MISA expands with new members and new product additions

Another RSA Conference RSAC and another big year for the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association MISA. MISA was launched at RSAC 2018 with 26 members and a year later we had doubled in size to 53 members. Today, I am excited to share that the association has again doubled in size to 102 member...

5 identity priorities for 2020

Today, Joy Chik, Corporate Vice President of Identity, shared five priorities central to security that organizations should prioritize in 2020 as they digitally transform. These priorities are based on many conversations with our customers, including: 1. Connect all applications and cloud resourc...

The quiet evolution of phishing

The battle against phishing is a silent one: every day, Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection detects millions of distinct malicious URLs and email attachments. Every year, billions of phishing emails don’t ever reach mailboxes—real-world attacks foiled in real-time. Heuristics, detonation, and...

Announcing the Microsoft Graph Security Hackathon winners

Bringing together information from multiple disconnected security systems to solve today’s security challenges is complex. We recently asked Microsoft Graph Security Hackathon participants to come up with innovative solutions using the Microsoft Graph Security API, and they did not disappoint. We...

Malicious npm packages abuse dependency confusion to profile developer environments

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 2. Threat actor attribution 3. Mitigation and protection guidance 4. Indicators of Compromise IOC 5. References 6. Learn more Microsoft Threat Intelligence has uncovered an active supply chain attack involving malicious npm packages registered under...

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 named a Leader in 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Access Management for the 7th year​​

Protecting identity from compromise is top of mind for security professionals as identity attacks continue to intensify. Earlier this year we reported that we had observed a nearly three-fold increase in password attacks per second in the last two years, from 579 in 2021 to 4,000 in 2023.1 Identi...

Volt Typhoon targets US critical infrastructure with living-off-the-land techniques

Microsoft has uncovered stealthy and targeted malicious activity focused on post-compromise credential access and network system discovery aimed at critical infrastructure organizations in the United States. The attack is carried out by Volt Typhoon, a state-sponsored actor based in China that...

Introducing kernel sanitizers on Microsoft platforms

As part of Microsoft’s commitment to continuously raise security baselines, we have been introducing innovations to the foundation of the chip-to-cloud security outlined in the Windows 11 Security Book. Strong foundational security enables us to build defenses from the ground up and develop...

Securing your IoT with Edge Secured-core devices

A recent study conducted by Microsoft in partnership with Ponemon Institute included a survey of companies that have adopted IoT solutions and 65 percent of them mentioned that security is a top priority when implementing IoT. Attacks targeting IoT devices put businesses at risk. Impacted devices...

How a leading Microsoft engineer extends culture to service resiliency

It’s hard to underestimate the impact that people can have on us in our formative years. Huiwen Ru, who spent several years working in identity and access management and is now a Principal Software Engineering Manager on the Singularity team at Microsoft, is a living example of how important...

Combat attacks with security solutions from Trustwave and Microsoft

This blog post is part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association guest blog series. Learn more about MISA. In 2021, cyberattacks and instances of ransomware demands against companies, agencies, and institutions have dominated the headlines. These kinds of attacks are on the rise and often...

How purple teams can embrace hacker culture to improve security

The security community is continuously changing, growing, and learning from each other to better position the world against cyber threats. In the latest Voice of the Community blog series post, Microsoft Product Marketing Manager Natalia Godyla talks with Matthew Hickey, co-founder, CEO, and writ...

A breakthrough year for passwordless technology

As 2020 draws to a close, most of us are looking forward to putting this year in the rearview mirror. Since we depend even more on getting online for everything in our lives, we’re more than ready to be done with passwords. Passwords are a hassle to use, and they present security risks for users...

Understanding influences shaping the cybersecurity landscape, enabling digital transformation, and helping to protect our planet

The accelerated rate of digital transformation we have seen this past year presents both challenges and endless opportunities for individuals, organizations, businesses, and governments around the world. Cybersecurity is the underpinning of helping protect these opportunities. By examining the...

Seeing the big picture: Deep learning-based fusion of behavior signals for threat detection

The application of deep learning and other machine learning methods to threat detection on endpoints, email and docs, apps, and identities drives a significant piece of the coordinated defense delivered by Microsoft Threat Protection. Within each domain as well as across domains, machine learning...

