Latest news with #Microsoft365
Forbes
17 hours ago
- Forbes
Windows Warning Issued As Printers Used In New Hack Attacks
Hackers are using printers to attack Windows devices. Nobody should be surprised by now at the ingenuity of threat actors looking to hack your accounts and devices. I have recently reported on how SMS attackers can strike without knowing your phone number using the SMS Blaster machine, a smartwatch can be used to hack even highly secure air-gapped networks, and even Windows secure boot protections can be bypassed. What might come as a surprise, however, is the news that a new and ongoing hack attack campaign is enlisting the help of your printer to hack your Windows systems. Here's what you need to know. Windows Users Warned As Microsoft 365 Direct Send Hackers Deploy Printers To Attack A new report by the Varonis Managed Data Detection and Response Forensics team has confirmed an ongoing threat campaign, already known to have targeted at least 70 organizations, the vast majority of which are based in the U.S., using on-premises devices such as printers to exploit a poorly known Microsoft 365 feature to deploy the Windows hacking attack. That feature is Direct Send, allowing devices such as printers and scanners to send email without any authentication. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, as it happens. 'Threat actors are abusing the feature to spoof internal users and deliver phishing emails without ever needing to compromise an account,' Tom Barnea, a forensics specialist at Varonis, said. The as yet unnamed hackers used this Microsoft 365 Direct Send function in order to target predominantly U.S. organizations with malicious messages that are 'subject to less scrutiny compared to standard inbound email,' according to Barnea. The Varonis investigation has concluded that the ongoing threat campaign appears to have started in May 2025, with a level of 'consistent activity over the past two months.' Mitigating The Windows Printer Attack To mitigate the Microsoft 365 Direct Send attacks, Varonis recommends organizations do the following: Microsoft, meanwhile, said that most Microsoft 365 and Windows customers don't need to use the Direct Send feature, and it is working on an option to disable it by default to protect customers. 'We recommend Direct Send only for advanced customers willing to take on the responsibilities of email server admins,' Microsoft concluded.
Techday NZ
a day ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
Veeam named Leader in Gartner 2025 backup & data report
Veeam has been named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Backup & Data Protection Platforms for the ninth time in a row. Gartner has also placed Veeam in the highest position for Ability to Execute for the sixth consecutive year as outlined in the latest Magic Quadrant, a research report that assesses vendors in the backup and data protection sector. The recognition comes as Veeam has introduced a series of new capabilities, especially within the Veeam Data Cloud portfolio. These developments include expanded protection options for Microsoft SaaS environments, expanded safeguarding for both Microsoft 365 and Entra ID user identities, and new features for predictable, immutable offsite storage to help further guard against ransomware attacks. The company has also launched added support for Salesforce, widening the coverage of secure and recoverable enterprise cloud applications. Market position The Gartner Magic Quadrant is a widely referenced industry analysis which categorises technology providers into four quadrants based on their 'Ability to Execute' and 'Completeness of Vision.' Leaders occupy the highest positions across both axes, reflecting vendor capabilities and ongoing advancement in the field. Gartner analysts report that these distinctions are based on comprehensive, fact-based research and support organisations seeking to align strategic decisions about data protection with the particular needs of their business. Commenting on Veeam's continued placement, Anand Eswaran, Chief Executive Officer at Veeam, said, "Veeam's success is built on serving our customers' needs and supporting them as their technology needs evolve – from delivering the most complete end-to-end cyber resilience capabilities to giving them the freedom to choose where and how to store and use their data." "That commitment to innovation, which has been at the core of our company since its inception, continues today as the world moves to SaaS and as organisations are incorporating AI into their core business processes. Veeam is the one-stop shop for keeping critical data safe no matter what happens." Veeam presently counts over 550,000 customers globally, including nearly 72% of the Global 2000 companies, who rely on its services for data protection and recovery needs. Recent advancements The company has added protection for the identities managed through Microsoft's Entra ID as part of its Microsoft SaaS offering. This, coupled with enhancements in offsite storage, is intended to improve resilience to increasingly prevalent ransomware threats. There is also new support for Salesforce, which means a greater proportion of customer cloud applications are included within Veeam's protective umbrella, responding to increased demand for data security across diverse cloud-based platforms. Gartner Magic Quadrant background The Magic Quadrant is a recurring research tool used by organisations to assess technology vendors. According