Microsoft Data Security Updates - 19th March 2024

Hey Team,

A lot to cover this week with some huge announcements from MS Secure - I will make sure I cover these off today and include some other updates and upcoming events!

I spoke about it last week as well, but I will be in Sydney speaking at the Data Discovery Day at the Microsoft office next week - for anyone that is attending, I look forward to seeing you there.

Product Updates and Announcements

Adaptive Protection integration with Conditional Access

Adaptive Protection is amazing, and I talk about it all the time.

It integrates dynamic insider risk levels with policy engines to automatically move users in and out of policies based on their risk levels. In February 2023, we announced that users can now be automatically included in the scope of data loss policies based on their insider risk levels.

or example, a DLP policy integrated with insider risk levels will prevent high-risk users from printing sensitive data, while allowing low-risk users to do so. And now, we’ve announced that Adaptive Protection is also integrated with Conditional Access.

You can create Conditional Access policies that automatically add users to policies based on their insider risk levels. This is a huge leap forward in securing your workloads using a risk-based approach, rather than relying on static policies.

The full blog post can be found here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/security-compliance-and-identity/the-dynamic-duo-for-your-data-security-adaptive-protection/ba-p/4079264

Using Communication Compliance to understand data security risks

Insider risks are a major concern for organizations, with 74% saying that insider incidents have become more frequent.

Companies have a responsibility to protect critical data while also maintaining a positive work environment for employees. It can be tough to balance data security and employee empowerment in today’s digital landscape.

We’ve announced some new feature updates for communications compliance to help identify data security risks, including Admin Unit Support, Enhanced policy conditions, New policy insights, Enhanced investigation and remediation experience, and New schedule reports.

Remember, communications compliance integrates with Copilot for M365, extending risk detection to prompted and generated Copilot content. So, make sure you’re considering using this with Copilot interactions.

Discover, protect, and govern AI usage with Microsoft Security

Organizations are adopting Generative AI (GenAI) at an unprecedented rate, with 93% of businesses either implementing or developing an AI strategy. With all the excitement comes some anxiety, as the technological advancements that enable innovation and business opportunities also introduce additional security and governance risks.

Leaders are feeling the anxiety with GenAI adoptions. A recent survey highlights the primary concerns among leaders over adopting AI, including potential leakage of sensitive data, generation of harmful or biased outputs, and lack of understanding regarding upcoming regulations and strategies to address them.

AI hub in Microsoft Purview

To keep data secure within AI applications like Copilot, it’s essential to gain visibility into potential risks. This means identifying and understanding the sensitive data involved in AI interactions and how users engage with these AI applications.

By taking this first step, organisations can enhance their data protection strategies and reduce potential risks. The AI Hub dashboard in the Microsoft Purview portal provides consolidated insights into AI activities, such as the total number of users who created prompts in Copilot, the number of prompts that contain sensitive information, and more.

By quickly discovering how AI is being used within the organization, you can identify patterns, pinpoint potential risks, and make informed decisions to best protect your organisation.

Govern the use of Copilot for Microsoft 365

The Audit feature is great because it lets organizations capture events and track user interactions with Copilot. It provides a detailed record of when an interaction happened, the files referenced, and their sensitivity labels. This is essential for maintaining transparency and accountability in AI usage. Plus, it enables organizations to manage retention and deletion policies for Copilot interactions, aligning with their specific needs. These features empower organizations to proactively govern their AI usage and comply with evolving regulatory requirements.

eDiscovery is awesome because it identifies, preserves, and collects relevant Copilot data for litigation, investigations, audits, or inquiries. Whether Copilot is used within applications like Word or shared in Teams chats, the interactions are preserved and can be exported for legal or regulatory purposes.

This capability enhances your organisation’s ability to respond to legal challenges and investigations efficiently.

Full blog post can be found here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/security-compliance-and-identity/discover-protect-and-govern-ai-usage-with-microsoft-security/ba-p/4078883

Microsoft Copilot for Security is generally available on April 1, 2024, with new capabilities

On April 1, 2024, Microsoft Copilot for Security will be moving to GA - the industry’s first generative AI solution that helps security and IT professionals catch what others miss, move faster, and strengthen team expertise.

Copilot is informed by large-scale data and threat intelligence, including more than 78 trillion security signals processed by Microsoft each day, and coupled with large language models to deliver tailored insights and guide next steps. With Copilot, you can protect at the speed and scale of AI and transform your security operations.

The gains are truly amazing: experienced security analysts were 22% faster with Copilot, 7% more accurate across all tasks, and 97% said they want to use Copilot the next time they do the same task.

This new study focuses on experienced security professionals and builds on the randomized controlled trial we published last November, which focused on new-in-career security professionals. Both studies measured the effects on productivity when analysts performed security tasks using Copilot for Security compared to a control group that did not.

The combined results of both studies show that everyone - across all levels of experience and types of expertise can make gains in security with Copilot. When we put Copilot in the hands of security teams, we can break down barriers to entry and advancement, and improve the work experience for everyone. Copilot enables security for all.

Full blog post here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2024/03/13/microsoft-copilot-for-security-is-generally-available-on-april-1-2024-with-new-capabilities/

Events

Microsoft Secure Tech Accelerator: Securing AI

Join us April 3rd for another Microsoft Secure Tech Accelerator! We will be joined by members of our product engineering and customer adoption teams to help you explore, expand, and improve the way you secure and implement AI.

In this edition of Microsoft Secure Tech Accelerator, we are focusing on Microsoft Copilot for Security, Securing AI, and Exposure Management. We want to help you understand how you can make sure that the way you implement your AI tools is secure. We’ll also cover some of the newly available solutions in the Microsoft Security suite that allows you to make securing your AI easier. ??

As always, the focus of this series is on your questions! In addition to open Q&A with our product experts, we will kick off each session with a brief demo to get everyone warmed up and excited to engage.

RSVP here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/security-compliance-and-identity/microsoft-secure-tech-accelerator-securing-ai-rsvp-now/ba-p/4084340

Blogs and Media

Security 101

Microsoft has released a Security 101 site that covers the basics of Security - if you’re at all interested in the profession, make sure you check it out!

You can deepen your security knowledge and gain a fundamental understanding of a variety of cybersecurity, identity, and compliance topics and best practices.

This course is designed for beginners to explain key security foundations, but it’s also great for experienced professionals in other areas who haven’t done any formal security training.

The full blog post can be found here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/itops-talk-blog/introducing-our-security-101-course-for-beginners/ba-p/4080271

Microsoft L33t Sp34k

World, meet Copilot L33T Sp34k—a new webinar series for experienced security professionals focused on generative AI. Hosted by Sarah Young , the first episode launched on March 5 with Luis Vargas , VP of AI at Microsoft, talking about Microsoft's vision for AI, top of mind for leaders in the AI security space and the security controls that the Azure Open AI platform offers to users.

Well worth your time, and one that I'll be tuning into moving forward!

Watch it here: https://msft.it/6047cRuKJ