5 cybersecurity paradigm shifts that will lead to more inclusive digital experiences

Whether responding to a natural disaster, defending against a cyberattack, or meeting the unprecedented demands to enable the largest workforce in history to work remotely, we amplify our human capacity through technology. At Microsoft, cybersecurity is the underpinning to helping organizations...

Zero Trust and its role in securing the new normal

As the global crisis around COVID-19 continues, security teams have been forced to adapt to a rapidly evolving security landscape. Schools, businesses, and healthcare organizations are all getting work done from home on a variety of devices and locations, extending the potential security attack...

RSA Conference 2020—Empower your defenders with artificial intelligence and automation

The RSA Conference 2020 kicks off in less than three weeks, and the Microsoft Security team can’t wait. This is one of our most important annual events because it provides an invaluable opportunity for us to connect with customers, partners, and other security thought leaders. New ideas are...

sLoad launches version 2.0, Starslord

sLoad, the PowerShell-based Trojan downloader notable for its almost exclusive use of the Background Intelligent Transfer Service BITS for malicious activities, has launched version 2.0. The new version comes on the heels of a comprehensive blog we published detailing the malware’s multi-stage...

Delivering security innovation that puts Microsoft’s experience to work for you

Cybersecurity is the central challenge of our digital age. Without it, everything from our personal email accounts and privacy to the way we do business, and all types of critical infrastructure, are under threat. As attackers evolve, staying ahead of these threats is getting harder. Microsoft ca...

Use Windows Information Protection (WIP) to help make accidental data leakage a thing of the past

Have you always wished you could have mobile application management MAM on Windows? Now you can! Windows Information Protection WIP is an out-of-the box data leakage prevention feature for Windows 10 that can automatically apply protection for work files and data to prevent accidental data leakag...

Microsoft offers several mechanisms to protect against ransomware

The start of a new year is the perfect time to reassess your security strategy and tactics especially when looking back at the new levels of ransomwares reach and damage in 2017. Its no secret that ransomware attacks are increasing. In fact, a business is hit with ransomware every 40 seconds. If...

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...

AI brands as bait: How threat actors are using the AI hype in social engineering

In this article 1. ChatGPT-themed lure leads to phishing kit collecting credit card data 2. Claude-themed phishing campaign collected credentials and access tokens 3. "Awesome AI Windows Plugin” malvertising deploys Vidar stealer 4. Fake DeepSeek V4 installers on GitHub delivered Vidar Stealer 5...

Microsoft recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™ for Workforce Identity Security Platforms

Identity is the backbone of modern cybersecurity. Every access decision carries risk, across employees, partners, devices, workloads, and an expanding set of AI-powered agents. But most organizations are still operating across disparate systems. Identity signals are captured in one place, access...

New Clickfix variant ‘CrashFix’ deploying Python Remote Access Trojan

In January 2026, Microsoft Defender Experts identified a new evolution in the ongoing ClickFix campaign. This updated tactic deliberately crashes victims’ browsers and then attempts to lure users into executing malicious commands under the pretext of restoring normal functionality. This variant...

Insights from Microsoft Security Copilot early adopters

To understand why customers are adopting generative AI solutions like Microsoft Security Copilot, we have to go back to the cyberthreat landscape—which continues to get more challenging. Organizations are facing a surge in cyberattacks while also dealing with a global shortage of security talent...

Threat actors strive to cause Tax Day headaches

Threat actors often take advantage of current events and major news headlines to align attacks and leverage social engineering when people could be more likely to be distracted or misled. Tax season is particularly appealing to threat actors because not only are people busy and under stress, but ...

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...

Gain real-time identity protection with Microsoft and Recorded Future

This blog post is part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association guest blog series. Learn more about MISA. You’ve implemented multifactor authentication for access to your enterprise network. But what if multifactor authentication isn’t as foolproof as you’re hoping? Are you comfortable...

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,...

Learn about 4 approaches to comprehensive security that help leaders be fearless

The last 18 months have put unprecedented pressure on organizations to speed up their digital transformation as remote and hybrid work continue to become the new normal. Yet even with all the change and uncertainty, having the right security support system in place means your organization can sti...

Microsoft’s 5 guiding principles for decentralized identities

Three years ago, as part of Microsoft’s mission to empower people and organizations to achieve more, we announced that we were incubating a new set of decentralized identity technologies based on a simple vision: Each of us needs a digital identity we own, one which securely and privately stores...

