As cyberattacks and data breaches increase, ensuring our online communications' security has become a top priority. Therefore, on October 1st, 2022, Microsoft retired Basic Authentication in Exchange Online as part of their ongoing efforts to help safeguard sensitive information and secure users' accounts on the platform.
With this move, businesses using Exchange Online will now have to rely exclusively on existing methods, such as Modern Authentication (OAuth 2.0 token-based authorization) to boost user account security. While this change may create some initial challenges for those transitioning to OAuth-based email services, it is yet another crucial step toward maintaining robust cybersecurity standards in the modern age.
What's Basic Authentication?
While Basic Authentication may seem like a simple solution for gaining access to protected resources, it can also leave your credentials vulnerable to being intercepted. Basic Authentication packets typically send a username and password with every request, sent back and forth over the wire in plain text. As a result, it is easy for malicious actors to get their hands on these unencrypted credentials and use them to breach your system.
Microsoft research found that "customers that have disabled Basic Authentication have experienced 67 percent fewer compromises than those who still use it."
For that reason, Microsoft completely disabled Basic Authentication and switched to Modern Authentication, which incorporates other factors besides user IDs and passwords. By doing so, they have ensured that your credentials remain secure and are not easily accessed by unauthorized individuals.
Protect Your Data With Modern Authentication
Unlike traditional security measures that rely on static passwords, modern authentication utilizes a combination of factors to verify users' identities and grant them access to their accounts. It helps ensure that both the client and the server are rightfully authorized to interact, such as Open Authorization (OAuth 2.0) and third-party Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) identity providers.
With this in mind, you can sign into your account using multifactor authentication (MFA) and even smart cards or certificates. This gives an extra layer of security where cyber threats are increasingly common and sophisticated.
Get Your Business Secure Today
Basic Authentication is still used on many devices, so all software and operating system updates must be up to date to secure yourself against potential threats. If your device is running the latest update but your email app still uses Basic Authentication, it may be time to remove and re-add the account on your device.
With Microsoft leading the way in cutting-edge digital innovations, we can be confident that they will continue to stay at the forefront when it comes to securing our online communications and protecting sensitive data from malicious actors.
References: Microsoft,
