W.J. Alsemgeest

Microsoft Teams is finally adding QR code protection for messages from external users! ​ To help reduce the risk of phishing and fraud, images containing QR codes from external senders will be obscured by default. ​ Users can choose to reveal the image before viewing or scanning the QR code. ​ This security enhancement promotes safer interactions with content received from external users while maintaining flexibility for trusted communications. ​ 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 ​ General Availability (Worldwide): Beginning in late October 2026 and expected to complete by late October 2026. ​ 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 ​ • Organizations that allow communication with external users in Microsoft Teams. • Users who receive Teams messages from external senders. • Teams administrators and support teams that manage external collaboration policies. ​ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 ​ • Images containing QR codes sent by external users will be blurred by default in Teams messages. • Users can reveal the image if they trust the sender and want to view or scan the QR code. • The blurred image does not indicate that Microsoft Teams has determined the QR code to be malicious. • The protection is applied automatically to QR code images received from external senders. • No administrator configuration or policy changes are required. • The feature will be enabled by default as part of the rollout. ​ 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ​ It's recommended that administrators: ​ • Inform users that QR code images from external senders may appear blurred by default. • Remind users to verify the sender before revealing or scanning QR codes. • Review existing user education materials related to phishing awareness, QR code safety, and external collaboration. • Update internal help desk documentation to reflect the new user experience. ​ #Microsoft365 #Teams #Cybersecurity

IMPORTANT: Retirement and breaking changes for Azure Communication Services! ​ Microsoft announces that Azure Communication Services (ACS) will retire as a standalone offering on September 30, 2028. ​ 𝗔𝗖𝗦 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱: ​ • ACS Email • ACS SMS • ACS Advanced Messaging with WhatsApp • ACS Chat • ACS Chat for Teams Meeting interoperability • ACS Rooms • ACS Number Management (Direct Offer) • ACS Direct Routing • ACS Job Router • ACS Web UI Library SDK • ACS Mobile UI Library SDK ​ 𝗔𝗖𝗦 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀: ​ • ACS Voice and Video Calling SDK • ACS Call Diagnostics • ACS Call Automation • ACS Audio Streaming • ACS Call Recording • ACS Closed Captions ​ If you're using ACS, please review your current implementations and plan for the upcoming retirements and breaking changes! ​ 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟴 ​ Learn more: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/az… ​ #Azure #Microsoft