Find high-risk prompts and see how RECO can keep Microsoft 365 Copilot secure by securing data, managing user access, and identifying threats – while still being productive.
Microsoft 365 Copilot promises to increase productivity by turning natural language prompts into actions. Employees can get instant answers by generating reports, copying via data, or asking Copilot.
But along with this convenience there are serious security concerns. Copilot works across corporate SaaS apps (SharePoint to Teams and Byond). This means that an inadvertent prompt or compromised user account could make a public climb of sensitive information.
Security experts warn that organizations should not assume that default settings will keep them safe. Without proactive controls, all files in your organization may be accessible via Copilot. Malicious actors may use Copilot to discover and remove sensitive data without having to manually search the system.
With the right prompt, an attacker can also locate potentially sensitive files and map infrastructure to vulnerabilities. To safely embrace the benefits of Copilot, businesses need equally innovative security measures.
ReCo’s approach to Microsoft Copilot Security
Reco, a SaaS security platform, intervene to address these co-pilot-induced risks. Unlike traditional security tools that can overlook in-app AI activities, RECO takes a holistic approach to protect co-pilots. As another component of the SaaS ecosystem that requires monitoring and governance, we treat Copilot as another component of the SaaS ecosystem, like an additional user or app that touches the data.
RECO’s platform continuously analyzes how Copilot interacts with organizational SaaS data and users, providing real-time detection and insights that cannot be obtained from Copilot’s native settings alone.
Copilot Security’s RECO strategy covers six key areas. Here is a breakdown of each of these areas:
Rapid analysis
One of the most novel aspects of Reco’s approach is to analyze the prompts (queries) that users enter into Copilot. After all, Copilot does whatever users ask – so if someone asks to do something suspicious about it, Reco aims to flag it early.
RECO uses a multiphased prompt analysis approach that evaluates all co-pilot queries against several criteria. Some key elements of this analysis include:
1. User Context
RECO links each copilot prompt to the identity and role of a particular user. A successful query for an IT administrator may look very suspicious from sales or finance employees. For example, if an HR intern initiates a query for a network configuration via Copilot, it is a red flag, but the IT engineer asking the same question could be within the job scope.
2. Keyword detection
RECO monitors Copilot prompts for sensitive keywords or phrases that often indicate dangerous behavior. If your user query contains conditions related to “SSN”, “Credit Card”, or other PII), or if a hack/averview keyword (such as “bypass authentication” or “export user list”) is flagged by RECO. This serves as the first line of defense. An alert will be triggered when you try to request sensitive information directly through Copilot.
3. Context Analysis
The malicious or careless co-pilot prompt is not always obvious (“Export all customer credit card numbers” is a clear red flag, but the attacker may be more subtle). A clever prompt allows co-pilots to share pleasant data without using blatant keywords.
Therefore, RECO applies Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand the intent behind the prompt. This catches cleverly expressed queries that avoid obvious keywords, but have the same dangerous intent. For example, instead of using a “password”, someone might ask, “How does the login system work internally?”
4. Attack pattern matching
The platform compares prompts with known attack techniques from frameworks such as Miter ATT & CK. Using vector similarity matching, RECO can help identify when a query resembles a known malicious pattern and catch advanced attempts used as cop or reconnaissance tools.
Data exposure management
In rapid analysis, we monitor what users ask, but Reco also monitors Copilot responses and actions, especially those that can inappropriately expose data.
Reco tracks file sharing and link sharing events, including Copilot. When Copilot generates shared content, Reco checks sharing permissions according to your security policy. For example, if a document generated by the co-pilot is published, Reco will flag this as a potential risk.
The platform integrates with data classification systems (such as Microsoft Purview Sensitivity Labels) to understand what data capillo accesses. When Copilot interacts with sensitive or sensitive content, Reco records these events and generates appropriate alerts.
Identity and Access Governance
To protect Copilot, you must ensure that only the appropriate users are accessed and operates under the principle of minimal privilege. RECO continuously analyzes the SaaS user base to identify identity risks that Copilot can amplify.
- Accounts with excessive privileges to access huge amounts of data using Copilot
- Users who lack multifactor authentication that presents a higher risk of compromise
- External or older accounts that may inappropriately access the Copilot
- Suspicious access patterns that may indicate compromised credentials
By identifying these issues, RECO prevents organizations from maintaining appropriate access controls regarding their use of Copilot and becoming a tool for unauthorized access to data.
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| Microsoft 365 RECO ID Risk Dashboard |
Threat detection
RECO deals with Copilot interactions as security telemetry streams that can reveal suspicious behavior when correlated with other data points about users. The platform flags metrics of potential attacks.
- Unusual access location or suspicious IP address for Copilot sessions
- Abnormal usage patterns such as excessive data search and out-of-hour activities
- Potential insider threats, such as downloading sensitive documents in rare volumes using Copilot
- Sign-in abnormalities that could indicate a compromise on your account
Each alert contains contextual information mapped to frameworks such as Miter Att & CK, which helps security teams quickly understand and respond to potential threats.
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| Reco generates cop or copilot-specific alerts |
Direct visibility
RECO addresses the visibility gaps many organizations face with new AI tools like Copilot through knowledge graphs that visualize usage across SaaS environments. This graph:
- It shows who is using Copilot and what data they are accessing
- Identifies abnormalities in usage patterns
- Connect activities across the SaaS stack for context understanding
- Tracking the recruitment and usage trends of co-pilots
This bird’s-eye view helps security teams identify potential risks and inefficiencies, such as anomalous copilot queries targeting sensitive information and external accounts that inappropriately invoke Copilots.
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| Reco Knowledge Graph |
SaaS-to-SAAS risk detection
New risks can emerge as organizations integrate Copilot with other applications. RECO monitors the interaction of cross-applications that Copilot connects with other SaaS tools.
The platform detects that new applications are visible and interacting with the environment via Copilot, and flags Shadow AI or unauthorized integrations. For example, if a developer adds a plugin that connects to Copilot without the security team’s approval, Reco will reveal this immediately.
Things ReCo doesn’t do for Copilot Security
Understanding Reco’s boundaries is important to set appropriate expectations.
- Not DLP or content filtering: RECO does not block or censor Copilot’s output in real time. Instead of preventing events, it’s alerts and logs about events.
- Not endpoint security: RECO works at the SaaS layer, not at the device level. It complements, but does not replace endpoint protection.
- It’s not a configuration change: RECO flags misconceptions, but does not change Copilot settings. You can raise tickets to app owners through RECO to provide repair instructions, but you will need to configure the service using Microsoft’s tools.
Conclusion
As we explored, Copilot is able to touch everything, everything, including all documents, messages, data, and more. This is both its strength and its greatest risk. So protecting the co-pilot is to lock the entire SaaS environment into a new kind of access and automation, not just the co-pilot itself.
RECO’s dynamic approach to Copilot Security helps organizations to safely embrace these AI tools.
To get deeper into this topic and get specific guidance, we recommend downloading the white paper Safe ai copilots and agentic ai. It provides best practices on AI governance and detailed insights to strengthen SaaS security attitudes in the age of AI.
