- Microsoft automatically enables security features for business users
- The updates include malicious URL blocking and phishing detection
- Any users who prefer these disabled can do so in Settings
Microsoft is strengthening its security posture for businesses, and starting January 12, 2026, Microsoft Teams will automatically enable critical security features for messaging — with the goal of protecting users who rely solely on default security configurations.
The new administrative update is part of Microsoft’s move towards a ‘secure-by-standards’ culture that protects organizations, reduces the attack surface and raises standards across the board.
“We’re improving message security in Microsoft Teams by enabling key security protection by default,” Microsoft informed administrators in a Microsoft 365 message center update. “This update helps protect users from malicious content and provides options to report incorrect registrations.”
Safe by default
The update will mean changes for all tenants that have the default messaging security settings, with three protections set to be automatically enabled.
The first of these is ‘Weaponizable File Type Protection’ – a feature that blocks messages containing dangerous file types or malicious URLs in Teams channels and chats, especially those that are high-risk vectors for executing malware.
Another enhanced security provision includes malicious URL detection for real-time scanning of links to flag suspicious websites and domains – an additional protection against phishing attacks. The rise of AI has led to a huge increase in the frequency and severity of phishing attacks, so extra protection will try to mitigate these.
The final feature added is a feedback mechanism that reports incorrect security detections and encourages end users to detail false positives so Microsoft can calibrate threat detection algorithms.
All admins who prefer to keep the more basic security provisions should review the settings before January 12, which they can do by going to the Teams admin center and then to Messages > Message Settings > Message Security.
Via: BleepingComputer
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