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Microsoft is launching Collaboration Security for Microsoft Teams, a solution whose features include an enhancement of full end-to-end encryption.

The solution is among several Defender for Office 365 tools and applications being introduced to Teams as Microsoft, and its other features include enhanced visibility into attacks through end-user reporting and the new capability for IT admins and SecOps to auto-purge malicious messages and attachments after their delivery.

Initially announced in March 2023, Collaboration Security for Microsoft Teams is rolling out now, with full, email-style end-to-end encryption arguably its highlight addition.

Sehrish Khan, Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post in March:

With 71 percent of companies admitting that sensitive and business-critical data is regularly shared via collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams, organizations are increasingly realizing the need to make collaboration security an integral part of their overall SOC strategy. Thats why we are bringing the full feature set that customers use to protect their email environments across prevention, detection, and response to Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft state that Collaboration Security for Microsoft Teams was catalysed by the growth of hybrid and remote working, with the risks to data protection, privacy and security inherent to working over UC and collaboration platforms.

Attacks like phishing and ransomware that for decades have primarily used email as an entry point are now also targeting users on collaboration tools with growing frequency, Khan added.

Customers of Microsoft E5, Microsoft E5 Security, or Microsoft Defender for Office 365 can now leverage this update to improve their Teams security.

As well as introducing full end-to-end encryption in Teams, Microsoft also adds capabilities to improve cybersecurity awareness and resilience for business users.

All collaboration security functions will be integrated with the unified security operations (SecOps) experience of Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsofts Extended Detection and Response (XDR). As a result, all signals and alerts will be compiled across other domains, including endpoints, identities, email, DLP, and SaaS apps.

Microsoft now enables users to report suspicious messages directly in Teams, similar to how users can report suspicious emails in Outlook. The security team will be alerted whenever users report suspicious messages and can note them in the 365 Defender portal. This is an update of Microsofts Safe Links feature, initially launched in 2021, which scanned URLs shared in Teams conversations, chats, or channels for possibly malicious content at time-of-click to prevent users from accessing malicious websites.

All user submissions will be compiled into an auto-generated investigation of suspicious URL clicks. This will streamline the experience of reviewing suspicious messages for SOC teams, allowing them to respond more quickly.

The automatic purging of potentially malicious messages and attachments is an intriguing capability. For a faster response and automatic action, we are bringing zero auto purge (ZAP) to Teams, which protects end-users by analysing messages post-delivery and automatically quarantines messages that contain malicious content to stop the actor from compromising the account, Khan wrote.

Once a malicious message or attachment has been identified, the entire Teams ecosystem will be automatically scanned for the same sign of compromise before quarantining all other relevant messages at scale for better protection.

The default configuration for ZAP is to transfer all malicious messages into quarantine, where SOC teams can assess them further before deciding on the next steps, but the policy can also be customised to suit each businesss needs.

Other Collaboration Security features include providing SecOps with proactive tools for the advanced hunting of threats, which comprises a query-based threat-hunting tool that lets admins and SecOps examine up to 30 days of raw data. Microsoft is also adding attack simulation and training tools to bolster education, awareness, and risk assessment to support Teams user resilience against security threats.

Microsoft announced a series of new Copilot capabilities for Teams Phone and Chat. Copilot will be adding generative AI to phone calls for Teams Phone. With this new function, users can make and receive calls from their Teams app on any device and get real-time summarization and insights.

For Teams chat, users can quickly synthesise important information from their chat threads, allowing them to ask specific questions to catch up on the conversation so far, manage key discussion points, and summarise data relevant to their workflows.

Other new Teams features announced at Inspire included the Teams chat window being able to transfer to the Edge browser when opening webpage link from Teams chat, a keyboard shortcut to search chats and channels, collaborative notes in Teams meetings, and enhanced external collaboration requests.

Microsoft launched Bing Chat Enterprise, bringing Bing Chats generative AI features into the business world.

While Bing Chat Enterprises capabilities could be seismic for businesses around the world, Microsoft went to great lengths during the solutions announcement to emphasise how secure and safe its offering will be for companies with anxiety around data protection.