to Gartner, the reports "are a culmination of rigorous, fact-based research in specific markets, providing a wide-angle view of the relative positions of providers in markets where growth is high and provider differentiation is distinct." Providers are ranked in the quadrants of Leaders, Challengers, Visionaries, and Niche Players. Gartner emphasises that the Magic Quadrant results should not be interpreted as endorsements or recommendations for a specific vendor, but instead as a resource intended to support organisations as they review the changing data protection landscape and make purchasing decisions based on their individual requirements. Industry landscape The backup and data protection sector continues to evolve alongside new security challenges, particularly the growth in cyber threats such as ransomware and demands driven by artificial intelligence and SaaS adoption. Through its document, Gartner notes that the name and scope of the Magic Quadrant report has adapted to reflect these shifting industry priorities. It highlights the importance of robust research and considered decision making for technology and security leaders seeking to effectively safeguard business operations and data assets.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Microsoft to make Windows more resilient following 2024 IT outage
This story was originally published on Cybersecurity Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Cybersecurity Dive newsletter. Microsoft plans to roll out key platform upgrades in July in an effort to build greater operational resilience into the Windows platform, following the 2024 global IT outage linked to a faulty software update from CrowdStrike. The changes — including quick machine recovery and other features letting Microsoft 365 users continue accessing the cloud in a protected environment — are part of a Windows overhaul that Microsoft announced in November to build a more secure environment that would prevent software updates from causing widespread operational disruptions for enterprise customers. In September, the company met with major security firms to discuss how such an overhaul would work. 'We recognize our shared responsibility to enhance resiliency by openly sharing information about how our products function, handle updates and manage disruptions,' David Weston, corporate vice president of enterprise and OS security at Microsoft, said in a blog post released Thursday. Microsoft's partners welcomed the changes and said they would create a more secure environment for customers. 'The Microsoft Windows endpoint security program encourages a collaborative, transparent environment that will strengthen cyber resilience for all customers,' Jim Treinen, senior vice president of engineering at Trellix, told Cybersecurity Dive via email. The July 2024 outage caused approximately 8.5 million Windows systems to malfunction, resulting in major disruptions across a wide variety of critical infrastructure providers. Emergency services providers, major hospitals, airlines and banks all reported significant problems. After an internal investigation, CrowdStrike said the problem resulted from a botched software update on its Falcon platform. The disruptions caused billions of dollars in losses for companies that faced lost productivity and other challenges.
Techday NZ
2 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
KnowBe4, Microsoft partner to enhance email security with AI
KnowBe4 has announced a strategic integration with Microsoft, aimed at improving email security for organisations using Microsoft 365. The announcement details that KnowBe4 Defend will work alongside Microsoft Defender for Office 365, specifically integrating with its quarantine functionality. This collaboration is part of Microsoft's Integrated Cloud Email Security (ICES) initiative, and it marks the first such partnership in the programme, establishing a new approach for security vendors to work together. Integrated strategy According to KnowBe4, the Defend platform is designed to complement Microsoft 365's existing protections by introducing agentic AI methods for advanced inbound threat detection. The integration is intended to allow organisations to retain their investment in Microsoft's security tools while benefiting from an additional, purpose-built layer of threat identification and response. "This new collaboration is driving meaningful innovation in cybersecurity. By combining Microsoft's email and collaboration security infrastructure with KnowBe4's leadership in human risk management and robust threat detection capabilities, organizations can now capitalize on a truly integrated defense strategy that benefits from the unique strengths of both platforms. We look forward to offering this to our global customers to help them enhance their security efforts," said Stuart Clark, VP of Product Strategy, KnowBe4. Detection and response The integration creates multiple concurrent layers of analysis, which KnowBe4 states will increase the likelihood of detecting and preventing threats from reaching end users. The combined capability draws on Microsoft Defender for Office 365's quarantine processes and KnowBe4 Defend's AI-based detection mechanisms. The set-up is intended to support existing investments in Microsoft security while enhancing the breadth and depth of threat analysis. Beyond improving threat identification at the point of entry, the combined platforms provide unified Security Operations Centre (SOC) tools. These