Microsoft wants its email users to head into the New Year with a little peace of mind.
On Wednesday, the company announced that it will begin notifying users if it believes their accounts "have been targeted or compromised by an individual or group working on behalf of a nation or state." The precautions are meant to deter unauthorized access to Microsoft accounts (including Outlook.com email and OneDrive) by anyone other than the person assigned to it.
"We already notify users if we believe their accounts have been targeted or compromised by a third party, and we provide guidance on measures users can take to keep their accounts secure. We're taking this additional step of specifically letting you know if we have evidence that the attacker may be 'state-sponsored' because it is likely that the attack could be more sophisticated or more sustained than attacks from cybercriminals and others," Microsoft wrote on its website as part of the announcement. "These notifications do not mean that Microsoft's own systems have in any way been compromised."
The company added: "If you receive one of these notifications it doesn't necessarily mean that your account has been compromised, but it does mean we have evidence your account has been targeted, and it's very important you take additional measures to keep your account secure. You should also make sure your computer and other devices don't not have viruses or malware installed, and that all your software is up to date."
This announcement follows competitive companies such as Yahoo, Twitter and Facebook all making similar moves recently to warn users of potential hacks on their accounts.
Reuters additionally reports that Microsoft has alerted users about potential hacks for the past two years without singling out probable offenders. However, that has changed with this announcement.
"As the threat landscape has evolved our approach has too, and we'll now go beyond notification and guidance to specify if we reasonably believe the attacker is 'state-sponsored,'" the company's statement to Reuters said.
While Microsoft plans on doing its part to help users avoid security breaches to their accounts, users can help themselves, too, by exercising common safety practices such as turning on two-step verifications, changing their passwords often and just flat-out being aware of suspicious activity.