Microsoft emphasised the strength of Bing Chat Enterprises security because the most widely available generative AI solutions have come under close scrutiny in recent weeks and months for their handling of privacy and protection of business data.

The central issue is that OpenAIs ChatGPT, the most generally used generative AI service, leverages user prompts to develop and improve its model unless users deliberately opt out. This has galvanised worries that employees might inadvertently include proprietary or confidential data or information in their prompts, which ChatGPT utilises to answer future queries.

However, when business users utilise Bing Chat Enterprise, their chat data is not saved and, therefore, not extracted to train AI models. No one else can view the users prompts and data.

In this context, Collaboration Security for Microsoft Teams maintains MicrosMicrosoftstment in strengthening its security offerings across its suite.

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Teams Enhances End-to-End Encryption to Bolster Security - UC Today

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The need for robust cybersecurity measures has never been more critical than in 2023. Asymmetric encryption algorithms are the guardians of digital security ensuring that sensitive information remains protected and digital interactions stay authenticated.

There are many dangers out there that can harm our sensitive information and disrupt important services. These dangers keep evolving and becoming more advanced, making it harder to stay safe online.

From hackers trying to steal our money to cyber attacks sponsored by governments, the threats are diverse and relentless. They exploit weaknesses in our devices, and software, and even trick us into giving away our information.

To protect ourselves and our data, we need to be aware of these dangers and take measures to stay safe. By understanding the risks and implementing strong security measures, we can better defend against cyber threats and keep our digital lives secure.

Asymmetric encryption algorithms, also known as public-key cryptography, are powerful cryptographic techniques that play a pivotal role in modern cybersecurity. Unlike symmetric encryption, which relies on a single shared secret key for both encryption and decryption, asymmetric encryption algorithms utilize a pair of mathematically related keys a public key and a private key.

The concept behind asymmetric encryption is elegant and innovative. The public key is openly shared with the world, and accessible to anyone who wishes to engage in secure communication with the keys owner. On the other hand, the private key remains a closely guarded secret, known only to the individual or entity to whom it belongs. The ingenious aspect lies in the mathematical relationship between these keys data encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted with the corresponding private key and vice versa.

One of the most significant applications of asymmetric encryption algorithms is secure data transmission. By leveraging the public and private keys, these algorithms ensure that data exchanged between parties remains confidential during transmission, even if intercepted by unauthorized entities. The encryption process transforms the plaintext into an unintelligible ciphertext, and only the intended recipient possessing the corresponding private key can decipher and access the original data.

Asymmetric encryption algorithms are also instrumental in providing digital signatures, which verify the authenticity and integrity of digital messages or documents. Digital signatures are generated using the senders private key and appended to the data. The recipient can then use the senders public key to validate the signature, providing assurance that the message indeed originated from the claimed sender and has not been tampered with during transmission.

Beyond secure communication and digital signatures, asymmetric encryption algorithms find extensive use in file encryption. This application offers a robust solution for protecting sensitive data stored on electronic devices or transmitted across networks. By encrypting files with the intended recipients public key, the data becomes accessible only to the recipient possessing the corresponding private key, ensuring the datas confidentiality.

The concept of confidentiality is central to asymmetric encryption, as it guarantees that only the intended recipients with the appropriate private key can access and decrypt the encrypted data. This safeguard is essential for protecting intellectual property, personal information, financial records, and other sensitive data from unauthorized access and potential data breaches.

Additionally, asymmetric encryption enables the verification of the senders authenticity through digital signatures. Digital signatures provide recipients with a means to ascertain the legitimacy of the sender, reducing the risk of falling victim to phishing attacks or other forms of impersonation.

Moreover, asymmetric encryption enables non-repudiation, a crucial concept in cybersecurity. Non-repudiation ensures that a sender cannot later deny sending a specific message or initiating a particular transaction. The senders private key signs the message or transaction, providing cryptographic proof of the senders involvement and precluding any attempts to disavow the event.

