Microsoft is implementing a new security feature in Office to block malicious links included in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Documents hiding links leading to dangerous websites or malware- infected pages have been around for a while, and that's because Microsoft is introducing Advanced Threat Protection Safe Links support for the Office suite, trying to provide users with an extra layer of protection when working on the desktop.
Specifically aimed at Office 365 ProPlus subscribers, the new feature will give users a warning whenever they click on a link that has been marked as dangerous, with two options that will appear, either they can close the page or continue on the site despite the risk of malware infection.
Outlook will also support this feature, but Microsoft says that IT admins will not be allowed to continue to completely blocked pages, which means they will no longer have the ability to bypass the warning and continue to these dangerous websites.
Of course, this makes the new security feature useless if the warning is ignored and the website is actually compromised, and Microsoft promises to keep these warnings as accurate as possible.
“This new feature will be further integrated and expanded across Office 365. Our intention has always been to provide an end-to-end, unified, and secure experience across Office 365, and this expanded Safe Links feature is an example of a continued step in that direction,” Microsoft says.
"As cybercriminals expand their attack surface behind email workloads, it is essential to extend security capabilities beyond email. The Safe Links feature in ATP protects customers from malicious links in emails."
The feature will be available later this month, and it doesn't seem like Microsoft wants to extend it to Office 365 users.
