Unmasking EvilTokens: Getting to the root of device code phishing

In this article 1. What is device code phishing? 2. EvilTokens platform and operations 3. EvilTokens phishing emails 4. Mitigation and protection guidance 5. Microsoft Defender XDR detections 6. Hunting queries Following its emergence in February 2026, EvilTokens quickly became one of the most...

From guidance to action: Security fundamentals that materially reduce risk

AI has already made fundamental changes to the operating environment for cybersecurity. Cyberattackers are testing more paths, adapting their techniques, and moving across digital environments with greater speed and persistence. The weaknesses they exploit remain familiar: excessive permissions,...

Improving email security outcomes with real-world Microsoft Defender insights

Every benchmark tells a story. The most valuable ones tell us where to improve next. For five consecutive quarters Microsoft has published email security benchmarking reports to provide greater transparency into real-world protection outcomes. The results have shown strong Microsoft Defender...

Protecting organizations from AI-assisted executive impersonation and invoice fraud

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 1. Email Delivery 2. Domain registration 3. Generative AI usage 2. Mitigation and protection guidance 1. Microsoft Defender detections 2. Microsoft Security Copilot 3. Threat intelligence reports 4. MITRE ATT&CK Techniques observed 5. Indicators of...

Protecting organizations from AI-assisted executive impersonation and invoice fraud

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 1. Email Delivery 2. Domain registration 3. Generative AI usage 2. Mitigation and protection guidance 1. Microsoft Defender detections 2. Microsoft Security Copilot 3. Threat intelligence reports 4. MITRE ATT&CK Techniques observed 5. Indicators of...

Detect and disrupt AI-themed attacks with Microsoft Defender

Every wave of technology excitement creates a new opportunity for cyberattackers, and AI is no exception. Microsoft Threat Intelligence has published research showing a growing set of campaigns that impersonate popular AI platforms and tools, including ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, DeepSeek, and...

Threat matrix: Mapping threats across cloud web applications

In this article 1. Overview 2. Technique Catalog 3. Privilege Escalation 4. Mitigation and protection guidance 5. References 6. Learn more Microsoft introduces the cloud web applications threat matrix, a MITRE ATT &CK-aligned framework that helps defenders understand, prioritize, and mitigate...

Passkey-themed social engineering leads to identity and cloud compromise

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 2. Attribution 3. Mitigation and protection guidance 4. Learn more Microsoft Security Research is tracking active cloud-based intrusions spanning multiple accounts in which unusual sign-ins were followed by threat actor-added authentication methods,...

Passkey-themed social engineering leads to identity and cloud compromise

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 2. Attribution 3. Mitigation and protection guidance 4. Learn more Microsoft Security Research is tracking active cloud-based intrusions spanning multiple accounts in which unusual sign-ins were followed by threat actor-added authentication methods,...

How to secure edge AI in customer-owned environments

In this article 1. Edge AI changes the trust model for AI systems 2. Constrain model actions through deterministic mediation 3. Establish trust before releasing sensitive assets 4. Verify runtime before releasing sensitive assets 5. Verify artifacts that shape model behavior 6. Next steps Edge AI...

How to secure edge AI in customer-owned environments

In this article 1. Edge AI changes the trust model for AI systems 2. Constrain model actions through deterministic mediation 3. Establish trust before releasing sensitive assets 4. Verify runtime before releasing sensitive assets 5. Verify artifacts that shape model behavior 6. Next steps Edge AI...

ASCII smuggling crosses over from AI prompt injection to phishing evasion

In this article 1. What is ASCII smuggling? 2. Writing a practical ASCII-smuggling signature 3. What we observed: ASCII smuggling repurposed for phishing 4. What is known and what is new 5. Is there a detection gap? 6. Mitigation and protection guidance 7. References 8. Learn More Microsoft...

ASCII smuggling crosses over from AI prompt injection to phishing evasion

In this article 1. What is ASCII smuggling? 2. Writing a practical ASCII-smuggling signature 3. What we observed: ASCII smuggling repurposed for phishing 4. What is known and what is new 5. Is there a detection gap? 6. Mitigation and protection guidance 7. References 8. Learn More Microsoft...

