Microsoft 365 will stop spamming emails
- Microsoft Office 365 is a great tool to prevent phishing emails
- Microsoft Office 365 provides anti-phishing protection
- We will be using the Microsoft Office 365 tools to stop phishing emails
- It is not enough, phishing emails can still get through this protection.
- It is necessary to have an anti-phishing tool.
Microsoft Office 365 Anti Phishing is Critical
Stopping phishing with Microsoft 365 is important as more businesses move to the cloud and Microsoft Office 365 usage grows by more than 50%.
We will discuss how Microsoft 365 can be used to stop phishing email, and other tools that can be used to put an end to phishing email.
From Spear Phishing, to Whaling
Understanding the various types of phishing emails such as social engineering and spear phishing is important. Each one has a unique set of characteristics and each requires a different response in order to stop phishing emails. These are the most popular types of phishing emails:
- Simple phishing
- Phishing with sophistication
- Phishing is a serious problem
- Whale watching
Simple phishing emails
Simple phishing emails were really easy: A Nigerian prince who really needed your assistance, or someone you know who is stuck in Thailand with their bank account stolen. The simple phishing emails are now slightly more sophisticated and include competition winners (yes, people still click those), mailboxes full of phishing email, password expired and so forth.
Phishing emails that are sophisticated
These attacks are more sophisticated than simple phishing emails and contain more carefully-planned elements. This is a common example. The threatening email claims that they have video evidence that you are watching por no graphy. Send us bitcoin or we’ll send the videos to your contacts. Phishing emails are more complex because they often start by quoting your real passphrase (which they purchased online from another data breach). You can also use document-based phishing emails like Google Docs, Dropbox links, or Microsoft OneDrive messages. These emails look legit and hide their links well.
Spear Phishing
These are targeted phishing attacks against a particular person or group. The attacker will usually have done some research on LinkedIn to find the victim’s name, email address, and that of a boss/colleague. The attacker will then send a targeted, phishing email posing as from a trusted source and asking for information that is relevant to the victim’s job. A CEO might send a targeted phishing email to a CFO about a “secret project” and ask for money “urgently”.
Whale watching
Then there is whaling. When attackers target the top brass of an organization, such as the CEO or Chairman. The message is often carefully written and meticulously researched. Too many of these attacks have failed, leading to firings and data breaches.
Social Engineering
Many of these forms of phishing share a common trait: some form of social engineering. Social Engineering The use of deception to get people to divulge personal or confidential information in order for fraud purposes. As we examine Microsoft Office 365, social engineering will be a key component to protecting your company and users from phishing emails.
Anti Phishing Tools Microsoft Office 365
Microsoft O365 has tools and settings that can help reduce the risk of phishing in your company.
Through the Microsoft Office 365 Admin Dashboard
Microsoft’s Admin Dashboard offers basic anti-phishing protection. Click “Admin Centers” and then “Security & Compliance” to get started.
In the Admin Centers, navigate to Security & Compliance
A feature-rich dashboard will be displayed that covers everything, from data security to threat management. This page is regularly updated by Microsoft, so make sure to bookmark it.
- Click on Threat Management to access anti-phishing protection specific to your situation.
- The Security & Compliance dashboard
- You will need to create an anti-phishing policy if you don’t have one.
- Setting up anti-phishing with Microsoft Office 365
- These steps will help you create your own rules.
- Creating an anti-phishing policy
You can change the settings to make sure that spam or phishing emails are not deleted, sent as junk mail, or handled in another manner. This is the first step in stopping phishing emails from Microsoft Office 365.
Microsoft Office ATP
Microsoft ATP (or “advanced threat protection”) is not to be confused the world tennis tour. It provides an additional layer of security for stopping fake email. Although ATP does not provide a complete barrier against phishing attacks, our tests have shown that it can be part of a multi-layered security approach. Visit Microsoft’s ATP documentation centre to set up ATP.
Microsoft Outlook to Stop Phishing Emails
Microsoft Outlook has built-in tools to help you stop phishing emails. Click “File” from your administrator account and then “Rules & Alerts”. You can create your own rules and alerts to give you some control over your email. This allows you to, for instance, move emails containing a particular word in the subject into a folder. If you receive phishing emails that have the subject “You’ve Won An iPhone!” you can move them to junk.
Managing rules and alerts in Microsoft Outlook
You can also set up alerts to be notified of mass emails and potential attacks in these cases.
Creating a rule through Microsoft Outlook
Junk Emails
Junk is often thought of as the final stop for bad email. However, it can be a very powerful tool when used properly. You can create rules, such as safe or blocked senders, to give you at least some influence over what emails are delivered to your inbox and to other users.
Using Junk folder options to create rules
You can use Microsoft Office 365 to prevent phishing emails. There are many other tips and tools that you can use, including policies that label emails from external sources. But those will be left for another post.
More advanced anti-phishing tools
There are also anti-phishing tools specifically designed to protect your users. These tools are powerful but have some limitations. These are:
- Expensive
- It is difficult to set up
- Require changing settings, MX records, etc.
- It is time-consuming to manage
- It is effective against spam but not as effective against phishing
However, some solutions are designed to meet business needs and do not suffer from these disadvantages.
- Microsoft Office 365 add-in approved by Microsoft
- It is easy to set up in just a few clicks
- Requires no settings changes
- Can be set up to run in the background on “autopilot”.
- Offers great value
- It is effective in stopping phishing emails
We recommend looking at what is out there to help you find the right fit for your company.
Empowering users
Experts in stopping phishing emails can tell you that any solution must include education for your users. They are the ones being “at the coalface” of receiving phishing email every day. Therefore, they must be taught and empowered to handle the threat of phishing email.
Microsoft Office 365 – Stop Phishing
Microsoft Office 365 has powerful features that can stop phishing emails. These features are not sufficient to stop all phishing emails your company receives. A combination of Microsoft O365 solutions with a custom-built anti-phishing tool will protect you, your users and your entire organization.
