Microsoft Teams Is Cracking Down on External Meeting Bots

Microsoft Teams is getting stronger bot protection with a new meeting policy that can automatically block identified external bots from joining meetings.

According to Message Center ID MC1459141, Microsoft is rolling out the new security control to give organizations more control over which bots can access Teams meetings.

Microsoft Teams can automatically block external bots

The feature builds on the bot protection Microsoft introduced in June 2026.

That earlier implementation gave administrators tools to block bots manually. The new policy goes further by automatically preventing identified external bots from joining protected meetings.

Microsoft says the change can help organizations reduce security risks associated with third-party bots accessing meeting environments.

How the new Teams bot policy works

Administrators will find the new option under Manage bots in the meeting protection settings inside the Teams admin center.

Microsoft will keep the policy disabled by default, so organizations must enable it manually before using it.

Admins can then assign the policy to specific users or groups through the existing Teams meeting policy management system. Once active, Teams will automatically block identified external bots from meetings covered by the policy.

Microsoft recommends that administrators evaluate the setting before deploying it more broadly across their organization.

Microsoft plans a September 2026 global rollout

Microsoft is currently deploying the automatic bot-blocking feature through a targeted release.

The company expects that rollout to finish by the end of August 2026.

Microsoft then plans to make the feature generally available worldwide by late September 2026.

The change gives Teams administrators another automated security control at a time when bots and third-party integrations are becoming more common in workplace meetings.

In other news, GitHub Copilot can turn Teams chats into code, while new SynkLoader malware is spreading through Microsoft Teams.

Via BleepingComputer