Microsoft is mandating multi-factor authentication on all Office 365 accounts. This rule comes as a result of increased hacker attacks on Cloud Solutions Providers (CSPs).
PCM, the world's 6th largest CSP, had intruders break into their company and plunder their email systems. Why did this happen? An employee who had full access to emails and documents in Office 365 was not using MFA. As a result, his account was hacked—along with many customer accounts.
Microsoft Corp. stated in June 2019:
"To help safeguard customers and partners, we are introducing new mandatory security requirements for the partners participating in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program . . . This includes enforcing multi-factor authentication for all users in the partner tenants and adopting a secure application model for their API integration with Microsoft. We have notified partners of these changes, and enforcement will roll out over the next several months."
This rollout includes Adept Solutions' clients. In the next couple of weeks, we will notify clients of the MFA rule and send step-by-step instructions. But, if you want a head start, watch the setup process in this video.
As a Tech Beacon article explains, identity theft is an easy, low-risk, high-reward type of crime and a threat to all businesses. It is the fastest-growing type of crime and is now more profitable than drug-related crimes.
Adept Solutions places layers of security on the networks we manage. But without user authentication, the front door is still wide open.
Many people think Microsoft's mandatory MFA requirement is long overdue. Adept Solutions agrees it is time to add this layer of security to our client's accounts.