Impersonating IT support: how threat actors turn a remote session into enterprise-wide access

In this article 1. Risk to enterprise environments 2. Attack chain overview 3. Mitigation and response recommendations 4. Learn more Microsoft Threat Intelligence has observed a human-operated intrusion campaign that abuses Microsoft Teams external collaboration to impersonate IT or helpdesk...

Impersonating IT support: how threat actors turn a remote session into enterprise-wide access

In this article 1. Risk to enterprise environments 2. Attack chain overview 3. Mitigation and response recommendations 4. Learn more Microsoft Threat Intelligence has observed a human-operated intrusion campaign that abuses Microsoft Teams external collaboration to impersonate IT or helpdesk...

Counterfeit installers to system compromise: Tracking a deceptive software download campaign

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 2. Campaign scope and targeting 3. Mitigation and protection guidance 4. References 5. Learn more Microsoft Defender Experts is tracking an active malware campaign that uses counterfeit software-download websites to impersonate trusted vendors and distribu...

Counterfeit installers to system compromise: Tracking a deceptive software download campaign

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 2. Campaign scope and targeting 3. Mitigation and protection guidance 4. References 5. Learn more Microsoft Defender Experts is tracking an active malware campaign that uses counterfeit software-download websites to impersonate trusted vendors and distribu...

Cybersecurity IR Workshop: The workshop you shouldn’t miss

In this article 1. What is the Cybersecurity Incident Response Readiness Workshop? 2. Our approach: How we assess your maturity 3. Learn more Cybersecurity incidents can unfold in hours, but response plans often fail at the point of execution: ownership is unclear, investigation findings is...

Cybersecurity IR Workshop: The workshop you shouldn’t miss

In this article 1. What is the Cybersecurity Incident Response Readiness Workshop? 2. Our approach: How we assess your maturity 3. Learn more Cybersecurity incidents can unfold in hours, but response plans often fail at the point of execution: ownership is unclear, investigation findings is...

TerminalFix campaign deploys a reverse tunnel through multistage intrusion

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 2. Mitigation and protection guidance 3. Learn more Microsoft Threat Intelligence has observed a TerminalFix campaign, a variant of ClickFix, targeting organizations across multiple industries. The campaign uses compromised websites to display a fake...

TerminalFix campaign deploys a reverse tunnel through multistage intrusion

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 2. Mitigation and protection guidance 3. Learn more Microsoft Threat Intelligence has observed a TerminalFix campaign, a variant of ClickFix, targeting organizations across multiple industries. The campaign uses compromised websites to display a fake...

​​​​​​What’s new in Microsoft Security: August 2026

As organizations incorporate AI agents into more processes across business and operations, security teams can benefit from greater visibility and new purpose-built tools that help manage, secure, and govern AI. This month’s updates provide new capabilities to help organizations gain insights into...

​​​​​​What’s new in Microsoft Security: August 2026

As organizations incorporate AI agents into more processes across business and operations, security teams can benefit from greater visibility and new purpose-built tools that help manage, secure, and govern AI. This month’s updates provide new capabilities to help organizations gain insights into...

When AI infrastructure becomes the target: Securing gateways and control points

In this article 1. AI workloads are becoming high-value control points 2. Case study 1: LiteLLM gateway compromise 3. Case study 2: RAGFlow compromise 4. Case study 3: Kestra compromise 5. Mitigation and protection guidance 6. MITRE ATT&CK techniques observed 7. References 8. Learn more AI is...

When AI infrastructure becomes the target: Securing gateways and control points

In this article 1. AI workloads are becoming high-value control points 2. Case study 1: LiteLLM gateway compromise 3. Case study 2: RAGFlow compromise 4. Case study 3: Kestra compromise 5. Mitigation and protection guidance 6. MITRE ATT&CK techniques observed 7. References 8. Learn more AI is...

