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SECURITY BEST PRACTICES FOR MICROSOFT TEAMS

 * Article
 * 10/30/2023
 * 3 contributors
 * Applies to: Microsoft Teams

Feedback


IN THIS ARTICLE

    
 1. Security at a user level
    
 2. As with email messages, online safety must be practiced with Microsoft Teams
    messages
    
 3. Also see
    

Collaboration through instant messaging and video conferencing has allowed many
industries and schools to move their interactions online. However, online
real-time collaboration at such a broad scale also comes with risks that must be
addressed. Otherwise, bad actors take advantage of this change in work and life
with phishing and spam campaigns.

The numbered reference list in this article acts as a primer for general
security when using Teams to interact with others. It is security training
guidance for people new to Teams, or to any online collaboration solutions.


SECURITY AT A USER LEVEL

The same phishing risks that exist in email exist in instant messaging and
collaboration apps so the same user-awareness and guidance should be applied to
safeguard Teams users.

At a user level, some measures can be simple, and users should feel empowered to
rely on them.

 * Users shouldn’t click to open links from anyone that they don’t know, or
   whose identity they can't verify per the article Protect yourself from
   phishing.

 * Users can choose to accept or block messages when interacting with users they
   do not know or do not expect to be contacted by.

 * To further protect against external attacks, tenant admins can disable
   interaction with external users through enterprise federation and Teams for
   Life (TFL) and Skype interoperability—see Manage external access (federation)
   - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Docs.

The Teams collaboration feature set allows messaging, file collaboration,
meetings, whiteboards, and many other opportunities to connect. These features
work across Teams for Enterprise, Teams for Life, Skype, Skype for Business,
Azure Communication Services (ACS), and more. That also means it’s necessary to
protect yourself, your peers, and your customers across the breadth of these
capabilities. Here, again, every user should be empowered to make the safest
decision for themselves, their peers, and their customers.


AS WITH EMAIL MESSAGES, ONLINE SAFETY MUST BE PRACTICED WITH MICROSOFT TEAMS
MESSAGES

Standard safety measures should become ingrained while working in Teams.

 1. Be wary of contacts and meeting requests from outside of your organization.
    Strangers can be well meaning. And some can secretly mean harm.
 2. When you get new chat-based message from an external person that you haven't
    accepted any chat or interaction with before, you'll be presented with an
    option to accept or block the communication request.
 3. If you don’t recognize the sender, you can check the profile card. When in
    doubt, don't interact with unknown and unverified users.
 4. If you receive a link or file from an unknown person, don't click on it.
    Again, use your best judgment for your own, other users', and your
    customers' safety.
 5. If selecting a link lands you on a safe links page where you're blocked from
    navigation, don't try to circumvent that page. The same goes for selecting
    any attachment that may end in a red, blocking attachments safe page. Users,
    you can report that message Report messages in Teams and admins can Report
    the problem to Microsoft. Users should remember to alert whomever directed
    them to the suspicious link so that they don't continue to send the problem
    link of attachment. Many reasons exist to land on a blocking page, so
    consider the red flags behind rather than to simply go around the blocking
    page.
 6. Never give personal information out to any unsolicited requests. Providing
    personal information is also a risk to personal safety. Attackers can use
    details as simple as your birthday.
 7. Scan your links for iffy spelling, added digits, or strange characters. You
    may be expecting a link to www.litware.com/strategies/Metricsbreakout.xlsx,
    but find that the address looks like www.litwre.com, www.litwarecom.com, or
    even www.litwαre.com. If you don’t recognize the link, be suspicious. The
    address www.litware.com isn't the same as www.litware2021.com.

Maintaining your vigilance is important. Don't take your security or the
security of those you work with lightly or for granted. You should always feel
empowered to protect yourself, your peers, and your customers by verifying
before you trust.

Finally, recognizing that everyone makes mistakes is critical. Users are prone
to clicking when in a hurry or tired, for example. Admins must provide users in
their organization resources to escalate problem link clicks and other security
incidents. Those resources need to be well known so that if a user makes a
mistake, the person has recourse and more security actions they know how to
take.

Tip

Check the Profile card of any contact you’re not sure about, particularly if the
email is external to your company (for example, an account ending in
@litware.com if your organization is not Litware). A user can verify that people
they don't know are welcome Guests to a meeting by checking the Profile card for
(GUEST). Guests are expressly invited to participate.


ALSO SEE

The Teams Security Guide





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