Asymmetric encryption algorithms also play a pivotal role in facilitating secure key exchange techniques. These algorithms enable parties to establish a shared secret key for subsequent symmetric encryption without the need for prior communication or a secure channel. This key-agreement mechanism is essential for establishing secure and confidential communication between parties without the risk of exposing the shared key.

Beyond encryption and digital signatures, asymmetric encryption algorithms contribute to the creation of cryptographic hash functions, which play a critical role in ensuring data integrity. Cryptographic hash functions produce unique fixed-size hash values for input data, making it possible to detect any changes or tampering with the data, no matter how minor.

Finally, in the context of the internet and secure communication, asymmetric encryption plays a crucial role in creating digital certificates. These certificates are integral to establishing the authenticity and identity of entities on the internet, including websites and servers. By relying on asymmetric encryption, digital certificates ensure secure communication and encrypted connections with trusted entities, enhancing the overall security of online interactions.

In asymmetric encryption algorithms, users generate a key pair consisting of a public key and a private key. The public key can be openly shared, while the private key is kept confidential.

To send a secure message to the intended recipient, the sender uses the recipients public key to encrypt the data. Once encrypted, only the recipients corresponding private key can decrypt the information.

Upon receiving the encrypted data, the recipient uses their private key to decrypt it. As the private key is known only to the recipient, the confidentiality of the message remains intact.

In contrast to symmetric encryption, which uses a single key for both encryption and decryption, asymmetric encryption relies on a pair of keys.

Symmetric encryption is faster and more suitable for bulk data encryption, while asymmetric encryption excels in secure key exchange and digital signatures.

Here is a table that provides an overview of these two widely used encryption algorithms:

Both symmetric and asymmetric encryption have their strengths and weaknesses, making them suitable for different use cases. Symmetric encryption excels in speed and efficiency, making it ideal for bulk data encryption.

On the other hand, asymmetric encryption offers secure key exchange and digital signatures, enhancing security in communication and authentication.

The choice between the two encryption methods depends on the specific requirements of the application and the desired level of security.

Several asymmetric encryption algorithms are widely employed in the field of cybersecurity due to their unique features and varying levels of security.

Here are some of the most popular ones:

Triple DES (Data Encryption Standard) is an asymmetric-key block cipher based on the original DES algorithm. It provides enhanced security by applying the DES algorithm three times sequentially, using three different keys.

Each block of data undergoes a series of three transformations, significantly boosting security compared to the original DES. However, Triple DES has become less popular with the rise of more efficient and secure algorithms like AES.

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is one of the most widely used symmetric-key encryption algorithms. It replaced the aging Data Encryption Standard and operates on fixed-size data blocks with key lengths of 128, 192, or 256 bits.

AES employs a substitution-permutation network, making it highly secure and efficient for various applications.

RSA Security (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) is a widely used asymmetric encryption algorithm based on the mathematical properties of large prime numbers.

It involves a key pair a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption. RSA is commonly used for secure key exchange, digital signatures, and secure communication.

Blowfish is an asymmetric-key block cipher known for its simplicity, efficiency, and resistance to attacks.

It operates on 64-bit blocks and supports key lengths ranging from 32 to 448 bits. Blowfish is used in secure data storage and transmission, password hashing, and other cryptographic applications.

Twofish is another asymmetric-key block cipher designed as a candidate for the AES competition. Although not selected as the standard, Twofish remains a respected and secure encryption algorithm.

It operates on fixed-size blocks and supports key sizes of 128, 192, or 256 bits.

Cryptographic hash functions, while not exactly one of the asymmetric encryption algorithms, they are vital in cybersecurity. They generate a fixed-size hash value for an input message, ensuring data integrity and enabling digital signatures and password hashing.

Popular hash functions include SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-3, and MD5 (though MD5 is considered insecure).

Hash-Based Message Authentication Code (HMAC) is a construction that combines a cryptographic hash function with a secret key to provide message authentication and integrity.

