Most of us would likely not think of Teams from tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) as an actual danger to anything other than maybe productivity. The kind of thing that can at worst interrupt your workflow. But Microsoft recently offered word of warning about potential Teams misuse, and how it can pose “real-world dangers.” The news did not hit shareholders very hard, as Microsoft shares were up modestly in Friday afternoon’s trading.
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Hackers are turning to Microsoft Teams as a way to breach systems, Microsoft noted. The idea is almost as simple as it is insidious; basically, once cybercriminals slip into Teams, they can use it as a social engineering platform, posing as contacts that users would normally trust, and hand over all manner of information to said contacts. The criminals in question might even use Teams as a means to distribute malware that can do all sorts of damage from there.
From here, a set of recommendations followed to better protect yourself on Teams, including using the system’s Privacy Mode to “…stop strangers from seeing when you’re active or trying to join meetings.” Also limit who has admin access to your Teams account, particularly if you share your Teams account with family or co-workers. Maintaining antivirus software is also a smart idea.
ROG Ally X Proves a Winner
Meanwhile, early word about the ROG Ally X is proving to be a win for all involved, as the unit has already sold out in several locations. Reports note, however, restocking has already taken place, but there are signs that Asus (ASUUY) may be having a hard time keeping up with demand.
Worse, despite the brisk sales and clear demand, there are some signs of concern about Microsoft’s overall strategy in the gaming market. It is unclear what the next Xbox will be like, or if it even will exist in the conventional sense. Some statements have come out of Microsoft to suggest that a new Xbox is forthcoming in about two years, but there are too many possibilities here as to what it will actually be like. Several unanswered questions are not putting gamers’ concerns to rest.
Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 33 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 22.35% rally in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $628.43 per share implies 22.77% upside potential.