are designed to speed up incident investigation, support root cause analysis and enable tactical responses, ultimately offering organisations greater visibility and control over email threats targeting their workforce. Focus on human risk management KnowBe4 positions itself as focused on human risk management in the cybersecurity sector. The company states it supports organisations in strengthening their security cultures and managing risks associated with human behaviour. Its AI-driven Human Risk Management platform includes modules for training, compliance, real-time coaching, crowdsourced anti-phishing, and AI-based defence agents, all aimed at empowering employees to make better security decisions. The company claims to be working with over 70,000 organisations globally, delivering a suite of security tools designed to adapt and respond to evolving cybersecurity threats. The HRM+ platform aims to transform end users into effective components of an organisation's overall security posture through education and active participation in identifying threats. The ICES ecosystem The strategic partnership with Microsoft places KnowBe4 as the first vendor to join Microsoft's ICES vendor ecosystem, which seeks to foster collaborations with select security firms. The ICES programme is intended to offer Microsoft 365 customers a broader set of defence capabilities by encouraging interoperability between Microsoft's platforms and specialist security vendors. With this integration, customers can continue to use Microsoft 365 and Defender for Office 365 services, while having the option to add an extra layer of AI-powered detection and response without duplicating existing resources or disrupting their operational processes. The collaboration is expected to provide a model for future integration between Microsoft and other security companies within the ICES framework. Both companies have emphasised that the approach is focused on building collective defences to mitigate the risks posed by sophisticated email-based threats. Follow us on: Share on:
Techday NZ
2 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
KnowBe4 integrates with Microsoft to boost email threat defence
KnowBe4 has announced a strategic integration with Microsoft Defender for Office 365, marking the first partnership within Microsoft's new Integrated Cloud Email Security (ICES) vendor ecosystem. This new collaboration brings KnowBe4's AI-powered threat detection and human risk management capabilities together with Microsoft's email security tools, aiming to create a more unified defence against email-based threats for organisations using Microsoft 365. According to KnowBe4, the integration is specifically designed to complement Microsoft 365's existing security infrastructure rather than replace it. By incorporating KnowBe4 Defend's advanced inbound threat detection, organisations can retain their current Microsoft security configuration while adding another protective layer focused on specialised threat identification and response. One of the main features of the integration is the seamless flow of KnowBe4 alerts directly into the Microsoft Defender quarantine console. This functionality enables security teams to manage threats and investigate alerts within a single interface, streamlining workflows and improving response efficiencies. The partnership is positioned as a significant development in Microsoft's ICES ecosystem, which promotes collaborative cybersecurity between Microsoft and third-party vendors. The approach reflects a broader trend in the industry towards integrated, interoperable solutions that support a layered security model. This new collaboration is driving meaningful innovation in cybersecurity. By combining Microsoft's email and collaboration security infrastructure with KnowBe4's leadership in human risk management and robust threat detection capabilities, organisations can now capitalise on a truly integrated defence strategy that benefits from the unique strengths of both platforms. We look forward to offering this to our global customers to help them enhance their security efforts. The integration aims to increase the probability of detecting and preventing sophisticated email threats before they can impact end users. By leveraging multiple methods of analysis and detection across both platforms, the solution offers organisations a multilayered approach to email security. Additionally, it provides security operations centres (SOC) unified tools for quick investigation, root cause analysis, and tactical response to incidents. KnowBe4 describes its platform as an AI-driven system for human risk management, used by more than 70,000 organisations globally. The company's HRM+ platform features modules such as security awareness and compliance training, cloud email security, real-time coaching, crowdsourced anti-phishing services, and AI defence agents. The integration with Microsoft Defender for Office 365 expands this toolkit, allowing organisations already invested in Microsoft's email security products to build upon their existing defences. The new collaboration provides a practical example of how security vendors can cooperate to deliver enhanced protection for their shared customer base. The inclusion of KnowBe4 as the first vendor in Microsoft's ICES ecosystem is expected to encourage further partnerships and integrations, supporting an industry shift towards a more collaborative and integrated security landscape. Follow us on: Share on:
