June 15, 2024 at 01:15PM
Microsoft’s ‘Secure Future Initiative’ for Outlook personal email accounts includes deprecating basic authentication by September 16, 2024. It aims to enhance cybersecurity by phasing out unsafe practices and replacing them with modern authentication methods backed by multi-factor authentication. Deprecations include ‘Mail’ and ‘Calendar’ apps on Windows and Outlook Light, with support ending on specific dates.
Key Takeaways from the Meeting Notes:
1. Microsoft’s ‘Secure Future Initiative’ includes new cybersecurity enhancements for Outlook personal email accounts.
2. Basic Authentication (username and password) for Outlook clients will be deprecated for all Outlook personal accounts, including Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, and Live.com, starting September 16, 2024.
3. Basic Authentication method is unsafe and will be replaced by token-based authentication backed by multi-factor authentication (MFA).
4. Users using older apps that only support Basic Authentication will no longer be able to access Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, or Live.com email accounts after September 16 and will need to switch to email clients that support modern authentication methods.
5. Microsoft announced the deprecation of the Mail and Calendar apps, with support ending on December 31, 2024, and encouraged users to migrate to the new Outlook for Windows.
6. The ‘light’ version of the Outlook Web App will reach the end of support on August 19, 2024.
7. As of June 30, 2024, Outlook.com will no longer allow users to access Gmail accounts.
8. Side effects of the Cortana deprecation include the removal of ‘Play My Emails’ and ‘Voice Search’ on Outlook mobile at the end of the month.