Securing Microsoft 365 Collaboration Tools: Beyond Basic Protection

With over 320 million daily active users in 2024, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive have become indispensable tools for workplace collaboration. They help employees connect, communicate, and share critical information in real time. But with this increased reliance comes heightened vulnerability. Solutions like Mimecast's newly launched Collaboration Security and protection for Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive future-proofs organizations by securing critical collaboration workflows. 

The evolution of cyber threats has revealed unique risks targeting collaboration platforms. Standard security measures, while essential, often fall short in defending against these sophisticated threats. These include internal phishing attempts, and exploitation of supply chain integrations. The challenge of fortifying these platforms also highlights a broader issue of human risks in enterprise security, as it often takes just one compromised account or misstep to put entire organizations at risk.

The Modern Threat Landscape

Collaboration tools bring convenience and productivity, but they also expose organizations to new types of vulnerabilities. Here is a breakdown of the most pressing threats:

• Employee-to-employee security risks: Even within the organization, employee communication via Microsoft 365 carries security risks due to inherent trust.
• Compromised accounts: Cybercriminals exploit stolen credentials to gain unauthorized access to collaboration platforms, often using trusted accounts to spread malware or steal credentials.
• Internal phishing attempts: Threat actors target employees through internal communications, making phishing emails or Teams chat messages more credible and harder to detect.
• Supply chain attack vectors: Tools like SharePoint and OneDrive rely on third-party integrations and external collaboration, which opens supply chain vulnerabilities.
• Malicious file sharing: Attackers embed malware or phishing sites in shared files, leveraging collaboration tools as the infection vector. Employees unknowingly download or access malicious attachments, leading to wider breaches.
• Compromised third-party integrations: Trusted integrations with external vendors such as connected Teams environments or apps can become gateways for cyberattacks. Hackers exploit vulnerabilities in these integrations to penetrate collaboration platforms.

Real-Life Examples

Recent threat research has shown an increase in such attacks. For instance, Mimecast reported cases of attackers using fake SharePoint links to distribute ransomware, while phishing messages masked as internal Teams communications successfully stole employee credentials.

To protect collaboration tools effectively, businesses must look beyond basic protection and implement advanced security layers:

• Advanced threat detection: Sophisticated AI-powered solutions can , detect malware-injected files, and prevent phishing attempts in real time.
• Real-time file scanning:  Mimecast's Collaboration Security continuously scan files shared or uploaded in Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint ensuring the infection is caught as it occurs. Suspicious files are quarantined, ensuring malicious content never reaches end users.

These measures do not just protect the organization; they empower employees with confidence to use collaboration tools without fear of compromising security.

The power of unified security

When discussing collaboration security, the true value comes from unified solutions that centralize and streamline protection across communication tools and workflows. A unified security platform provides a centralized view of all collaboration activity across Email, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. This allows IT administrators to monitor threats, track activity, and respond instantly to suspicious behaviors.

Integrated security ensures that every file, message, or link used to collaborate is subject to uniform security policies. This eliminates gaps caused by disjointed systems and reduces risk.

With tools like Mimecast, threats are identified and quarantined promptly, keeping malicious content out of reach. Alerts notify administrators instantly, ensuring quick action and minimizing potential damage.

One of the key advantages of a unified platform is reduced complexity for IT security teams. By consolidating tools and processes, security teams spend less time managing disparate systems, giving them more bandwidth for strategic initiatives.

Businesses Must Evolve

The threat landscape for Microsoft 365 collaboration tools like Mimecast's Collaboration Security is growing more sophisticated, and businesses must evolve their defenses accordingly. 

By integrating advanced threat detection, real-time scanning, and consolidated security management, businesses can ensure Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive serve as productivity enablers, and not security risks.

Next Steps 

Is your organization ready to keep malware and phishing out of collaboration tools?  Learn more about Mimecast’s Collaboration Security.