Stateful Hash-Based Signature Scheme (SPHINCS) is a post-quantum secure digital signature scheme designed to resist quantum attacks.

Cracking the code: How database encryption keeps your data safe?

CAST (Carlisle Adams and Stafford Tavares) is a family of asymmetric-key block ciphers designed for secure encryption and decryption.

CAST-128 and CAST-256 are popular variants with varying block and key sizes.

Asymmetric encryption is a fundamental pillar of cybersecurity, providing robust mechanisms for secure data transmission, authentication, and digital signatures.

One of the primary applications of asymmetric encryption algorithms is to establish secure communication channels over untrusted networks, such as the Internet. When two parties wish to communicate securely, they exchange their public keys. Each party keeps their private key confidential.

By using the other partys public key to encrypt messages, they ensure that only the intended recipient with the corresponding private key can decrypt and access the information. This mechanism safeguards data confidentiality during transmission and protects against eavesdropping or unauthorized access.

Suppose Alice wants to send a confidential email to Bob. Before sending the message, Alice obtains Bobs public key. She then uses Bobs public key to encrypt the email, ensuring that only Bob, possessing the private key, can read the contents of the email.

Asymmetric encryption algorithms also enables the creation of digital signatures, a critical component for authenticating digital messages or documents. Digital signatures provide a way to verify the origin and integrity of data. The sender uses their private key to generate a digital signature, which is appended to the message.

Recipients can then use the senders public key to verify the signature, ensuring that the message indeed came from the claimed sender and has not been altered during transmission.

For example, a CEO can digitally sign an important company document using their private key. When employees receive the document, they can verify the signature using the CEOs public key to ensure that the document is authentic and has not been tampered with by unauthorized parties.

Asymmetric encryption is also employed for secure file encryption, adding an extra layer of protection to sensitive data stored on devices or transmitted over networks. Instead of using a symmetric key to encrypt the entire file, asymmetric encryption algorithms can be used to encrypt the symmetric key, which is then used for bulk encryption.

Imagine an organization that wants to share confidential files with a partner company. The organization encrypts the files using a randomly generated symmetric key. To securely share the symmetric key, they use asymmetric encryption algorithms. The partner companys public key is used to encrypt the symmetric key before sending it. Upon receiving the encrypted symmetric key, the partner company uses its private key to decrypt it and then uses the symmetric key to decrypt the files.

Asymmetric encryption algorithms areinstrumental in authentication mechanisms such as digital certificates, which are used to establish the authenticity of websites, servers, and individuals on the internet. Digital certificates contain the entitys public key, and a trusted certificate authority signs them, verifying the certificates authenticity.

When a user connects to a secure website (HTTPS), the website presents its SSL/TLS certificate. The users browser can verify the certificates authenticity by checking the signature from a trusted certificate authority. The certificates public key is then used to establish a secure connection and encrypt data during the browsing session.

Asymmetric encryption algorithms ensure non-repudiation, meaning the sender cannot deny sending a particular message or initiating a transaction. The use of the senders private key to sign the message provides cryptographic proof of their involvement.

Parties can use asymmetric encryption to sign contracts digitally. When one party signs a contract using their private key, it proves their agreement to the terms and prevents them from later denying their involvement in the contract.

As you can see, asymmetric encryption algorithms are one of the most important weapons you can use to ensure your and your companys cybersecurity.

Remember, your data is something you should guard as carefully as your ID in your pocket and you should always turn to its guardian angels.

Featured image credit: Freepik.

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Apple has accused the British government of attempting to become the de facto global arbiter of what level of data security and encryption are permissible in response to new legal proposals.

The iPhone maker warned that if the proposals became law it could be forced to publicly withdraw security features from the United Kingdom and potentially completely turn off services such as FaceTime and iMessage in the country.

The company was responding to a consultation on amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act, which was passed in 2016 in the wake of the Snowden scandal to reform the legal regime used by intelligence services and law enforcement agencies to access communications data.

