses store a plethora of confidential information, including financial records, personal data, and confidential commercial information. Attackers will look to either steal this data and sell it on the dark web; or encrypt the data and hold your business to ransom. Implementing robust security measures ensures that this data remains protected from unauthorized access and accessible to your authorised users.
- Ensure Regulatory Compliance
Many industries are subject to strict regulatory requirements regarding data protection, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA. Securing your Microsoft 365 environment helps ensure that your business remains compliant with these regulations, avoiding hefty fines and legal repercussions. Demonstrating compliance is often either a requirement, or a major competitive benefit when operating in certain markets such as healthcare, finance, defence, or government.
- Prevent Unauthorized Access
Unauthorized access to your Microsoft 365 environment, especially your email, can lead to further cybercrimes not directly related to data theft, such as impersonation attacks and interception attacks. Attackers will often gain access to an email account belonging to a senior manager in the business and use this access to request that a payment be made. Without the right security controls in place, it is often too late by the time anyone realises the request was not genuine. Interception attacks occur when the attacker “sits” in a compromised mailbox waiting for an invoice or other request for payment. The emails are then intercepted and modified to include the attackers bank details. Large sums of money have been stolen this way and it can be very difficult to ever get it back. Businesses handling large sums of money, especially with a large number of customers or suppliers such as residential conveyancing firms are a particularly high risk, but all businesses can become victim to this type of attack.
By implementing security measures such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and conditional access policies, you can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
The Latest Types of Threats Targeting Businesses
Cyber threats are constantly evolving, with attackers becoming more sophisticated in their methods. Understanding the latest types of threats is crucial for businesses to stay ahead of potential risks.
In years gone by, simply choosing a robust password was usually sufficient to keep your various accounts secure. Then a combination of increased computing power making password “cracking” easier, and the advent of Phishing, tricking users into entering their credentials into fake login pages, made passwords alone ineffective at securing your online accounts.
Enter multi-factor authentication (MFA). In its various forms MFA provides a second factor or step of authentication after entering your username and password. And for a while this worked. Fake login pages and password crackers would harvest usernames and passwords, but without the MFA codes or prompts the hackers could not gain access to your account.
Well, that has all changed. Recent attacks leverage the same technology Microsoft use to keep you logged in, to hack your login. You see, when you log into Microsoft 365, the server will pass a “session-cookie” to your device (a small file containing some encryption keys). For the next few minutes, hours, or sometimes days, your device will use this session-cookie to authenticate with Microsoft instead of you entering your credentials again and again.
The cybercriminals have devised ways to intercept and steal this session-cookie and use it to log into your account. So, a combination of a phishing email, some fake login infrastructure, and session-cookie theft provides attackers a way to breach your Microsoft 365 login, even with MFA enabled.
Well at least it is complicated right? So, most attackers will struggle to implement it, and target bigger organisation? Right?
Wrong. Due to the popularity of the “as-a-service” model in our general economy, the criminals have adopted it too. You can rent “phishing-as-a-service” for as little as $250/month and start your foray into cyber-crime with little to no technical knowledge. Expect to see this type of attack increase exponentially over the next few years.
The good news is that you can still protect yourself against this type of attack, Microsoft are still one step ahead. The bad news is that it is not secure out of the box – you do have to configure it, and that is where we come in.
Securing Your Microsoft 365 Environment
Now that we understand the importance of securing Microsoft 365 and some of the latest ways criminals are attacking it, let’s explore some practical steps to enhance the security of your Microsoft 365 environment.
- Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Despite MFA not being failsafe, it remains one of the most effective security measures. Configure MFA for all users, using the Microsoft Authenticator app for iOS or Android. The notifications with number matching offer far greater levels of security and protection against human error than standard push notification; and are more user friendly than one-time-passcodes.
- Enrol Devices into Intune and use Conditional Access Policies
By enrolling devices into Microsoft Intune, you can register “known good” devices within your Microsoft environment. Conditional access policies then allow you to ensure that only enrolled devices can access your environment. Further security and compliance requirement can be enforced based on specific conditions, such as user location, device compliance, and risk level. By setting up conditional access policies, you can ensure that only trusted devices and users can access your Microsoft 365 environment, reducing the risk of unauthorised access.
- Regularly Monitor and Audit Activities
Regular monitoring and auditing of activities within your Microsoft 365 environment are essential for identifying and responding to potential security threats. First Stop IT offer a 24x7x365 managed Security Operations Centre which integrates directly into Microsoft 365 and alerts us to any suspicious activity, allowing us to take action to protect and secure your environment.
- Educate and Train Employees
Human error is one of the leading causes of security breaches. Even the most sophisticated attacks often start with a phishing email with a dodgy link in it. Educate your employees about the importance of security and provide regular training on best practices, phishing awareness, and how to recognize social engineering attacks. Empowering your workforce with knowledge is a critical component of your overall security strategy. First Stop IT’s Managed User Awareness Training is a great way to get started with user education; and our knowledgeable consultants can help you to develop a security awareness programme to suit the needs of your business.
- Enable Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)
Microsoft 365 offers Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) features that provide enhanced security against sophisticated threats such as phishing, malware, and ransomware. Enabling ATP can help detect and block potential threats before they reach your users, adding an extra layer of protection. These additional levels of protection often require enhanced licences; but it is 100% worth the additional cost when compared to the disruption, and costly remediation and fallout from a cyber-attack.
- Backup Your Data
Regularly backing up your data ensures that you can recover quickly in the event of a cyber-attack or data loss incident. First Stop IT Managed Backup for Microsoft 365 will back up your Email, SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams data securely in an independent ISO27001 certified cloud environment. Should you need data to be recovered we can quickly restore it to a location of your choice.
Conclusion
Securing your Microsoft 365 environment is a critical step in protecting your business from cyber threats. By understanding the latest types of threats, and implementing robust security measures, you can reduce the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access. With a proactive approach to security, and expert advice from our team at First Stop IT you can safeguard your valuable data and ensure the continued success of your business. If you are concerned about the security of your Microsoft 365 environment just drop us an email or give us a call.
For more information on securing your business Office 365 contact Tai
