New Anti-Ransomware for Office 365

New Anti-Ransomware added for Office 365
For the past so many years, ransomware has been targeting big businesses, financial institutions, and individuals worldwide. From small to mid-size businesses, Microsoft Office 365 continues to be the fastest-growing office suite. It comes to no surprise that it has turned out to be a primary target for ransomware, and related scams. Keeping in view the security aspect, Microsoft has formally announced the beginning of latest anti-ransomware features for Office 365.

Features of new ransomware protection:

• Option of ‘file restore’ from ransomware and malicious attacks. 
• Facilitates in maintaining you information secure and confidential. 
• Advanced protection features from viruses and trojans. 
• Restore back up files from ransomware attacks. 

The newly added ransomware feature for Office 365 is called ‘File Restore’. Being a OneDrive feature, it offers the provision that helps allow users to return back and restore 30 days old files. Furthermore, this feature can be best utilized for unintentional mass deletes, corrupted files, or any other disastrous incident. Marketing it as anti-ransomware protection system tool, Microsoft is emphasizing more on the saving of files inside a OneDrive folder.

There might be some users who were targeted by ransomware and they had destroyed their files. However, once they start using new Microsoft Office 365 File Restore option, they can restore their deleted files efficiently. Microsoft has launched the potent Files Restore feature from OneDrive for Business to your individual OneDrive account. With his feature, all of your confidential files get protected in OneDrive. Moreover, you will be able to restore your complete OneDrive to an earlier point.

Microsoft Office 365 can now spot ransomware attacks and assist in restoring your OneDrive to a point earlier than files were disarranged. As a result, you can keep your files protected, and you don’t have to surrender to hackers’ demands. If a cyber attack is detected, you will be put on maximum alert through an email, desktop or mobile notification. Also, you will be given information about the complete recovery process.

Both the Office 365 Home and Office 365 Personal subscription offer highest-performance apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. In addition, they feature powerful cloud services like OneDrive folder and File Restore option. With the aid of Office 365, you can create, share, and communicate wherever you like, and at whatever device it may be.

As reported in a number of incidents, the cybercriminals are using ransomware to carry out their illegal activities related to system-lockup and stopping access to files in an attempt to ask for ransom from their victims. Microsoft launched new ransomware protection features with the purpose of helping customers, so that they can recover their files, in the event they are affected by a ransomware attack.

As all these threats progress, Microsoft is constantly improving malware detection capabilities, so as to keep you and your system safe from the most highly-developed ransomware.

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Cortana Assistant Security Vulnerability

In order to provide user-friendly experience, there are many technology companies who are continually introducing powerful virtual assistants that work across several devices. On the other hand, for a certain group of technology-competent individuals, these smart assistants can virtually open a gateway for the purpose of hacking. As per a recent report, 2 Israeli security researchers were able to download malware onto a locked Windows PC. This was possible on account of accessibility provided by Cortana that helped users to open websites locked on certain PCs. In other terms, Cortana gave an opportunity to hackers, and even a helping hand to them to gain access to locked websites.

Cortana, a virtual assistant, has been created for Windows 10. Most recently, it added an additional feature that can be helpful to use Cortana from the Windows 10 lock screen. This development can’t be termed as innovative, since, Google Assistant and Siri are able to do so on Windows 10 as well as Smartphones. This functionality while the screen is locked is limited in the case with Siri and Google Assistant, but Cortana is an exception.

Even if the PC is locked, the users can open websites using Cortana. The websites can be loaded, and Cortana allows for the same without making any sense or being visible in this process. The oddness of this nonsensical feature of Cortana can actually be an opportunity to gaining a wrongful access to the computer. As a result, the hackers can perform their nefarious activities on any of the computers linked to the same network.



The Israeli security researchers carried out the process by plugging in a USB using a network adapter. Subsequently, it was able to secure webpage opening requests and redirect them to a malicious site. After that, this site will automatically install malware by downloading it, thereby, providing hackers an opportunity in the form of a gateway to gaining access to the locked computer. Evidently, this kind of unauthorized access was temporary, and no physical access to that computer was involved. However, the compromised PC can be used by the hackers for several illegal means to infect other computers linked to the same network, including Cortana.

Unfortunately, Microsoft was made aware of the insecurity on account of Cortana, but their reaction is amusing. Cortana has been observed to be bypassing security passwords. As a substitute for opening a webpage directly, it will now redirect the webpage opening command to the Bing search engine. Even so, it will still respond to the website opening command, and the researchers are making an effort to discover other similar cases where Cortana can be utilized to ignore security. As a security measure, Cortana can also be set to respond only to your peculiar voice. Even, this measure has been found to be non-reliable and non-perfect.

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Windows Security (Microsoft Security Essentials) has failed AV-Test certification

Microsoft Security Essentials has failed AV-Test, In German security company that focuses primarily on analyzing antivirus software and if the title looks acquainted, it's because it revealed in Dec last year that Windows it failed the test. Obviously, Microsoft was not irritated by the evaluation, and did little to help its ranking since AV-Test is back again with another analysis and Windows Security Requirements continue to be slacking off.

In the latest analysis, which was performed over the month of Dec, Windows antivirus was only able to secure 78% of zero-day viruses strikes. Even though this is a minor enhancement over the last test (in which Security Requirements only obstructed 71 percent), which is still below the market regular of 92%.

While Microsoft was silent last year when it was written about November's analysis in Dec, it's been very vocal this time around, clamming that AV-Test's technique is defective. And its main argument was that the normal Security Requirements customer does not experience the same type of viruses that AV-Test used during the assessment. Joe Blackbird, system administrator for Microsoft Malware Security Middle had written that their evaluation revealed that 0.0033% of Microsoft Security Requirements and Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection clients were affected by viruses which were not recognized during the analyze and in addition to that, 94% of the viruses examples not recognized during the analyze didn't effect our customers.


































According to Windows own analysis, Security Requirements obstructed a near-perfect 99.997% of zero-day strikes. While there could be concerns concerning the credibility of examining their own products, Microsoft's data is based off of real-world results.

Honestly, I'm a bit confused why Microsoft addressed the AV-Test research in the first place. Its Security Requirements is the master of the hill when it comes to market share 26.7% of North America states, according to OPSWAT, so it obviously that it has the support of its clients.

However, people really like Security Essentials, and this is shown by those who provided great insight on why that is the way it is, and the reason why an antivirus shouldn't be measured based solely on its ability to block zero-day attacks: Anyway this is a decision you’ll have to make for yourself.

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