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Microsoft Security Blog

Published
2 min read

Your Antivirus protection has expired. So what? You might be surprised. Microsoft’s new cybersecurity report explains. 

When you buy a new computer, often times it will come pre-installed with software provided by the manufacturer. This is commonly done by software providers as way to entice people to try their products before they buy. One of the most common types of software that comes pre-installed on computers is antivirus or antimalware protection […]

Published
1 minute read

Hundreds of Millions of Microsoft Customers Now Benefit from Best-in-Class Encryption 

Last month, we shared some important encryption advancements as part of our ongoing commitment to increase data protection for customers using our network and services. Today, we are pleased to share that Microsoft is bringing encryption technologies currently available in Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2, to older versions of our platforms. Through Microsoft […]

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<1 minute read

Microsoft Antimalware for Azure Cloud Services and Virtual Machines now Available for Free 

Microsoft Antimalware for Azure Cloud Services and Virtual Machines is now generally available for Microsoft Azure customers. This new security extension for Microsoft Azure provides an additional layer of security by helping to identify, block and remove malicious software on virtual machines managed by Azure customers. It provides real time protection from the latest threats, […]

Microsoft
Published
2 min read

Looking Forward: Trustworthy Computing 

When Bill Gates announced the Trustworthy Computing Initiative in 2002, he recognized that we needed to change both our processes and culture if we were to make fundamental changes in our products. To ensure that occurred, a centralized group was given responsibility to drive the initiative forward. At the 10 year milestone in 2012, a […]

Retain Microsoft Security Experts

Microsoft Security Experts are now available to strengthen your team with managed security services. Learn how to defend against threats with security experts.

Microsoft cloud protection 

(Note: Read about Windows Defender Antivirus cloud protection service in this blog entry: Windows Defender Antivirus cloud protection service: Advanced real-time defense against never-before-seen malware.) Microsoft is using cloud protection to help keep our customers safe. In fact, nearly any detection made by Microsoft security products could be the result of cloud protection. Software developers […]

Published
7 min read

How do digital youth of the “app generation” learn, communicate, and express themselves 

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Katie Davis, an assistant professor from the University of Washington Information School to discuss her role and a book she co-authored called, The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination in a Digital World. The University of Washington is the first to have an […]

Published
1 minute read

Measure Twice, Cut Once, With RMA Methodology 

I’ve been beating our drum for a while now about the inevitability of failure in cloud-based systems. Simply put, the complexities and interdependencies of the cloud make it nearly impossible to avoid service failure, so instead we have to go against our instincts and actually design for this eventuality. Once you accept this basic premise, […]

Industry Vulnerability Disclosures Trending Up 

<p>A vulnerability disclosure, as the term is used in the <a href="http://approjects.co.za/?big=sir">Microsoft Security Intelligence Report</a>, is the revelation of a software vulnerability to the public at large. Disclosures can come from a variety of sources, including publishers of the affected software, security software vendors, independent security researchers, and even malware creators.</p> <p>The vulnerability disclosure data in the Security Intelligence Report is compiled from vulnerability disclosure data that is published in the <a href="http://nvd.nist.gov/">National Vulnerability Database </a>(NVD). This database is the US government’s repository of standards-based vulnerability management data. The NVD represents all disclosures that have a published Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) identifier.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><strong>Industry-wide vulnerability disclosures trending upwards</strong></span><br>Figure 1 illustrates the vulnerability disclosure trend across the entire industry since 2011. Between 2011 and the end of 2013 vulnerability disclosure counts ranged from a low of 1,926 in the second half of 2011 to a high of 2,588 in the first half of 2012; there were more than 4,000 vulnerability disclosures across the entire industry each year during this period. For <a href="/b/security/archive/2012/03/15/trustworthy-computing-learning-about-threats-for-over-10-years-part-4.aspx">additional context</a>, the peak period for industrywide vulnerability disclosures was 2006-2007 when 6,000 - 7,000 vulnerabilities were disclosed each year. Vulnerability disclosures across the industry in the second half of 2013 (2H13) were up 6.5 percent from the first half of the year, and up 12.6 percent from the second half of 2012.  <a href="/b/security/archive/2014/07/08/industry-vulnerability-disclosures-trending-up.aspx">Read more</a></p>

Published
1 minute read

What is a trusted device? 

When you try to view or edit your credit card details or other sensitive information in your Microsoft account, you might need to enter a security code first, to make sure that only you can get in to your account. But you can designate a computer or other device as a trusted device. On trusted […]

Published
1 minute read

Strengthening encryption for Microsoft Azure customers 

In July, we published a blog post which talked about the advancements Microsoft had made in encryption for Outlook.com and OneDrive to further increase the security of our customers data.   Today, Microsoft Azure has taken additional steps toward our commitment to protecting customer data with the announcement of encryption improvements for Microsoft Azure guest OS. […]