How to Protect Office 365 Data from Microsoft Teams Phishing Attack?

The Microsoft Teams phishing attack has jolted thousands of Microsoft Teams users recently. There are lots of details you need to know regarding this attack in order to understand how attackers have attempted to trick you this time and how you can protect your Office 365 data. Let us break down what has actually happened, how a Teams user is most likely to respond to it, and what they can do better to protect themselves.

What You Need to Know About Microsoft Teams Phishing Attack?

• According to the reports, 15000 to 50000 Microsoft users are targeted by a new phishing attack.
• The Microsoft Teams phishing attack used Microsoft imagery to trick recipients into giving away their Office 365 credentials.
• It used disguised emails that imitated file share and audio notifications from Microsoft Teams.
• Attackers used different URL redirects that took people to a realistic yet fake login page.
• The attackers tricked recipients into opening the email and clicking on the links making the emails appear as Microsoft Teams is trying to notify the recipients of a missed chat.

How This Attack Can Cause Severe Damage to Your Office 365 Data?

The Microsoft Teams phishing attack uses cloned imagery to imitate Microsoft Teams notifications. Attackers send you emails that look automated and legitimate conversations from the Microsoft Teams service. Clicking on the links sent in the emails takes you through several URL redirects and ends up on a fake Office 365 login page. The page looks visually identical to the Microsoft login page and asks you to fill in your username and password for Office 365. Upon providing the login details, all of your Office 365 data is exposed to attackers.

How Can You Save Your Office 365 Account from Attackers?

Though the Microsoft Teams phishing attack uses convincing images and familiar-looking URL redirects, there are precautionary measures you can take to protect your Office 365 data. As the websites are set up to misdirect and deceive you so that the attackers can steal your login details, pay extra attention to URLs. URLs may have words related to Microsoft services with domains distinguishable from that of actual Microsoft page URLs. Some of the URLs may be easy to spot as fake, provided you keep an eye out. The practice of checking the source of emails can also help you keep yourself protected. However, the most successful and cost-efficient method to protect Office 365 data can be upgrading to a Microsoft 365 plan that comes equipped with or allows you to subscribe to the Advanced Threat Protection (now Microsoft Defender for Endpoint).

Keep Attackers at a Safe Distance with Apps4Rent and Microsoft 365

Some Microsoft 365 plans have Microsoft Defender for Endpoint built-in, while some other allows it as an add-on. When your Microsoft 365 plan has ATP enabled, you get protection against unknown malware and viruses, security against harmful links in real-time, and detailed reporting capabilities for your IT teams to track and stop cyberattacks. As a Tier 1 Microsoft CSP for Microsoft 365 services, Apps4Rent offers its experience and expertise in Microsoft 365 deployment. Contact our support team available 24/7 via phone, chat, and email for Microsoft 365 plans and migration assistance.