Following concerns that it was charging users to protect themselves against Microsoft's mistakes, Microsoft Corp is increasing its portfolio of free security solutions for customers.

The move comes in the wake of a high-level hack that allegedly allowed Chinese agents to obtain emails from senior US officials, as well as complaints from security experts and politicians about paying for tools.

Microsoft stated that the advanced features of their auditing package, Microsoft Purview, would be available to all users in the coming months.

While not sufficient to prevent threats on their own, digital auditing tools are crucial for assisting enterprises in determining whether intruders are present in their network, how they got in, and how to get them out.

Microsoft's earlier practice of charging for advanced versions of such tools has been widely criticized, particularly in light of the recently revealed hack at the US State and Commerce Departments.

That incident, which Microsoft later said was caused by a breach and coding weaknesses, was only found after one of the victims noticed an irregularity while analyzing their digital records.

Eric Goldstein, a Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) official, praised the initiative to provide free security tools.

He stressed that such a step benefits everyone involved because it provides visibility into cybersecurity problems, thus strengthening overall security measures.

As cyber threats evolve, Microsoft's dedication to improving cybersecurity and making tools more available is a huge step forward in the fight against malicious actors looking to exploit vulnerabilities.

Customers will be able to better safeguard themselves and their precious information as a result of these enhancements.