With nearly 300 million users and over 1 million enterprises that use it as its default messaging platform, Microsoft Teams has firmly established its place in the modern workplace. Its close integration with other Microsoft products makes workplace collaboration easier with instant messaging, video conferencing, and document/application sharing.
There’s another reason for its popularity among enterprises: the MS Team’s direct routing feature, which allows you to connect MS Teams to external phones — just like an office VoIP phone.
With these advantages, its popularity should come as no surprise. However, as this popularity grows, so does it appeal to cyber criminals. And that explains the rising trend of attacks on MS Teams voice users.
Before we dig into the details, let’s back up a little.
What is Microsoft Teams Direct Routing?
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing connects Microsoft Teams users to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) — allowing Teams users to place and receive external voice calls directly within the app. This enables a complete PBX voice-calling experience within or outside an enterprise without the hardware dependency (desk phones etc.) and associated costs. And there’s a reason why companies are increasingly opting for it.
Advantages of MS Teams Direct Routing
- Cost savings: Direct routing eliminates the need for additional hardware, software, and associated maintenance costs while allowing enterprises to take advantage of lower-priced PSTN call rates.
- Improved productivity and user experience: It enables real-time collaboration and maximized productivity for remote and in-office employees by allowing them to make and receive phone calls directly from Microsoft Teams. It provides a consistent user experience across multiple devices for internal and external communication.
- Scalability: Enterprises can now scale their communications by simply adding or removing users, making it easier for companies to adjust their communications infrastructure as needs evolve.
- Better Call Quality – By connecting through the cloud voice infrastructure, users benefit from increased call quality and reliability compared to traditional landlines.
These advantages are hard to ignore, but so are the emerging security risks with using MS Teams Direct Routing.
The Hidden Security Risk in MS Teams Direct Routing
Imagine this.
Jim, an employee at a reputable company, receives an incoming call on MS Teams. The number displayed looks like that of the company’s IT desk. So of course, Jim answers the call.
It’s John from the IT security team. They’ve discovered a breach on a few accounts and Jim’s account is one of the compromised ones. He needs Jim to act quickly to curtail the damage. He needs to download a utility that will ‘secure his account’. John patiently guides him on the phone as Jim downloads and installs the software – and then hangs up — right when Jim sees a pop-up on his computer.
He frantically tries calling John – but the call simply does not go through.
Jim, the victim of a user impersonation attack on MS Teams, has just caused a ransomware incident for his company.
The Escalating User Impersonation Risks on MS Teams
User impersonation attacks on MS Teams should come as no surprise. They exploit the popularity of the platform, and the familiarity users have with it, to launch voice scams on unsuspecting end users. The consequences can range from data breaches and financial losses to reputational damage.
One of the most menacing outcomes of such attacks is the rise of ransomware—a form of cybercrime that often takes control of critical data or devices until a ransom is paid. Organizations held captive by ransomware face a difficult choice: pay the ransom and hope the attackers uphold their end of the bargain or refuse to comply and endure the potentially crippling loss of crucial data.
Why Enterprises Need to Analyze, Identify & Block Malicious Calls Before They Reach MS Teams Users
To combat the growing risk of user impersonation and the associated ransomware threats, forward-looking enterprises need a proactive defense strategy.
They need to ensure that every call on MS Teams is screened – and malicious calls are screened or flagged in real time. This needs an advanced solution that screens incoming calls on multiple patterns, enabling it to detect spoofed calls, user impersonation attempts, and spam calls in real-time – by analyzing factors such as the caller’s history, the call behavior, and other contextual analysis.
Securing MS Teams Direct Routing Users with Assertion® SecureVoice™
Assertion® SecureVoice™ is designed to fortify an enterprise’s voice infrastructure – by ensuring that every user – be it an MS Teams user, a Cisco user, or even a VoIP remote worker, is protected from malicious and unwanted calls.
Its advanced algorithms continuously monitor and evaluate incoming calls, adapting its threat detection mechanisms based on evolving trends and emerging attack techniques.
Wrapping Up
As businesses continue to rely on collaboration platforms like MS Teams for seamless communication, it is crucial to prioritize the security of its end users.
The risk of ransomware resulting from user impersonation attacks on MS Teams is a pressing concern for organizations of all sizes. The consequences of falling victim to such attacks can be severe, jeopardizing sensitive data, incurring financial losses, and tarnishing reputations. It is imperative for organizations to adopt proactive measures to mitigate these risks effectively.
By leveraging the power of AI and purpose-built VoIP security solutions that analyze call patterns, durations, and behavior, enterprises like yours can proactively secure your enterprise from the dangers of user impersonation and other voice scams.
To see this in action, sign up for a no-cost POC of Assertion® SecureVoice™ for your MS Teams by emailing us on sales@assertion.cloud