These Microsoft Teams security features will be turned on by default this month – here's what admins need to know

A raft of security features for Microsoft Teams are set to be automatically enabled this month as the tech giant looks to bolster cyber capabilities for enterprise admins.

From 12 January, weaponizable file type protection, malicious URL detection, and a system for reporting false positives will all be automatically activated.

Messages containing suspicious URLs will also be flagged with warning labels, the tech giant revealed.

“We’re improving messaging security in Microsoft Teams by enabling key safety protections by default,” said the firm in a message to administrators.

“This update helps safeguard users from malicious content and provides options to report incorrect detections.”

Weaponizable file type protection blocks the transmission of file extensions known to be high-risk vectors for malware execution. Users falling foul of this will have their messages blocked.

With malicious URL protection, Teams will scan shared links in real-time to detect and flag known phishing sites or malicious domains with a warning label.

Meanwhile, the new feedback mechanism will make it easier for end users to report false positives, helping Microsoft fine-tune its threat detection algorithms – and minimizing wasted time for the end users.

It's worth noting that the update applies only to tenants that are utilizing the default configuration. Those that have previously customized and saved their messaging safety settings will keep those settings, rather than move automatically to the new defaults.

Because of this, Microsoft said administrators should quickly work out what they want to do, before the deadline.

Those that want to keep their current settings should review their Teams admin center configurations by navigating to Messaging > Messaging settings > Messaging safety in the Teams admin center.

Similarly, admins who would prefer to use different security parameters should adjust their settings and save the changes by the same date to prevent automatic activation of the new features.

Organizations should also update internal documentation and communicate these changes to help desk staff, Microsoft said.

Microsoft Teams is a prime target for hackers

Microsoft Teams boasts more than 320 million users globally, and it’s thanks to this widespread use that the workplace collaboration platform is a prime target for cyber criminals.

"Threat actors abuse its core capabilities – messaging (chat), calls and meetings, and video-based screen-sharing – at different points along the attack chain," said the firm in an advisory late last year.

"This raises the stakes for defenders to proactively monitor, detect, and respond."

In November, researchers at Check Point found four vulnerabilities – all now fixed - that allowed attackers to manipulate Teams messages, conduct business email compromise or forge identities in video calls or phone messages.

Real-world risks included executive impersonation, financial fraud, malware delivery, misinformation campaigns, and disruption of sensitive communications.

Organizations should strengthen identity protection, Microsoft warned at the time, harden endpoint security, secure Teams clients and apps, and configure detection and response capabilities.

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