Microsoft Security Blog: Microsoft’s Secure by Design journey: One year of success

Apr 17, 2025

—

Source URL: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2025/04/17/microsofts-secure-by-design-journey-one-year-of-success/
Source: Microsoft Security Blog
Title: Microsoft’s Secure by Design journey: One year of success

Feedly Summary: Read about the initiatives Microsoft has undertaken over the past 18 months to support secure by design, secure by default, and secure in operations objectives as part of our SFI Initiative.
The post Microsoft’s Secure by Design journey: One year of success appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

AI Summary and Description: Yes

**Summary:** The text discusses Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative, which aims to address evolving cybersecurity challenges through a robust framework of secure by design principles. It highlights the complexity of modern cybersecurity, including the significant risks of identity theft, cybersecurity talent shortages, and the economic impact of cybercrime. Notably, it outlines Microsoft’s proactive steps in enhancing authentication, reducing vulnerabilities, and adopting a vulnerability disclosure policy as part of its commitment to secure software development.

**Detailed Description:**
The text provides a comprehensive overview of Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to enhance cybersecurity through its Secure Future Initiative (SFI). It emphasizes several pivotal points relevant for security and compliance professionals in the fields of AI, cloud computing, and infrastructure security:

– **Cybersecurity Risks**:
– 600 million daily identity attacks demonstrate the severity of ongoing cyber threats.
– The median time for attackers to access data via phishing is alarmingly quick (1 hour and 12 minutes).
– There is a global shortage of security professionals, with over 4 million unfilled positions.

– **Microsoft Secure Future Initiative**:
– Launched to redefine security practices in product development and improve Microsoft’s security posture.
– Aims to collaborate with governments and industry to enhance overall ecosystem security.

– **Secure by Design**:
– This philosophy focuses on integrating security measures at every stage of the product lifecycle, encouraged by agencies like CISA.
– Microsoft has committed to embedding multifactor authentication (MFA) as the default, improving user experience without compromising security.
– The initiative encompasses changes to Windows 11’s security, making it more resilient against common cyberattacks.

– **Authentication and Security Enhancements**:
– Moves towards passwordless sign-in and the use of passkeys to enhance user authentication security.
– Regular updates and improvements to security measures across products to address emerging threats.

– **Reducing Vulnerabilities**:
– Initiatives aimed at eliminating classes of vulnerabilities including SQL injection and cross-site scripting.
– Adoption of memory-safe programming languages (e.g., Rust) to mitigate risks associated with traditional coding practices.

– **Patch Management**:
– Highlights the importance of timely security patch applications, with Microsoft instituting a Hotpatch system to streamline processes.
– Regular updates (Patch Tuesday) to ensure rapid response to critical vulnerabilities.

– **Vulnerability Disclosure Practices**:
– Adoption of a vulnerability disclosure policy (VDP) to foster transparency and collaboration between security researchers and software manufacturers.
– Inclusion of machine-readable formats for CVE information to enhance response times to vulnerabilities.

– **Empowering Organizations**:
– Providing tools and logs for organizations to enhance their detection and response capabilities against intrusions.
– Emphasizing the importance of implementing a Zero Trust strategy.

– **Commitment to Security Education**:
– Publishing insights from Microsoft’s experiences with artificial intelligence security and red teaming efforts.

This detailed information underscores the strategic measures Microsoft is implementing to bolster security, making it particularly pertinent for security and compliance professionals in navigating the complexities of modern cyber threats, compliance regulations, and the integration of secure practices in technology development.

1 2 2025 4 5 7 a access Act adoption AI and API app Application applications Arch ARM art artificial Artificial Intelligence as attack attackers attacks authentication authentication security by C capabilities challenges CI CIA CISA class Cloud cloud computing co coding coding practices Col collaboration commit complexity compliance compliance professionals compliance regulations Computing core crime critical cross cross-site scripting CVE cyber cyber threat cyber threats cyberattack Cyberattacks cybercrime cybersecurit Cybersecurity cybersecurity challenges Cybersecurity Risks cybersecurity talent shortage D data day de DeFi demo design design principles detection development disclosure e economic impact ecosystem education emerging emerging threats exp experience fact factor authentication factor authentication (MFA) fault fine first for framework future g Gen Go government governments gs H high Highlight HR http HTTPS identity identity attacks identity theft in Inclusion industry information infrastructure infrastructure security initiatives injection insights integration Intel intelligence IRS ite J k Key keys l Labor language led Li life logs mac machine machine-readable machine-readable formats making man management manufacturers measures media memory memory-safe programming languages MFA Micro Microsoft Microsoft Secure Microsoft Security Microsoft Security Blog ML Mode Modern multi multifactor authentication N no nomic o of on one operation operations OPM opt organization organizations ory out over passkey Passkeys passwordless Patch Patch Management Patch Tuesday phi philosophy phishing point policy post Power pre principles proactive process processes product product development products professionals programming programming language programming languages publishing Q QUIC R rag rapid response rate RCE readable format red red team red teaming regular updates Regulation regulations research researchers response response capabilities response times Risk risks Ro Rust s safe safe programming languages SD search sec secure secure by default secure by design Secure Future Initiative secure practices secure software secure software development security security and compliance security challenges security education security enhancements security measure security measures security patch security posture security practices security professionals Security Research Security Researcher security researchers security risk security risks severity short Sig site scripting SoC software software development software manufacturers source sql SSE SSO strategic Strategy support system system security T talent talent shortage talent shortages team teaming tech technology technology development text the theft threat threats Time to tool tools Tor TP traditional coding transparency trust UI under up update updates US use user user authentication user experience uth V vulnerabilities vulnerability vulnerability disclosure vulnerability disclosure policy Ware Wi Wind Windows Windows 11 x zero Zero Trust