Microsoft is bringing a new feature security 365 ProPlus to Office , which will be able to detect malware when users open Office documents outside of the Protected View sandbox.
The new feature is called Safe Documents or "Safe Docsfrom " and aims to protect users malicious documents that may target an organization .
Until now, Microsoft offered the Office Protected View sandbox , which isolates the operating system from potentially malicious code in a document. But often, users interrupt it to get work done. For example, they might interrupt Protected View when they want to print a copy. This can leave an organization's network exposed to viruses, ransomware , information theft , and other threats .
Nowadays, printing is usually done when absolutely necessary. However, it is still a common request, as many services require physical copies.
So, Safe Docs promises to help in those cases where the user is forced to exit Protected View. Essentially, it confirms that the documents are safe.
Safe Docs in Office 365 ProPlus works in the same way that Microsoft Defender (for virus protection) works. That is, it checks documents for all known potential threatsbefore the user opens the document on the computer.
The goal is to make it easier for employees to do their jobs. For example, thanks to Safe Docs, users don't have to decide for themselves whether a document is trustworthy before opening it.
Microsoft is also bringing Application Guard to Office 365 ProPlus. Application Guard first appeared in Edge. But now it's integrated into Office 365 ProPlus.
Application Guard for Edge allows Windows 10 enterprise users to browse the web without having to worry about attacks. This is because Application Guard isolates everything that happens in the browser so that the operating system.
Similarly, users can open untrusted Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint attachments in a secure manner without compromising the corporate network.
Microsoft designed the new security feature to strengthen Supported View in Office 365 ProPlus. It does this by providing more isolation, which blocks access to memory, local storage, other applications, corporate devices , and other resources that could be compromised by potential malicious code.
The Safe Docs feature and Application Guard will be available to customers with Microsoft 365 E5 and E5 Security.
Safe Docs in Office 365 ProPlus will initially be available to organizations in the US, UK, and European Union.
