Share this article
Latest news
With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low
Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app
Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities
Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount
Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier
Weeks away from US mid terms, we’re reminded of Microsoft’s expanded Defending Democracy Program with AccountGuard
3 min. read
Published onOctober 22, 2018
published onOctober 22, 2018
Share this article
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more
Arguably, the US Congress is doing little to curb the recent onslaught of cyber terrorism aimed at the nation, especially in light of recent reports thatRussia has once again targeted another national election cycle. While other nations are making middling progress to stem the levels of attack on their countries, internet savvy assailants are finding more ways to steal, leak and spread information or disinformation, depending on the desired result.
With just a couple of weeks before the US enters into its midterm elections, Microsoft is upping its effort to help patrol US political party protections.
To help curb the potential nefarious activity around the US 2018 midterm elections, Microsoft expanded its Defending Democracy Program toinclude a new tool called Microsoft AccountGuard.
AccountGuard is an additional free tool for any politically vested organization that already uses Office 365.AccountGuard is an extension of Microsoft’s own efforts to thwart meddling of the democratic process andultimately results in additional state-of-the-art cybersecurity and protection of documents, email, calendar events, etc.
Back in August, Microsoft was able to successfully execute a court order to go after anddisrupt the activities of six internet domains associated with the Russian government.
Last week, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) successfully executed a court order to disrupt and transfer control of six internet domains created by a group widely associated with the Russian government and known as Strontium, or alternatively Fancy Bear or APT28. We have now used this approach 12 times in two years to shut down 84 fake websites associated with this group. Attackers want their attacks to look as realistic as possible and they, therefore, create websites and URLs that look like sites their targeted victims would expect to receive email from or visit. The sites involved in last week’s order fit this description.
In lieu of Microsoft’s DCU most recent cybersecurity victory, the company maintains a vigilant outlook on upcoming cyber attacks for both national and international democratic processes.
We can only keep our democratic societies secure if candidates can run campaigns and voters can go to the polls untainted by foreign cyberattacks.
Hopefully, following the midterm elections of 2018, Microsoft will provide some numbers of attacks thwarted and also, how many campaigns chose to use its Defending Democracy Program as well as the new AccountGuard to measure its effectiveness.
For some voters, choosing a candidate who understands the necessity of cybersecurity is just as important as any other political campaign platform.
Kareem Anderson
Networking & Security Specialist
Kareem is a journalist from the bay area, now living in Florida. His passion for technology and content creation drives are unmatched, driving him to create well-researched articles and incredible YouTube videos.
He is always on the lookout for everything new about Microsoft, focusing on making easy-to-understand content and breaking down complex topics related to networking, Azure, cloud computing, and security.
User forum
0 messages
Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes
Comment*
Name*
Email*
Commenting as.Not you?
Save information for future comments
Comment
Δ
Kareem Anderson
Networking & Security Specialist
He is a journalist from the bay area, now living in Florida. He breaks down complex topics related to networking, Azure, cloud computing, and security
