Microsoft beefs up protection for Office 365 users, including ransomware recovery

Microsoft adds specific features to help users recover files from malicious attacks including ransomware

Microsoft has added new security features to its Office 365 Home and Office 365 Personal products, including the ability to recovery files from malicious attacks such as ransomware.

In a blog post, the software giant explained that subscription holders will benefit from new protection capabilities, with ransomware at the top of the list it wanted to improve protection for.

Microsoft has introduced two new features that enable users to recover their files if they are affected by ransomware.

First, it is making its Files Restore feature offered on OneDrive for Business available to personal OneDrive accounts. This means that users can restore their entire OneDrive to a previous point in time within the last 30 days.

"You can use this feature to recover form an accidental mass delete, file corruption, ransomware, or another catastrophic event," the company claimed.

In addition, Microsoft said that Office 365 will now detect ransomware attacks and help users restore their OneDrive to a point before their files were compromised, so that consumers don't have to submit to cyber-criminal demands. The company claimed this was a "top request" on its customer feedback platform UserVoice.

"If an attack is detected, you will be alerted through an email, mobile, or desktop notification and guided through a recovery process where you'll find the date and time of attack preselected in Files Restore, making the process simple and easy to use," wrote Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president for Office.

"As these threats evolve, we are continuously improving detection capabilities to help keep you safe from the most advanced ransomware," he added.

In addition to the ransomware-specific security features, Microsoft is also introducing tools to help users keep their information secure and private.

This includes an option for links shared in OneDrive to come equipped with a password to access a shared file or folder, preventing others from accessing files if the intended recipient accidently forwards or shares the link.

Other features include email encryption in Outlook.com, which Microsoft said would minimise the threat of information being intercepted or leaked to cybercriminals; and ‘prevent forwarding', which restricts email recipients from forwarding or copying emails that have been sent from Outlook.com.

Microsoft had announced advanced link-checking and attachment scanning in Outlook.com in October, and it is bringing this feature to Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

"Starting later this year, links you click in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will also be checked in real-time to determine if the destination website is likely to download malware onto your computer or if it's related to a phishing scam," said Koenigsbauer.

"If the link is suspicious, you will be redirected to a warning screen recommending you don't access the site," he added.