Cybersecurity threats: How to discover, remediate, and mitigate

This blog is part of a series that responds to common questions we receive from customers about deployment of Microsoft 365 security solutions. In this series youll find context, answers, and guidance for deployment and driving adoption within your organization. Check out our last blog, Protect...

Cybersecurity Reference Architecture: Security for a Hybrid Enterprise

The Microsoft Cybersecurity Reference Architecture describes Microsofts cybersecurity capabilities and how they integrate with existing security architectures and capabilities. We recently updated this diagram and wanted to share a little bit about the changes and the document itself to help you...

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...

New macOS vulnerability, Migraine, could bypass System Integrity Protection

A new vulnerability, which we refer to as “Migraine” for its involvement with macOS migration, could allow an attacker with root access to automatically bypass System Integrity Protection SIP in macOS and perform arbitrary operations on a device. We shared these findings with Apple through...

New Microsoft Sysmon report in VirusTotal improves security

Today, following the 25th year anniversary of Microsoft Sysinternals, we are announcing the general availability of a new Microsoft Sysmon report in VirusTotal. Whether you’re an IT professional or a developer, you’re probably already using Microsoft Sysinternals utilities to help you manage,...

CISO series: Lessons learned from the Microsoft SOC—Part 3a: Choosing SOC tools

The Lessons learned from the Microsoft SOC blog series is designed to share our approach and experience with security operations center SOC operations. Our learnings in the series come primarily from Microsoft’s corporate IT security operation team, one of several specialized teams in the Microso...

The evolution of Microsoft Threat Protection—July update

Modern security teams need to proactively, efficiently, and effectively hunt for threats across multiple attack vectors. To address this need, today we’re excited to give you a glimpse of a new threat hunting capability coming soon to Microsoft Threat Protection. Building off the threat hunting...

Advancing Windows 10 as a passwordless platform

Passwords can be frustrating, difficult to remember, and easily hacked or stolen. That’s why our vision for Windows is one of a passwordless platform—a world where users don’t have to deal with the pains of a password. With the release of Windows 10, version 1903, we’re bringing Windows 10 closer...

Decentralized identity and the path to digital privacy

Security is the central challenge of the digital age. Our digital lives have moved into the cloud. People now use multiple devices to connect to multiple applications through many different networks. Just about everything is connected to the internet, where threats remain constant and evolving. I...

The challenges of adopting a consistent cybersecurity framework in the insurance industry

As hacking events have increased in number and severity, we in the cybersecurity community have united around common strategies that all organizations can implement to reduce their risk. Universal best practices provide organizations with many useful tools to protect their businesses. But what...

Step 1. Identify users: top 10 actions to secure your environment

This series outlines the most fundamental steps you can take with your investment in Microsoft 365 security solutions. Well provide advice on activities such as setting up identity management through active directory, malware protection, and more. In this post, we explain how to create a single...

Get deeper into security at Microsoft Ignite 2018

This year at Microsoft Ignite, we will be making some exciting announcementsfrom new capabilities for identity management and information protection to powerful artificial intelligence AI innovations that can help you stay ahead of an often overwhelming surge in threats and security alerts. Join ...

Defense in depth for autonomous AI agents

Designing Secure Autonomous AI Agents with Defense in Depth AI agents are moving beyond assistance and into action. Instead of generating content, they invoke tools, modify data, trigger workflows, and operate across systems with increasing autonomy. This shift changes the security problem...

How to cost-effectively manage and secure a mobile ecosystem

Today’s post was written by Roxane Suau, Vice President of Marketing for Pradeo. In the corporate environment, mobile devices and applications are at the center of communications, enhancing collaborators’ productivity with 24/7 access to information. But at the same time, they represent thousands...

Introducing the security configuration framework: A prioritized guide to hardening Windows 10

In the past, we left defining the security configuration for Windows 10 as a task for every customer to sort out. As a result, we saw as many different configurations as we saw customers. Standardization has many advantages, so we developed a security configuration framework to help simplify...

Microsoft partners with DigiCert to begin deprecating Symantec TLS certificates

Starting in September 2018, Microsoft began deprecating the SSL/TLS capability of Symantec root certificates due to compliance issues. Google, Mozilla, and Apple have also announced deprecation plans related to Symantec SSL/TLS certificates. Symantec cryptographic certificates are used in critica...

From package to postinstall payload: Inside the Mastra npm supply chain compromise by Sapphire Sleet

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 1. Discovery and initial indicators 2. Dependency injection: the poisoned package.json 3. Typosquat analysis: easy-day-js 4. Staged delivery pattern 5. Obfuscation and payload analysis 6. TLS bypass to self-deletion 7. Timeline analysis 2. Who is Sapphire...

