You can improve security in your organization by following some best practices, which are described in the following list.
Configure Messenger to use Transport Layer Security (TLS), which provides encrypted signaling. The confidentiality of otherwise-encrypted communications, such as media, is not protected when Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is used to connect to the server. The encryption key can be intercepted by an attacker and used to decrypt the message.
Instruct users to run a virus check before they open transferred files. File transfer between users is peer to peer; by default, all file transfers are encrypted.
Reduce the access of external network connections to open ports on your local network. Knowing which ports are open can help you assess the security of the system or troubleshoot any connection issues. You should close the ports that you do not use. For more information about the ports that are used for audio/video sessions, see Setting audio/video preferences
Implement password-controlled access to the network.
The following Messenger for Mac 7 preference files are stored in the user's home folders: /Users/username/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.Messenger.plist and /Users/username/Library/Preferences/com.microsoft.Messenger.rtc.plist. These preference files contain security settings. Users should make sure that their home folders cannot be accessed by other unauthorized users.
