Microsoft adds file protection and email encryption to Office 365
They're part of a new set of tools to guard users against cybercrime.
Protecting yourself (and your documents) from cyberattack is only getting more important, so Microsoft is introducing new security features for the Home and Personal versions of its Office 365 suite. These aim to protect customers from the usual customers -- viruses and phishing scams -- as well as the increasing threat of ransomware. There's even a few convenient file-sharing and email features in the mix.
Some of these tools, like the 30-day OneDrive backup feature Files Restore, were brought over from the Business version to Home and Personal Office 365. The suite can now detect ransomware attacks and guide users through the recovery process, which pinpoints the time and date of the incident and restores OneDrive to its state before that.
The tools also cover sharing files between users, too. You can now set and require a password to access a shared OneDrive file or folder, which protects it if the link to the document is inadvertently forwarded. Additionally, starting later in 2018, links clicked on in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will be checked in real-time to find whether the destination website will likely download malware or be part of a phishing scam.
The new security features extend to outgoing messages. Outlook.com now offers end-to-end email encryption, which includes security mechanisms on the recipient's end. If they aren't opening the message in Outlook's browser login, mobile app or Windows Mail, they'll be directed to a trusted Office 365 web page to receive a one-time passcode. And at long last, you can prevent recipients from forwarding or copying emails sent from Outlook.com, a feature that encrypts messages even after downloading.
