Microsoft Office 365 will soon make it a lot easier to flag security threats

Representational image depecting cybersecurity protection
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Microsoft is making it a lot easier to report possible security threats with an upgrade to its Office 365 platform.

The company has revealed an updated "submissions" experience for Microsoft Defender for Office 365 that should provide users with a more intuitive way to flag potential issues.

The move will see user-reported messages on Microsoft Defender sorted into individual tabs depending on the nature of threat, making it easier for security teams and admins to quickly pick up on and address the most pressing issues.

Office 365 security flags

In its entry on the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, Microsoft notes that Office 365 users will be able to flag across a number of categories, including the likes of Phishing, Spam, Junk and more depending on their experience.

The update is listed as still being in development for the time being, but has an expected general availability date of October 2022, meaning a wider launch shouldn't be too far off.

Once launched, the service will be available for Office 365 web users across the world, giving customers a significant security boost.

The news is the latest upgrade to Defender and Office 365 as Microsoft continues to work on improving the platform.

The company announced a new version of the platform as part of its Windows 11 update boasting a host of improvements, including making it easier to manage the security of multiple devices (covering laptops, tablets and smartphones) from a single place.

Microsoft Defender for Business, the business-focused edition of the platform, was also made generally available for enterprises everywhere earlier this year, helping prioritize the most urgent risks to their organization.

The expansions may be needed, as recent research claimed a quarter of IT professionals either don’t know or don’t think Microsoft 365 data can be impacted by a ransomware attack.

The research from Hornetsecurity also suggested 40% of IT professionals that use Microsoft 365 in their organization admitted they do not have a recovery plan in case their data is compromised by a ransomware attack.

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.

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