Migrating content from traditional SIEMs to Azure Sentinel

In part two of this three-part series, we covered the five types of side-by-side security information and event management SIEM configurations commonly used during a long-term migration to Microsoft Azure Sentinel. For part three, we’ll be looking at best practices for migrating your data and...

Medius’ small IT team supports distributed workforce with Azure Active Directory

In today’s Voice of the Customer blog post, IT Manager Jacob Andersson and IT Systems Architect Fredrik Frööjd of Medius share how Azure Active Directory Azure AD has inspired employees to live by the cloud commitment the company encourages from customers and helped their small team support a...

Compliance joins Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA)

Like many of you, I’m thrilled to have my 2020 calendar safely in the recycling pile. During that time though, you too might have noticed how, perhaps unknowingly, you were able to turn some of last year’s lemons into lemonade. Maybe you developed a deeper appreciation for everyday moments and th...

Afternoon Cyber Tea: Privacy, the pandemic, and protecting our cyber future

Much of our everyday life has moved online with the pandemic continuing to play a role in how we work and communicate with others. This migration has meant that security and privacy continue to remain top-of-mind for both security professionals and those who may not have given these cyber issues ...

Digital Defense integrates with Microsoft to detect attacks missed by traditional endpoint security

This blog post is part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association MISA guest blog series. You can learn more about MISA here. Cybercriminals have ramped up their initial compromises through phishing and pharming attacks using a variety of tools and tactics that, while numerous, are simple...

Detonating a bad rabbit: Windows Defender Antivirus and layered machine learning defenses

Windows Defender Antivirus uses a layered approach to protection: tiers of advanced automation and machine learning models evaluate files in order to reach a verdict on suspected malware. While Windows Defender AV detects a vast majority of new malware files at first sight, we always strive to...

How Microsoft can help you go passwordless this World Password Day

It’s that time of year again. World Password Day is May 4, 2023.1 There’s a reason it’s still going strong 10 years after being created by cybersecurity professionals. A recent study that analyzed more than 15 billion passwords found that the top 10 most popular passwords still include...

Forrester names Microsoft a Leader in 2023 Infrastructure-as-a-Service Platform Native Security report

As we continue to drive toward making the world safer and more productive for all, it is vital we empower our customers to secure every aspect of their organization. Each day we are seeing more advanced security threats as bad actors develop new tactics that aim to take advantage of businesses as...

Microsoft continues to innovate to help secure small businesses

Small and medium-sized businesses are at the heart of our economy and are dedicated to driving value for their customers, whether that means trying new recipes, exploring new inventory, expanding services, arranging the shop so it’s easier to navigate, or keeping the shelves stocked with the...

Token tactics: How to prevent, detect, and respond to cloud token theft

As organizations increase their coverage of multifactor authentication MFA, threat actors have begun to move to more sophisticated techniques to allow them to compromise corporate resources without needing to satisfy MFA. Recently, the Microsoft Detection and Response Team DART has seen an increa...

Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting demonstrates industry-leading protection in the 2022 MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK® Evaluations for Managed Services

Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting, our newest managed threat hunting service, delivered industry-leading results during the inaugural MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK® Evaluations for Managed Services. We provided a seamless, comprehensive, and rapid response to the simulated attack using expert-led...

Stopping C2 communications in human-operated ransomware through network protection

Command-and-control C2 servers are an essential part of ransomware, commodity, and nation-state attacks. They are used to control infected devices and perform malicious activities like downloading and launching payloads, controlling botnets, or commanding post-exploitation penetration frameworks ...

Defenders beware: A case for post-ransomware investigations

Ransomware is one of the most pervasive threats that Microsoft Detection and Response Team DART responds to today. The groups behind these attacks continue to add sophistication to their tactics, techniques, and procedures TTPs as most network security postures increase. In this blog, we detail a...

Introducing new Microsoft Defender for Cloud innovations to strengthen cloud-native protections

Security teams face an expanding attack surface as organizations increasingly use cloud-native services to develop, deploy, and manage applications across their multicloud and hybrid environments. Their challenge is compounded by incomplete visibility, siloed processes, and a lack of prioritized...

The many lives of BlackCat ransomware

The BlackCat ransomware, also known as ALPHV, is a prevalent threat and a prime example of the growing ransomware-as-a-service RaaS gig economy. It’s noteworthy due to its unconventional programming language Rust, multiple target devices and possible entry points, and affiliation with prolific...

Easy authentication and authorization in Azure Active Directory with No-Code Datawiza

This blog post is part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association guest blog series. Learn more about MISA. The acceleration of cloud journeys fueled by the pandemic and ever-increasing concerns about data security and information privacy have made access management one of the hottest topi...