Top 6 email security best practices to protect against phishing attacks and business email compromise

Most cyberattacks start over email—a user is tricked into opening a malicious attachment, or into clicking a malicious link and divulging credentials, or into responding with confidential data. Attackers dupe victims by using carefully crafted emails to build a false sense of trust and/or urgency...

Investing in the right innovation

RSA is around the corner which means tens of thousands of people will descend on Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. Hundreds of innovative young companies will look for customers, props, and capital especially at the Early Stage Expo!. Venture capitalists will look for opportunities to invest a...

Attack AI systems in Machine Learning Evasion Competition

Today, we are launching MLSEC.IO, an educational Machine Learning Security Evasion Competition MLSEC for the AI and security communities to exercise their muscle to attack critical AI systems in a realistic setting. Hosted and sponsored by Microsoft, alongside NVIDIA, CUJO AI, VM-Ray, and MRG...

Protecting your data and maintaining compliance in a remote work environment

In this difficult time, remote work is becoming the new normal for many companies around the world. Employees are using tools like Microsoft Teams to collaborate, chat, and connect in new ways to try to keep their businesses moving forward amidst the challenging global health crisis. I sincerely...

Zero Trust part 1: Identity and access management

Once in a while, a simple phrase captures our imagination, expressing a great way to think about a problem. Zero Trust is such a phrase. Today, Ill define Zero Trust and then discuss the first step to enabling a Zero Trust modelstrong identity and access management. In subsequent blogs, well cove...

Microsoft AI competition explores the next evolution of predictive technologies in security

Predictive technologies are already effective at detecting and blocking malware at first sight. A new malware prediction competition on Kaggle will challenge the data science community to push these technologies even furtherto stop malware before it is even seen. The Microsoft-sponsored competiti...

Voice of the Customer: The Walsh Group found that Azure Active Directory gives them a competitive edge

Peter Vallianatos, director of IT Infrastructure and Security, and Phillip Nottoli, director of Enterprise Architecture at The Walsh Group. Hello! This is Sue Bohn from the Customer & Partner Success team for the Identity Division. Im delighted to announce the next post in our Voice of the Custom...

How Microsoft 365 Security integrates with the broader security ecosystem—part 1

Today's post was coauthored by Debraj Ghosh, Senior Product Marketing Manager, and Diana Kelley, Cybersecurity Field CTO. This week is the annual Microsoft Inspire conference, where Microsoft directly engages with industry partners. Last year at Inspire, we announced Microsoft 365, providing a...

Unpacking the AsyncAPI npm supply chain compromise and import-time payload delivery

In this article 1. Attack chain overview 2. How the attack started: GitHub Actions pwn request 3. Mitigation and protection guidance 4. Learn more On July 14, 2026, Microsoft Threat Intelligence identified a coordinated supply chain compromise of the @asyncapi npm organization, a widely used set ...

Analysis of Storm-0558 techniques for unauthorized email access

Executive summary On July 11, 2023, Microsoft published two blogs detailing a malicious campaign by a threat actor tracked as Storm-0558 that targeted customer email that weve detected and mitigated: Microsoft Security Response Center and Microsoft on the Issues. As we continue our investigation...

Uncovering a macOS App Sandbox escape vulnerability: A deep dive into CVE-2022-26706

Microsoft uncovered a vulnerability in macOS that could allow specially crafted codes to escape the App Sandbox and run unrestricted on the system. We shared these findings with Apple through Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure CVD via Microsoft Security Vulnerability Research MSVR in October...

Phorpiex morphs: How a longstanding botnet persists and thrives in the current threat environment

Phorpiex, an enduring botnet known for extortion campaigns and for using old-fashioned worms that spread via removable USB drives and instant messaging apps, began diversifying its infrastructure in recent years to become more resilient and to deliver more dangerous payloads. Today, the Phorphiex...

Guarding against supply chain attacks—Part 1: The big picture

Every day, somewhere in the world, governments, businesses, educational organizations, and individuals are hacked. Precious data is stolen or held for ransom, and the wheels of “business-as-usual” grind to a halt. These criminal acts are expected to cost more than $2 trillion in 2019, a four-fold...

Get security beyond Microsoft products with Microsoft 365

Over time, organizations and individuals acquire stuff. Things we love and things we need. Things we don’t need but can’t seem to get rid of. I was confronted with this challenge when we bought a 1908 craftsman home. How could I make my beloved modern furniture and mandatory kid-friendly gear wor...

From alert to driver vulnerability: Microsoft Defender ATP investigation unearths privilege escalation flaw

With Microsoft continuously improving kernel mitigations and raising the bar for exploiting native kernel components, third-party kernel drivers are becoming a more appealing target for attackers and an important area of research for security analysts. A vulnerability in a signed third-party driv...

Ignite 2018 highlights: password-less sign-in, confidential computing, new threat protection, and more

What a week it was in Orlando! Ignite is always a biggie, and this one was no exception. For all of us here at Microsoft who get to work on security, spending time with customers to learn how you are using our security products today and to share new innovations to come is a highlight. At this...