In an update to this legislation, the Home Office is seeking to overhaul a range of protections originally baked into the legislation that would strengthen its ability to force technology companies into amending their services so that communications data can be accessed.

The proposed changes are independent of the countrys Online Safety Bill, which is still being debated in Parliament. Apple alongside civil society groups and other technology companies has also criticized this bill as risking the privacy of billions of people around the world by undermining end-to-end encryption.

According to Apple, the Home Offices plans to update the Investigatory Powers Act would allow the government to require the company to notify it over any security updates that could have a negative impact on investigatory powers.

The law currently allows the government to issue a secret notice prohibiting Apple from implementing such an update, something which Apple has the right to appeal. However, under a new amendment, Apple would be forced to comply with the instruction even while its appeal was being reviewed.

The company said: Together, these provisions could be used to force a company like Apple, that would never build a backdoor, to publicly withdraw critical security features from the UK market, depriving UK users of these protections.

The amended law would result in an impossible choice between complying with a Home Office mandate to secretly install vulnerabilities into new security technologies (which Apple would never do), or to forgo development of those technologies altogether and sit on the sidelines as threats to users data security continue to grow, the company said.

Recorded Future

Intelligence Cloud.

Alexander Martin is the UK Editor for Recorded Future News. He was previously a technology reporter for Sky News and is also a fellow at the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative.

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Keeping in mind the customer requirement, the finest Network Encryption System Market research report is constructed with the professional and in-depth study of Network Encryption System Market industry. Market segmentation studies conducted in this report with respect to product type, applications, and geography are valuable in taking any verdict about the products. This market report serves the purpose of businesses of making enhanced decisions, deal with marketing of goods or services, and achieve better profitability by prioritizing market goals. With the use of up to date and proven tools and techniques, complex market insights are organized in simpler version in the first class Network Encryption System Market business report for the better understanding of end user.

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Key Players Mentioned in the Global Network Encryption System Market Research Report:

Cisco, Thales Esecurity, Atos, Juniper Networks, Certes Networks, Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity, Adva, Gemalto, Nokia, Colt Technology Services, Aruba, Huawei, Ciena, Eci Telecom, Senetas, Viasat, F5 Networks, Raytheon, Arris, Stormshield, Atmedia, Securosys, Packetlight Networks, Quantum, Technical Communication

Global Network Encryption System Market Segmentation:

Market Segmentation: By Type

HardwarePlatformServices

Market Segmentation: By Application

Telecom And ItBfsiMedia And EntertainmentGovernmentOthers

Market revenue forecasts for each geographic region are included in the Network Encryption System research study. In addition to forecasts, growth patterns, industry-specific technologies, problems, and other features, this report contains a complete assessment of the major variables influencing the global market. A breakdown of the major market share, a SWOT analysis, a profitability index, and the geographic dispersion of the Network Encryption System market are all included in the Network Encryption System research. The global Network Encryption System industry research offers a comprehensive comparison of economies and global market places to show the Network Encryption System industrys importance in a changing geographic environment.

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COVID-19 Impact

Report covers Impact of Coronavirus COVID-19: Since the COVID-19 virus outbreak in December 2019, the disease has spread to almost every country around the globe with the World Health Organization declaring it a public health emergency. The global impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are already starting to be felt, and will significantly affect the Network Encryption System Market in 2023.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought effects on many aspects, like flight cancellations; travel bans and quarantines; restaurants closed; all indoor/outdoor events restricted; over forty countries state of emergency declared; massive slowing of the supply chain; stock market volatility; falling business confidence, growing panic among the population, and uncertainty about future.

Key questions answered in the report:

Table of Content (TOC):

Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview

Chapter 2: Industry Cost Structure and Economic Impact

Chapter 3: Rising Trends and New Technologies with Major key players

Chapter 4: Global Network Encryption System Market Analysis, Trends, Growth Factor

Chapter 5: Network Encryption System Market Application and Business with Potential Analysis

Chapter 6: Global Network Encryption System Market Segment, Type, Application

Chapter 7: Global Network Encryption System Market Analysis (by Application, Type, End User)

Chapter 8: Major Key Vendors Analysis of Network Encryption System Market

Chapter 9: Development Trend of Analysis

Chapter 10: Conclusion

Conclusion: At the end of Network Encryption System Market report, all the findings and estimation are given. It also includes major drivers, and opportunities along with regional analysis. Segment analysis is also providing in terms of type and application both.