The patch window is collapsing: Why security needs a new control plane

For decades, cybersecurity defenders have relied on a relatively straightforward model: a vulnerability is disclosed, security teams assess exposure, test available fixes, deploy patches into production, and ultimately close the risk before attackers can exploit it at scale. That model increasing...

Microsoft named a Leader in the Frost Radar™: Cloud Workload Protection Platforms, 2026

Security teams are overwhelmed with findings but still struggle to answer a simple question: which risks matter right now? A vulnerability alone is rarely the problem. The same vulnerability running in production, exposed through a misconfiguration or over-permissioned identity, is a real path to...

Microsoft named a Leader in the Frost Radar™: Cloud Workload Protection Platforms, 2026

Security teams are overwhelmed with findings but still struggle to answer a simple question: which risks matter right now? A vulnerability alone is rarely the problem. The same vulnerability running in production, exposed through a misconfiguration or over-permissioned identity, is a real path to...

Hunting MacSync Stealer infrastructure through behavioral pivots

In this article 1. Activity overview 2. Discovery of additional rotating infrastructure 3. Attack chain overview 4. Mitigation and protection guidance 5. References 6. Learn more MacSync Stealer is a macOS-focused information stealer that relies on changing infrastructure to deliver payloads,...

Hunting MacSync Stealer infrastructure through behavioral pivots

In this article 1. Activity overview 2. Discovery of additional rotating infrastructure 3. Attack chain overview 4. Mitigation and protection guidance 5. References 6. Learn more MacSync Stealer is a macOS-focused information stealer that relies on changing infrastructure to deliver payloads,...

Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 IDC MarketScape for MDR/MXDR for the Enterprise

Security teams are being asked to defend a growing attack surface with fewer people and around the clock, against threat actors who never take a night off. As cyberattackers increasingly use AI to launch and scale campaigns, the volume, speed, and sophistication of threats continue to rise. Closi...

Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 IDC MarketScape for MDR/MXDR for the Enterprise

Security teams are being asked to defend a growing attack surface with fewer people and around the clock, against threat actors who never take a night off. As cyberattackers increasingly use AI to launch and scale campaigns, the volume, speed, and sophistication of threats continue to rise. Closi...

DeadLock ransomware: Breaking down a Rust-based encryptor with decentralized recovery infrastructure

In this article 1. Pre-encryption 2. Encryption 3. Post-encryption 4. Defending against DeadLock ransomware 5. Indicators of compromise Microsoft Threat Intelligence tracks DeadLock ransomware as an emerging financially motivated operation distinguished by its use of decentralized infrastructure ...

DeadLock ransomware: Breaking down a Rust-based encryptor with decentralized recovery infrastructure

In this article 1. Pre-encryption 2. Encryption 3. Post-encryption 4. Defending against DeadLock ransomware 5. Indicators of compromise Microsoft Threat Intelligence tracks DeadLock ransomware as an emerging financially motivated operation distinguished by its use of decentralized infrastructure ...

​​Microsoft named a Leader in the KuppingerCole Leadership Compass for Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)

As organizations adopt AI, they must secure both cloud and AI environments through a unified security control plane as their attack surface expands. Because modern applications and AI workloads are built and run in the cloud, security teams must understand which exposures matter most, prioritize...

​​Microsoft named a Leader in the KuppingerCole Leadership Compass for Cloud Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP)

As organizations adopt AI, they must secure both cloud and AI environments through a unified security control plane as their attack surface expands. Because modern applications and AI workloads are built and run in the cloud, security teams must understand which exposures matter most, prioritize...

From open lures to cloaked gates: How a macOS ClickFix campaign learned to hide

In this article 1. Activity overview 2. How ClickFix works 3. Campaign overview 4. ClickFix moved from open pages to fingerprinting gates 5. The fingerprinting gate 6. Mitigation and protection guidance 7. Indicators of compromise IOC 8. References 9. Learn more Microsoft Threat Intelligence...

From open lures to cloaked gates: How a macOS ClickFix campaign learned to hide

In this article 1. Activity overview 2. How ClickFix works 3. Campaign overview 4. ClickFix moved from open pages to fingerprinting gates 5. The fingerprinting gate 6. Mitigation and protection guidance 7. Indicators of compromise IOC 8. References 9. Learn more Microsoft Threat Intelligence...