Practical application of artificial intelligence that can transform cybersecurity

As I write this blog post, Im sitting by the beach on my computer in a sunny destination while my family plays in the water. Were on vacation, but we all have our own definition of fun. For me its writing blogs on the beachreally! The headspace is outstanding for uninterrupted thinking time and...

Finding the signal of community in all the noise at Black Hat

I dont know about you, but I find large conferences overwhelming. Dont get me wrong, nothing beats the innovative potential of bringing a diverse group of brilliant people together to hash through thorny issues and share insights. But there are so many speakers, booths, and people, it can be a...

North Korean threat actor targets small and midsize businesses with H0lyGh0st ransomware

A group of actors originating from North Korea that Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center MSTIC tracks as DEV-0530 has been developing and using ransomware in attacks since June 2021. This group, which calls itself H0lyGh0st, utilizes a ransomware payload with the same name for its campaigns and h...

Trend-spotting email techniques: How modern phishing emails hide in plain sight

With the massive volume of emails sent each day, coupled with the many methods that attackers use to blend in, identifying the unusual and malicious is more challenging than ever. An obscure Unicode character in a few emails is innocuous enough, but when a pattern of emails containing this obscur...

Microsoft recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Unstructured Data Security Platforms, Q2 2021

In this new world of hybrid work, organizations face an increasing volume of data, ever-evolving regulations around how that data is protected, and an evolving complexity and frequency of data security breaches. To help our customers navigate this complex data landscape, we are focused on...

Zero Trust framework to enable remote work

Zero Trust Assessment tool now live! With such a large influx of employees working remotely, many of the traditional network-based security controls are unable to protect the organization. For many organizations, there are two options: route all remote traffic through a strained legacy network...

Threat hunting in Azure Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)

As members of Microsoft’s Detection and Response Team DART, we’ve seen a significant increase in adversaries “living off the land” and using compromised account credentials for malicious purposes. From an investigation standpoint, tracking adversaries using this method is quite difficult as you...

Announcing the all new Attack Surface Analyzer 2.0

Few of us know what is really happening on our systems when we install new software from new or untrusted sources. This is important because most installation processes require elevated privileges, which can lead to undesired system configuration changes. Knowing what changes have been made is...

Making it real—harnessing data gravity to build the next gen SOC

This post was coauthored by Diana Kelley, Cybersecurity Field CTO, andSin John,EMEA Chief Security Advisor, Cybersecurity Solutions Group. In our first blog, Diana and I talked about the concept of data gravity and how it could, conceptually, help organizations take a more cloud-ready approach to...

Small businesses targeted by highly localized Ursnif campaign

Cyber thieves are continuously looking for new ways to get people to click on a bad link, open a malicious file, or install a poisoned update in order to steal valuable data. In the past, they cast as wide a net as possible to increase the pool of potential victims. But attacks that create a lot ...

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...

Microsoft is named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Endpoint Protection

As threats become more coordinated and faster to execute, endpoint protection has become the proving ground for modern defense. For the seventh consecutive time, Microsoft has been named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Endpoint Protection. We believe this reflects both the...

FoggyWeb: Targeted NOBELIUM malware leads to persistent backdoor

Microsoft continues to work with partners and customers to track and expand our knowledge of the threat actor we refer to as NOBELIUM, the actor behind the SUNBURST backdoor, TEARDROP malware, and related components. As we stated before, we suspect that NOBELIUM can draw from significant...

Microsoft named a Visionary in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SIEM for Azure Sentinel

We’re pleased to announce that in its first year of inclusion in the Gartner Magic Quadrant report, Microsoft Azure Sentinel has been named a Visionary, where we were recognized for our completeness of vision for SIEM.1 Gartner has said that “cloud SIEM will be the future of how many organization...

Forrester Consulting TEI Study: Azure Security Center delivers 219 percent ROI over 3 years and a payback of less than 6 months

Azure Security Center is a critical tool to secure our multi-cloud workloads in the new world of remote work we find ourselves in today. We are excited to share that Forrester Consulting has just conducted a commissioned Total Economic Impact TEI study on behalf of Microsoft, which involved...

Rethinking cyber learning—consider gamification

As promised, I’m back with a follow-up to my recent post, Rethinking how we learn security, on how we need modernize the learning experience for cybersecurity professionals by gamifying training to make learning fun. Some of you may have attended the recent Microsoft Ignite events in Orlando and...

Changing security incident response by utilizing the power of the cloud—DART tools, techniques, and procedures: part 1

This is the first in a blog series discussing the tools, techniques, and procedures that the Microsoft Detection and Response Team DART use to investigate cybersecurity incidents at our customer organizations. Today, we introduce the team and give a brief overview of each of the tools that utiliz...