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It's no exaggeration to say that small features in a chat app encode different visions of how society should be organized. If the first reacji in the palette was a thumbs down rather than a heart, maybe we would all be more negative, cautious people. What kind of social vision did Signal arise from?

Looking back, I and everyone I knew was looking for that secret world hidden in this one, Marlinspike admitted in a 2016 interview. A key text in anarchist theory describes the idea of a temporary autonomous zone, a place of short-term freedom where people can experiment with new ways to live together outside the confines of current social norms. Originally coined to describe pirate utopias that may be apocryphal, the term has since been used to understand the life and afterlife of real-world DIY spaces like communes, raves, seasteads, and protests. And Signal is, unmistakably, a temporary autonomous zone that Marlinspike has spent almost a decade building.

Because temporary autonomous zones create spaces for the radical urges that society represses, they keep life in the daytime more stable. They can sometimes make money in the way that nightclubs and festivals do. But temporary autonomous zones are temporary for a reason. Over and over, zone denizens make the same mistake: They cant figure out how to interact productively with the wider society. The zone often runs out of money because it exists in a world where people need to pay rent. Success is elusive; when a temporary autonomous zone becomes compelling enough to threaten daytime stability, it may be violently repressed. Or the attractive freedoms offered by the zone may be taken up in a milder form by the wider society, and eventually the zone ceases to exist because its existence has pressured wider society to be a little more like it. What kind of end might Signal come to?

There are reasons to think that Signal may not be around for very long. The nonprofits blog, meant to convince us of the elite nature of its engineers, has the unintentional effect of conveying the incredible difficulty of building any new software feature under end-to-end encryption. Its team numbers roughly 40; Marlinspike has just left the organization. Achieving impossible feats may be fun for a stunt hacker with something to prove, but competing with major tech companies engineering teams may not be sustainable for a small nonprofit with Marlinspike no longer at the helm.

Fittingly for an organization formerly led by an anarchist, Signal lacks a sustainable business model, to the point where you might almost call it anti-capitalist. It has survived so far in ways that dont seem replicable, and that may alienate some users. Signal is largely funded by a big loan from a WhatsApp founder, and that loan has already grown to $100 million. It has also accepted funding from the US government through the Open Technology Fund. Because Signal cant sell its users data, it has recently begun developing a business model based on directly providing services to users and encouraging them to donate to Signal in-app. But to get enough donations, the nonprofit must grow from 40 million users to 100 million. The companys aggressive pursuit of growth, coupled with lack of moderation in the app, has already led Signal employees themselves to publicly question whether growth might come from abusive users, such as far-right groups using Signal to organize.

But there are also reasons for hope. So far, the most effective change that Signal has created is arguably not the existence of the app itself, but making it easy for WhatsApp to bring Signal-style end-to-end encryption to billions of users. Since WhatsApps adoption, Facebook Messenger, Googles Android Messages, and Microsofts Skype have all adopted the open source Signal Protocol, though in milder forms, as the history of temporary autonomous zones would have us guess. Perhaps the existence of the Signal Protocol, coupled with demand from increasingly privacy-conscious users, will encourage better-funded messaging apps to compete against each other to be as encrypted as possible. Then Signal would no longer need to exist. (In fact, this resembles Signals original theory of change, before they decided they would rather compete with mainstream tech companies.)

Now, as the era of the global watercooler ends, small private group chats are becoming the future of social life on the internet. Signal started out a renegade, a pirate utopia encircled by cryptography, but the mainstream has becomealarmingly quicklymuch closer to the vision Signal sought. In one form or another, its utopia just might last.

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How Signal Walks the Line Between Anarchism and Pragmatism - WIRED

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