Microsoft have announced it will be offering free cloud security logs for all customers over the next few months.
Security logs are crucial for detecting and preventing cybersecurity threats, and allowing hacking victims to take action quickly after a breach. Currently, Microsoft charges for some forms of logging.
The decision was made “in response to increasing frequency and evolution of nation-state cyberthreats.”
Customers will be receiving detailed logs of email access and over 30 other types of log data, previously available exclusively to customer paying premium services.
Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Security, Compliance, Identity and Management, Vasu Jakkal said, “These logs themselves do not prevent attacks, but they can be useful in digital forensics and incident response.”
The decision comes after Chinese hackers allegedly infiltrated cloud-based email systems at around 25 organisations globally. This included multiple US agencies.
The investigation became complicated due to a lack of logging in the “SolarWinds attack” disclosed in 2020.
That incident saw Russia state-sponsored hackers install malicious code in software updates from SolarWinds Corp, in an effort in infiltrate nine US federal agencies and around 100 companies.
