Technologies

Doing these 5 things can help you lock down your Microsoft 365 account and keep hackers at bay

Even the US government isn’t immune to hackers compromising its Microsoft Office software. This is how to protect your own Microsoft apps and accounts.

Earlier this year, news broke that foreign hackers had for months been secretly monitoring email accounts and communications between US government officials in charge of identifying foreign threats to national security. The attackers executed their intrusion through malicious code in an IT product called SolarWinds, which allowed them to access the network and break into Microsoft’s email client.

Microsoft released guidance for how organizations can bolster security to attempt to avoid these attacks, and said that it has not identified any Microsoft product vulnerabilities.

There may not be much you can do about the SolarWinds vulnerability or others like it. But if you get your work or personal email through Outlook on Microsoft 365, there are ways to better secure your individual account and avoid hacks. (If you use Windows 10, there are also several security defaults that you can change to better protect your device — many of which will also be available in the upcoming Windows 11.)

Here are five ways to lock down your Microsoft account.

Read more: How to get Microsoft 365 for free

1. Set up multifactor authentication

Multifactor authentication is the best way to protect yourself from someone stealing your login credentials, according to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Basically, it adds an extra layer of security to your account sign-in — for example, you enter your password along with a verification code sent to your phone or provided by an authenticator app.

To set up multifactor authentication (also called two-step verification), go to the security basics page, and sign in with your Microsoft account. Select More security options. Under Two-step verification, choose Set up two-step verification to turn it on and get further instructions.

To set it up on a work Microsoft 365 account, your administrator will have to enable it. Once that’s done, when you sign in with your username and password, you’ll be prompted for more information. Click Next.

The default authentication method is to use the free Microsoft Authenticator app, which you can download on your mobile device. This app gives you a unique code to enter that expires after a certain amount of time.

Or, if you’d rather get a code through SMS message, you can choose «I want to set up a different method.» Microsoft will ask for your mobile number, and send you a text with a six-digit code to verify your account.

2. Protect your password

Never use the same password for multiple accounts. There are lots of great password managers available to help you keep track of all your passwords, including the free LastPass. You should also choose a strong password — one that avoids using common words and is at least eight characters long. Check out our other recommendations for choosing a strong password here.

3. Avoid phishing scams

If you get an email about the security of your Microsoft account, it could be a phishing scam — a type of attack where hackers impersonate a company or someone you know to trick you into revealing personal information like passwords or credit card numbers. These emails often include a link to a malicious website, which you should never click.

The best way to avoid these emails is to know how to spot them — they might have misspelled words, be from a slightly misspelled source (like microsoftsupport.ru or micros0ft.com) or include an urgent call to take action or avoid a threat. If anything looks suspicious, just delete it, or report it by forwarding it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at phishing-report@us-cert.gov.

4. Protect your apps

On your phone or desktop, only install and run apps from legitimate sources, like the app store for your device. If you’re using Microsoft 365, using Microsoft apps to access those accounts is the most secure choice, according to the company. You should also make sure all apps as well as your operating system are up to date — many updates you get are security fixes, so be sure to install them quickly.

5. Make it easy to recover your account

You can set up your account to make it easy to recover in case all else fails and you do get hacked. To do that, go to the Microsoft security basics page, and add in all the information, like your email address and phone number. Make sure you keep this information up to date to keep your account safer.

For more, check out our security tips if you’re still running Windows 7, how to download Windows 10 free and how to download Windows 11 free.

Technologies

How to Get Verizon’s New Internet Plan for Just $25 Per Month

Technologies

This $20K Humanoid Robot Promises to Tidy Your Home. But There Are Strings Attached

The new Neo robot from 1X is designed to do chores. It’ll need help from you — and from folks behind the curtain.

It stands 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighs about as much as a golden retriever and costs near the price of a brand-new budget car.

This is Neo, the humanoid robot. It’s billed as a personal assistant you can talk to and eventually rely on to take care of everyday tasks, such as loading the dishwasher and folding laundry.

Neo doesn’t work cheap. It’ll cost you $20,000. And even then, you’ll still have to train this new home bot, and possibly need a remote assist as well.

If that sounds enticing, preorders are now open (for a mere $200 down). You’ll be signing up as an early adopter for what Neo’s maker, a California-based company called 1X, is calling a «consumer-ready humanoid.» That’s opposed to other humanoids under development from the likes of Tesla and Figure, which are, for the moment at least, more focused on factory environments.

Neo is a whole order of magnitude different from robot vacuums like those from Roomba, Eufy and Ecovacs, and embodies a long-running sci-fi fantasy of robot maids and butlers doing chores and picking up after us. If this is the future, read on for more of what’s in store.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

What the Neo robot can do around the house

The pitch from 1X is that Neo can do all manner of household chores: fold laundry, run a vacuum, tidy shelves, bring in the groceries. It can open doors, climb stairs and even act as a home entertainment system.

Neo appears to move smoothly, with a soft, almost human-like gait, thanks to 1X’s tendon-driven motor system that gives it gentle motion and impressive strength. The company says it can lift up to 154 pounds and carry 55 pounds, but it is quieter than a refrigerator. It’s covered in soft materials and neutral colors, making it look less intimidating than metallic prototypes from other companies.

