• Last week, Microsoft warned users of phishing attacks conducted by the Nobelium hacker group.
• The company proposed a plan of action that will help prevent such cyberattacks in the future.
• Microsoft's Tom Burt says that antivirus software paired with Microsoft Defender for Office 365, are detecting and protecting users against malware.
• The U.S. government’s Cybersecurity Executive Order highlighted the need for public and private sectors to collaborate and strengthen the cybersecurity infrastructure.

As you might know, Microsoft unmasked the hacker group known as Nobelium for phishing attacks targeting thousands of accounts belonging to government personnel and human rights organizations, last week.

Also worth knowing is that Nobelium has been previously linked to the Russian foreign intelligence agency SVR and, also, the recent SolarWind attacks.

Microsoft suggests cloud usage for better protection

Microsoft, after warning users everywhere of these impending attacks, is now proposing a plan of action that will help prevent cyberattacks on this scale in the future.

As Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Customer Security and Trust, Tom Burt, mentioned in an important blog post, the company has a few solutions for this period of crisis.

According to Burt, Microsoft has been monitoring the situation closely and, as a result, antivirus software paired with Microsoft Defender for Office 365, are detecting and protecting users against malware.

If we think about it, this could be why a large number of organizations have not been affected despite being targeted.

First, we must work to better defend. The best defense is to move to the cloud, where the most secure technology from any cloud provider is always up to date, and where the fastest security innovations are occurring. All users should also employ two-factor authentication and other basic cybersecurity hygiene.

Clouds are more secure than PCs, according to security experts

Security analysts and experts continuously stress the importance of transitioning to the cloud, where providers are actively working to follow the latest cybersecurity standards and managed tooling.

Another very important requirement for everyone that uses digital services, is that the two-factor authentication features should always be enabled.

The U.S. government’s Cybersecurity Executive Order highlighted the need for public and private sectors to collaborate and strengthen the cybersecurity infrastructure, not only for government tooling but also the ecosystem in general.

Tom Burt applauded this initiative and declared himself very happy about the efforts to strengthen cybersecurity.

That EO, which will require strong collaboration between the public and private sectors to fully implement, will significantly improve the security of government agencies and the technology ecosystem broadly. The EO is a reflection of this Administration’s unprecedented commitment to cybersecurity.

We always underline the importance of adequate protection while constantly being online and urge users to take their internet security serious.

The only question we can ask ourselves is: Are we doing everything we can to make sure we don’t become victims or malware attacks?

Have you ever been targeted by malicious parties? If so, tell us about your experience in the comments section below.

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