Center for Threat-Informed Defense, Microsoft, and industry partners streamline MITRE ATT&CK® matrix evaluation for defenders

The MITRE Center for Threat-Informed Defense, Microsoft, and other industry partners collaborated on a project that created a repeatable methodology for developing a top MITRE ATT&CK® techniques list. The method aims to facilitate navigation of the ATT&CK framework, which could help new defenders...

A Leader in multiple Zero Trust security categories: Industry analysts weigh in

The massive shift toward remote and hybrid work over the last two years has prompted many security professionals to reassess where siloed security may create vulnerabilities.1 For that reason, Zero Trust has become the gold standard for enterprise security. An effective Zero Trust approach requir...

Sharing the first SimuLand dataset to expedite research and learn about adversary tradecraft

Last month, we introduced the SimuLand project to help security researchers around the world deploy lab environments to reproduce well-known attack scenarios, actively test detections, and learn more about the underlying behavior and implementation of adversary techniques. Since the release of th...

Secure unmanaged devices with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint now

As we have entered into new hybrid work environments, businesses need to think about how they will proactively protect their organizations from the influx of new or “bring your own” BYO connected devices. This new normal has exposed the most challenging cybersecurity landscape we’ve ever...

Empowering employees to securely work from anywhere with an internet-first model and Zero Trust

Like many this year, our Microsoft workforce had to quickly transition to a work from the home model in response to COVID-19. While nobody could have predicted the world’s current state, it has provided a very real-world test of the investments we have made implementing a Zero Trust security mode...

Announcing the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection ISO 27001 audit assessment report

The security and privacy of customer data are our top priority. Our goals are simple: to operate our services with the security and privacy you expect from Microsoft, and to give you accurate assurances about our security and privacy practices. In line with our commitment to provide customers the...

Meet unprecedented security challenges by leveraging MXDR services

We know customers of every size face ever-increasing security risks. In just the last 12 months the speed of attackers leveraging breaches is also increasing, as it only takes 72 minutes on average for an attacker to access private data from the time a user falls victim to a phishing email.1 Data...

Detecting and mitigating a multi-stage AiTM phishing and BEC campaign

Microsoft Defender Experts uncovered a multi-stage adversary-in-the-middle AiTM phishing and business email compromise BEC attack against banking and financial services organizations. The attack originated from a compromised trusted vendor and transitioned into a series of AiTM attacks and...

Microsoft Security Experts discuss evolving threats in roundtable chat

I don’t know about you, but we’re still catching our breath after 2022. Microsoft Security blocked more than 70 billion email and identity threats last year.1 In the same 12-month span, ransomware attacks impacted more than 200 large organizations in the United States alone, spanning government,...

Microsoft named a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Security Information and Event Management

Security operations teams are overwhelmed trying to protect their organizations against an onslaught of cyberattacks, including a 92 percent rise in ransomware attacks.1 Too often, existing security tools are siloed or not designed to meet the needs of today’s hybrid cloud environment. The result...

One Microsoft manager’s entrepreneurial vision for multicloud identity and access

In July 2021, Microsoft acquired CloudKnox, a leader in cloud infrastructure entitlement management CIEM. Over the past two years, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know the founder and chief executive officer CEO, Balaji Parimi, who is now the Partner General Manager of Permissions Management ...

Detect active network reconnaissance with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

The Microsoft Compromise Recovery Security Practice has observed how the security industry has evolved over the last few years as consumers, businesses, and industry professionals continue to adapt to the changing landscape. We have seen the emergence of new frameworks, such as the Cybersecurity...

Simplifying the complex: Introducing Privacy Management for Microsoft 365

The data privacy regulation landscape is more complex than ever. With new laws emerging in countries like China and India, shifts in Europe and the United Kingdom, and currently 26 different laws across the United States, staying ahead of regulations can feel impossible. But this work is...

How Vodafone Global Security Director creates an inclusive and secure workplace

Moving to more flexible remote work policies has caused telecommunications giant Vodafone to rethink cybersecurity and the potential friction to users. Instead of relying on physical security controls in the office, the company has embraced a Zero Trust strategy that requires authenticating...

Becoming resilient by understanding cybersecurity risks: Part 3—a security pro’s perspective

In part two of this blog series on aligning security with business objectives and risk, we explored the importance of thinking and acting holistically, using the example of human-operated ransomware, which threatens every organization in every industry. As we exited 2020, the Solorigate attack...

How Strata Identity and Microsoft Entra ID solve identity challenges in mergers and acquisitions

This blog post is part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association guest blog series. Learn more about MISA. Along with every merger and acquisition between two companies comes the need to combine and strengthen their IT infrastructure. In particular, there is an immediate and profound impa...

Microsoft at NICE Conference: Resetting expectations and enabling diversity in the cybersecurity workforce

Closing the cybersecurity talent gap is not something we can achieve alone; it requires a collective effort from the entire industry and focus on enabling cybersecurity awareness and education for all. This realization hit home for us during our recent participation in the National Initiative for...