The company says Neo has a 4-hour runtime. Its hands are IP68-rated, meaning they’re submersible in water. It can connect via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 5G. For conversation, it has a built-in LLM, the same sort of AI technology that powers ChatGPT and Gemini.

The primary way to control the Neo robot will be by speaking to it, just as if it were a person in your home.

Still, Neo’s usefulness today depends heavily on how you define useful. The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern got an up-close look at Neo at 1X’s headquarters and found that, at least for now, it’s largely teleoperated, meaning a human often operates it remotely using a virtual-reality headset and controllers.

«I didn’t see Neo do anything autonomously, although the company did share a video of Neo opening a door on its own,» Stern wrote last week.

1X CEO Bernt Børnich told her that Neo will do most things autonomously in 2026, though he also acknowledged that the quality «may lag at first.»

The company’s FAQ says that for any chore request Neo doesn’t know how to accomplish, «you can schedule a 1X Expert to guide it» to help the robot «learn while getting the job done.»

What you need to know about Neo and privacy

Part of what early adopters are signing up for is to let Neo learn from their environment so that future versions can operate more independently.

That learning process raises privacy and trust questions. The robot uses a mix of visual, audio and contextual intelligence — meaning it can see, hear and remember interactions with users throughout their homes.

«If you buy this product, it is because you’re OK with that social contract,» Børnich told the Journal. «It’s less about Neo instantly doing your chores and more about you helping Neo learn to do them safely and effectively.»

Neo’s reliance on human operation behind the scenes prompted a response from John Carmack, a computer industry luminary known for his work with VR systems and the lead programmer of classic video games including Doom and Quake.

«Companies selling the dream of autonomous household humanoid robots today would be better off embracing reality and selling ‘remote operated household help’,» he wrote in a post on the X social network (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

1X says it’s taking steps to protect your privacy: Neo listens only when it recognizes it’s being addressed, and its cameras will blur out humans. You can restrict Neo from entering or viewing specific areas of your home, and the robot will never be teleoperated without owner approval, the company says.

But inviting an AI-equipped humanoid to observe your home life isn’t a small step.

The first units will ship to customers in the US in 2026. There is a $499 monthly subscription alternative to the $20,000 full-purchase price, though that will be available at an unspecified later date. A broader international rollout is promised for 2027.

Neo’s got a long road ahead of it to live up to the expectations set by Rosie the Robot in The Jetsons way back when. But this is no Hanna-Barbera cartoon. What we’re seeing now is a much more tangible harbinger of change.

Technologies

I Wish Nintendo’s New Switch 2 Zelda Game Was an Actual Zelda Game

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment has great graphics, a great story and Zelda is actually in it. But the gameplay makes me wish for another true Zelda title instead.

I’ve never been a Hyrule Warriors fan. Keep that in mind when I say that Nintendo’s new Switch 2-exclusive Zelda-universe game has impressed me in several ways, but the gameplay isn’t one of them. Still, this Zelda spinoff has succeeded in showing off the Switch 2’s graphics power. Now can we have a true Switch 2 exclusive Zelda game next?

The upgraded graphics in Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild has made the Switch 2 a great way to play recent Zelda games, which had stretched the Switch’s capabilities to the limit before. And they’re both well worth revisiting, because they’re engrossing, enchanting, weird, epic wonders. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, another in the Koei-Tecmo developed spinoff series of Zelda-themed games, is a prequel to Tears of the Kingdom. It’s the story of Zelda traveling back in time to ancient Hyrule, and the origins of Ganondorf’s evil. I’m here for that, but a lot of hack and slash battles are in my way.

A handful of hours in, I can say that the production values are wonderful. The voices and characters and worlds feel authentically Zelda. I feel like I’m getting a new chapter in the story I’d already been following. The Switch 2’s graphics show off smooth animation, too, even when battles can span hundreds of enemies.

But the game’s central style, which is endless slashing fights through hordes of enemies, gets boring for me. That’s what Hyrule Warriors is about, but the game so far feels more repetitive than strategic. And I just keep button-mashing to get to the next story chapter. For anyone who’s played Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, expect more of the same, for the most part.

I do like that the big map includes parts in the depths and in the sky, mirroring the tri-level appeal of Tears of the Kingdom. But Age of Calamity isn’t a free-wandering game. Missions open up around the map, each one opening a contained map to battle through. Along the way, you unlock an impressive roster of Hyrule characters you can control.

As a Switch 2 exclusive to tempt Nintendo fans to make the console upgrade, it feels like a half success. I admire the production values, and I want to keep playing just to see where the story goes. But as a purchase, it’s a distant third to Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World.

Hyrule Warriors fans, you probably know what you’re probably in for, and will likely get this game regardless. Serious Zelda fans, you may enjoy it just for the story elements alone.

As for me? I think I’ll play some more, but I’m already sort of tuning the game out a bit. I want more exploration, more puzzles, more curiosity. This game’s not about that. But it does show me how good a true next-gen Zelda could be on the Switch 2, whenever Nintendo decides to make that happen.