Microsoft Teams will automatically detect phishing attacks in its messaging app

Microsoft Teams will become better at spotting phishing attacks thanks to a new enhancement released next month.

According to the latest entry in the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, this new enhancement, due for a release in November, will equip Teams with the ability to identify if an external user is indeed impersonating a brand targeted by phishing attacks.

The Brand impersonation protection will happen in Teams Messaging during the initial contact with an enterprise.

Here’s what the entry says:

Identify if an external user is impersonating a brand commonly targeted by phishing attacks, during their initial contact with an enterprise user via Teams messages.

Mac and Windows desktop devices will support the new capability, and it’s a welcoming addition to one of the most targeted apps in the world. Impersonating brands is quite common in cyberattacks, and hackers are using intelligent ways to deceive users, including using the rnicrosoft typing error.

To combat such attacks, the Redmond-based tech giant has developed Copilot for Security, an AI that responds to malware and phishing attacks. However, the company advises users of its products and services to keep a close eye on everything that seems suspicious, including emails.

Recognizing a standard phishing attack on Microsoft Teams is fairly easy, although cyberattacks have also started using AI, and some traditional methods might not be as effective as they once were.

In other news, around the same time, Microsoft Teams will be enhanced with an Improved People Search capability that will only showcase relevant content suggestions and people when looking for specific users.

Teams will also feature the ability to teach users how to pronounce names correctly. Microsoft teased this a while ago, but it’s finally coming in November.

Ultimately, the platform will also make it easier for users to insert hyperlinks by just selecting the text and pasting the URL, as opposed to having to open a hyperlink dialogue box.