Secure your business like you secure your home: 5 steps to protect against cybercrime

Running a business requires a lot of determination and sometimes a leap of faith. Every day brings a new challenge, and many times it can feel like the stress and uncertainty are too much. That’s when you remind yourself why you took the leap—the satisfaction of realizing your own vision—and you...

Implementing Zero Trust access to business data on BYOD with Trustd MTD and Microsoft Entra

This blog post is part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association guest blog series. Learn more about MISA. As more employees work remotely on a variety of devices and networks, businesses need a security model that supports this new operational efficiency. An expanding perimeter poses...

Microsoft CRSP shares the ways human behavior affects compromise recovery

The Microsoft Compromise Recover Security Practice CRSP is a worldwide team of cybersecurity experts operating in most countries, across all organizations public and private, with deep expertise to secure an environment post-security breach and to help you prevent a breach in the first place. As ...

The federal Zero Trust strategy and Microsoft’s deployment guidance for all

You’d be forgiven for missing the White House announcement on federal Zero Trust strategy on January 26, 2022.1 After all, on that day alone a Supreme Court Justice announced his intention to retire, the Federal Reserve announced its plan to raise interest rates, and the State Department was busy...

US Government sets forth Zero Trust architecture strategy and requirements

To help protect the United States from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, the White House issued Executive Order EO 14028 on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity, which requires US Federal Government organizations to take action to strengthen national cybersecurity.1 Section 3 of EO 14028...

Stay safe online this holiday shopping season with tips from Microsoft

You may have already noticed this holiday shopping season feels different than those we’ve had before. Headlines about supply chain issues, worker shortages, costs rising—all while the pandemic continues to impact our lives. In my own inbox, I saw emails from brands touting Black Friday sales as...

How to investigate service provider trust chains in the cloud

In a recent Microsoft blog post, we documented technical guidance for organizations to protect themselves from the latest NOBELIUM activity that was found to target technology service providers, which are privileged in their downstream customer tenants, as a method to gain access to their...

3 key resources to accelerate your passwordless journey

Every organization today faces password-related challenges—phishing campaigns, productivity loss, and password management costs to name just a few. The risks now outweigh the benefits when it comes to passwords. Even the strongest passwords are easily phish-able and vulnerable to attacks, such as...

Catching the big fish: Analyzing a large-scale phishing-as-a-service operation

In researching phishing attacks, we came across a campaign that used a rather high volume of newly created and unique subdomains—over 300,000 in a single run. This investigation led us down a rabbit hole as we unearthed one of the operations that enabled the campaign: a large-scale...

Forrester names Microsoft a Leader in the 2021 Enterprise Email Security Wave

Today, organizations face an evolving threat landscape and an exponentially increasing attack surface. Email represents the primary attack vector for cybercrime, and security teams are in search of efficient and cost-effective means to minimize the risk of these threats and the impact they have o...

A “quick wins” approach to securing Azure Active Directory and Office 365 and improving your security posture

In the last post, we discussed Office 365 and how enabling certain features without understanding all the components can lead to a false sense of security. We demonstrated how implementing a break glass account, multi-factor authentication MFA, and the removal of legacy authentication can help...

How Microsoft tools and partners support GDPR compliance

This post is authored by Daniel Grabski,Executive Security Advisor, Microsoft Enterprise Cybersecurity Group. As an Executive Security Advisor for enterprises in Europe and the Middle East, I regularly engage with Chief Information Security Officers CISOs, Chief Information Officers CIOs and Data...

Join the new Microsoft Security experience at Microsoft Ignite 2023

During the past few years, we’ve managed a lot of change and disruption in our security work, in our lives, and in society at large. This year we’re excited to welcome back security leaders, aspiring leaders, and IT professionals—in person—to Microsoft Ignite from November 14 to 17, 2023, and...

Cyber Signals: Sporting events and venues draw cyberthreats at increasing rates

Today we released the fifth edition of Cyber Signals, spotlighting threats to large venues, and sporting and entertainment events, based on our learnings and telemetry from delivering cybersecurity support to critical infrastructure facilities during the State of Qatar’s hosting of the FIFA World...

11 best practices for securing data in cloud services

In todays digital age, cloud computing has become an essential part of businesses, enabling them to store and access their data from anywhere. However, with convenience comes the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks. Therefore, it is crucial to implement best practices to secure data in cloud...

How automation is evolving SecOps—and the real cost of cybercrime

This post is coauthored by Rob May, Founder and Managing Director, ramsac The security community is continuously changing, growing, and learning from each other to better position the world against cyberthreats. In the latest post of our Community Voices blog series, Microsoft Security Senior...

Stay compliant and protect sensitive data with Zero Trust security

Regulatory standards frequently shift and tighten, especially with the rise of hybrid work environments. And with the explosion of data growth, organizations have seen a massive uptick in cybersecurity issues and needs. According to IBM’s 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report, 83 percent of...