Windows 11 offers chip to cloud protection to meet the new security challenges of hybrid work

As the world has changed over the past 18-months, companies have been wrestling with ways to keep employees and data protected as they support new ways of hybrid working. We built Windows 11 to be the most secure Windows yet with built-in chip to cloud protection that ensures company assets stay...

How nation-state attackers like NOBELIUM are changing cybersecurity

This is the first post in a four-part series on the NOBELIUM nation-state cyberattack. Microsoft started telling the industry about this extremely advanced cyberattack in December 2020. The NOBELIUM blog series—which mirrors Microsoft’s four-part video series “Decoding NOBELIUM”—will pull the...

Mitigate OT security threats with these best practices

The security community is continuously changing, growing, and learning from each other to better position the world against cyber threats. In the latest Voice of the Community blog series post, Microsoft Product Marketing Manager Natalia Godyla talks with Chris Sistrunk, Technical Manager in...

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...

EDR in block mode stops IcedID cold

We are happy to announce the general availability of endpoint detection and response EDR in block mode in Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. EDR in block mode turns EDR detections into real-time blocking of malicious behaviors, malware, and artifacts. It uses Microsoft Defender for Endpoint’s...

What’s new in Microsoft 365 Compliance and Risk Management

The world has dramatically changed over the past three months. As Satya shared in our recent quarterly earnings, we have seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months. With that significant amount of rapid change, it’s more important than ever to make sure your business-critical...

The science behind Microsoft Threat Protection: Attack modeling for finding and stopping evasive ransomware

The linchpin of successful cyberattacks, exemplified by nation state-level attacks and human-operated ransomware, is their ability to find the path of least resistance and progressively move across a compromised network. Determining the full scope and impact of these attacks is one the most...

Protect your accounts with smarter ways to sign in on World Passwordless Day

As the world continues to grapple with COVID-19, our lives have become increasingly dependent on digital interactions. Operating at home, we’ve had to rely on e-commerce, telehealth, and e-government to manage the everyday business of life. Our daily online usage has increased by over 20 percent...

Turning collaboration and customer engagement up with a strong identity approach

In these challenging times, it’s even more apparent that modern companies are managing a blended workforce that encompasses not only their full-time staff and customers but also their contractors, consultants, subsidiaries, suppliers, partners, and soon-to-be customers. Balancing friction-less...

Guarding against supply chain attacks—Part 3: How software becomes compromised

Do you know all the software your company uses? The software supply chain can be complex and opaque. It’s comprised of software that businesses use to run operations, such as customer relationship management CRM, enterprise resource planning ERP, and project management. It also includes the...

Data privacy is about more than compliance—it’s about being a good world citizen

Happy Data Privacy Day! Begun in 2007 in the European Union E.U. and adopted by the U.S. in 2008, Data Privacy Day is an international effort to encourage better protection of data and respect for privacy. It’s a timely topic given the recent enactment of the California Consumer Privacy Act CCPA...

Mobile threat defense and intelligence are a core part of cyber defense

The modern workplace is a mobile workplace. Today’s organizations rely on mobility to increase productivity and improve the customer experience. But the proliferation of smartphones and other mobile devices has also expanded the attack surface of roughly 5 billion mobile devices in the world, man...

How to secure your IoT deployment during the security talent shortage

Businesses across industries are placing bigger and bigger bets on the Internet of Things IoT as they look to unlock valuable business opportunities. But time and time again, as I meet with device manufacturers and businesses considering IoT deployments, there are concerns over the complexity of...

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

As organizations scale AI and agents across environments, security teams need protection that covers every surface. The Microsoft vision is simple: security should be ambient and autonomous, just like the AI it protects. This month’s updates help security and IT teams strengthen identity and...

Contagious Interview: Malware delivered through fake developer job interviews

Microsoft Defender Experts has observed the Contagious Interview campaign, a sophisticated social engineering operation active since at least December 2022. Microsoft continues to detect activity associated with this campaign in recent customer environments, targeting software developers at...

New Microsoft Secure Future Initiative (SFI) patterns and practices: Practical guides to strengthen security

Building on the momentum of our initial launch of the Microsoft Secure Future Initiative SFI patterns and practices, this second installment continues our commitment to making security implementation practical and scalable. The first release introduced a foundational library of actionable guidanc...