ChainDrop supply chain compromise: Anatomy of a self-propagating worm

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 2. Mitigation and protection guidance 3. Indicators of compromise IOC 4. Microsoft Defender XDR detections 5. Advanced hunting queries 6. Learn more Microsoft Threat Intelligence identified a large-scale npm supply chain attack affecting more than 400...

ChainDrop supply chain compromise: Anatomy of a self-propagating worm

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 2. Mitigation and protection guidance 3. Indicators of compromise IOC 4. Microsoft Defender XDR detections 5. Advanced hunting queries 6. Learn more Microsoft Threat Intelligence identified a large-scale npm supply chain attack affecting more than 400...

Advance Zero Trust for AI: New tools and guidance to secure AI agents and DevSecOps

The calculus of cybersecurity has changed. AI is reshaping how organizations build, deploy, operate, and defend digital systems. AI-powered development tools, agents, and autonomous workflows are accelerating innovation but they are also introducing new attack surfaces, new trust boundaries, and...

Advance Zero Trust for AI: New tools and guidance to secure AI agents and DevSecOps

The calculus of cybersecurity has changed. AI is reshaping how organizations build, deploy, operate, and defend digital systems. AI-powered development tools, agents, and autonomous workflows are accelerating innovation but they are also introducing new attack surfaces, new trust boundaries, and...

128 Seconds to disruption: Microsoft Defender stops ransomware at QNET

In this article 1. What is device isolation? 2. Case study: QNET 3. Attack chain overview 4. MITRE ATT&CK techniques observed 5. References 6. Learn more Microsoft Defender's attack disruption now includes device isolation, a new response action that extends autonomous protection directly to...

128 Seconds to disruption: Microsoft Defender stops ransomware at QNET

In this article 1. What is device isolation? 2. Case study: QNET 3. Attack chain overview 4. MITRE ATT&CK techniques observed 5. References 6. Learn more Microsoft Defender's attack disruption now includes device isolation, a new response action that extends autonomous protection directly to...

CaptiveCrunch: Midnight Blizzard targets travelers worldwide for malware delivery and credential theft

In this article 1. The CaptiveCrunch campaign 2. Storm-2945 and Midnight Blizzard 3. CaptiveCrunch tradecraft and tooling 4. How to protect against CaptiveCrunch activity 5. Microsoft Defender detections and hunting guidance 6. Indicators of compromise Since early May 2026, Microsoft Threat...

CaptiveCrunch: Midnight Blizzard targets travelers worldwide for malware delivery and credential theft

In this article 1. The CaptiveCrunch campaign 2. Storm-2945 and Midnight Blizzard 3. CaptiveCrunch tradecraft and tooling 4. How to protect against CaptiveCrunch activity 5. Microsoft Defender detections and hunting guidance 6. Indicators of compromise Since early May 2026, Microsoft Threat...

​​​​What’s new in Microsoft Security: July 2026

Every organization needs security that protects end to end with the speed and scale of AI. Microsoft’s vision is simple: security should be ambient and autonomous, just like the AI it protects. As organizations scale AI and expand across environments, security teams need protection that covers...

​​​​What’s new in Microsoft Security: July 2026

Every organization needs security that protects end to end with the speed and scale of AI. Microsoft’s vision is simple: security should be ambient and autonomous, just like the AI it protects. As organizations scale AI and expand across environments, security teams need protection that covers...

​​Better security starts with better questions

As organizations move beyond AI experimentation, success will depend on how effectively they combine intelligence and trust. The same systems that amplify knowledge, accelerate decisions, and unlock new outcomes must also protect data, govern AI, and build resilience. In this next phase of...

Rethinking security for the age of AI

Why security needs a new Cyber Stack — Introducing Project Perception The physics of cybersecurity are changing. Autonomous systems can now reason, adapt and operate continuously. At the same time, the cost of offense is falling, while the volume, velocity and complexity of what must be secured...