Daily Buzz: Microsoft Outlook’s Bad Breach

A saga involving a widely used email service highlights the challenges of customer service—both in creating security risks and reporting them to consumers.

Hackers gained access to an undisclosed number of Microsoft Outlook accounts earlier this year, the company revealed to users on Friday. It said the breach gave outside parties access to users’ email addresses, folders, and subject lines.

Microsoft later notified about 6 percent of affected Outlook users that the contents of their emails may have also been exposed—an admission that wasn’t made public until screenshot evidence showed that some people were at higher risk.

A customer service intervention may have exacerbated the problem: The Verge reports  (opens in a new tab) that a Microsoft support agent’s credentials were compromised, which allowed unauthorized access to some accounts.

When asked, the software giant wouldn’t say how many accounts might have been breached but confirmed that affected users are receiving additional guidance and support. “Our notification to the majority of those impacted noted that bad actors would not have had unauthorized access to the content of emails or attachments,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge.

Still, the situation underscores an important lesson for associations: Be direct and honest with your customers, especially when their welfare (and loyalty) is at risk.

How to Hold on To Millennial Employees

Job-hopping seems to be on the rise with 64% of people favouring it, but why has it become so popular?
Here are the 4 main reasons that Millennials are making job-hopping a normality. #meetingprofs  (opens in a new tab) #eventprofs  (opens in a new tab)https://t.co/RlFlTvI73S  (opens in a new tab)

— Meetings+Millennials (@MICEmillennials) April 16, 2019  (opens in a new tab)

Used to be, people stayed in the same job for many years—if not decades. But that pattern is shifting.

“Millennials search for the job that best fits their living situation, personal life, lifestyle, personal interests and more,” Louis Gilmartin writes  (opens in a new tab) on the Meetings + Millennials blog. That’s no surprise to older workers who have seen younger colleagues come and go with more frequency.

But why? Gilmartin calls out four factors, including limited professional development opportunities and a lack of challenging work. Though cited anecdotally, these are key points for employers to remember when creating a workplace designed to attract—and retain—top millennial talent.

Other Links of Note

Burnout is not your friend. The Trade Show News Network shares stress-busting strategies  (opens in a new tab) for event planners.

Strong event websites matter. Try these tips from Streampoint Solutions to improve user experience  (opens in a new tab).

A personal touch is key to retaining members. Make renewal emails and letters shine  (opens in a new tab) with ideas from the Wild Apricot blog.

(Microsoft)