Microsoft Teams Adds Policy to Automatically Block External Meeting Bots

Microsoft has introduced a new Teams meeting protection policy that allows administrators to automatically block identified external bots from joining meetings, adding a stronger safeguard against unwanted third-party access. The feature builds on an earlier control that flagged suspected bots in the lobby and required organizer approval, and it is being rolled out in targeted release before broader availability. Microsoft said the setting will be off by default in the Teams admin center.

The new control is designed to reduce the risk that legitimate third-party bots or malicious applications could be used to monitor meetings, harvest sensitive information, or support social engineering and follow-on intrusion activity. Administrative options tied to the policy include ExternalBotAccessMode settings such as BlockDetectedBots, RequireApprovalWhenDetected, and AllowAllBots, reflecting Microsoft’s broader effort to curb abuse of Teams by attackers posing as IT or helpdesk staff to gain remote access and steal data.