Microsoft Defender is having a hard time dealing with cyber criminals as they get stronger

A few months back, tech giant Microsoft announced an improved Microsoft Defender for its users. The main idea behind this service was to provide a much stronger and safer experience for the Microsoft family.

The Defender would offer tips and suggestions. It would update a device's security from time to time. However, according to a survey conducted by a famous software company, Avanan, Defender is having a hard time defending its name as cybercriminals keep getting their hands on user data through different means.

Avanan studied over 3 million emails in a single week and discovered that almost 18.8% of the emails were able to bypass Microsoft Defender. The software company believes that the reason behind this figure could be due to criminals getting their game strong.

As explained by Avanan, the attackers first ensure that they can bypass the defender. This is done with the help of test attacks before throwing the main attack on the victim. In a nutshell, these test attacks teach hackers how to get around the Defender without actually confronting it one-on-one.

This is why it is wrong to say that Defender is getting weak, as it is the cybercriminals who are leveling up their game by getting faster and better by finding alternative methods that can get them access to the victims' inboxes.

According to the survey report, attacks have started to become more frequent ever since COVID-19 made its entry, leading to a global lockdown. The emails through which phishers are reaching their victims are complex and elusive.

Emails claiming refunds or fake purchases that can lure the victim in and make them visit the attached links, leading them directly into the attacker's trap, are getting more frequent.

Overviewing malicious emails or emails that are expected to be spam is now affecting the working hours of several companies. According to Avanan, sorting out emails has consumed over 23% of the working hours. Similarly, another firm reported that they spent almost 104 days in a year analyzing spam or what they expected to be malicious emails. As a result, companies face difficulties in dealing with other important matters.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World