Attackers use Morse code, other encryption methods in evasive phishing campaign

Cybercriminals attempt to change tactics as fast as security and protection technologies do. During our year-long investigation of a targeted, invoice-themed XLS.HTML phishing campaign, attackers changed obfuscation and encryption mechanisms every 37 days on average, demonstrating high motivation...

7 ways to harden your environment against compromise

Here at the global Microsoft Compromise Recovery Security Practice CRSP, we work with customers who have experienced disruptive security incidents to restore trust in identity systems and remove adversary control. During 2020, the team responded to many incidents involving ransomware and the...

How security can keep media and sources safe

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 Runa Sandvik, an expert on journalistic...

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...

Spotting brand impersonation with Swin transformers and Siamese neural networks

Every day, Microsoft Defender for Office 365 encounters millions of brand impersonation emails. Our security solutions use multiple detection and prevention techniques to help users avoid divulging sensitive information to phishers as attackers continue refining their impersonation tricks. In thi...

How to manage a side-by-side transition from your traditional SIEM to Azure Sentinel

With every week bringing new headlines about crippling cyberattacks, and with organizations growing increasingly distributed, security teams are constantly asked to do more with less. Moving to cloud-native security information and event management SIEM can help security teams analyze data with t...

When coin miners evolve, Part 2: Hunting down LemonDuck and LemonCat attacks

Note: In this two-part blog series, we expose a modern malware infrastructure and provide guidance for protecting against the wide range of threats it enables. Part 1 covered the evolution of the threat, how it spreads, and how it impacts organizations. Part 2 provides a deep dive on the attacker...

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...

Microsoft at Black Hat 2021: Sessions, bug bounty updates, product news, and more

Black Hat USA 2021 is about understanding the needs of security professionals and meeting you where you are. With last year’s pandemic-related firefighting still fresh in our minds, this year’s event will provide a welcome respite to learn about cutting-edge security solutions, build our skillset...

BazaCall: Phony call centers lead to exfiltration and ransomware

Our continued investigation into BazaCall campaigns, those that use fraudulent call centers that trick unsuspecting users into downloading the BazaLoader malware, shows that this threat is more dangerous than what’s been discussed publicly in other security blogs and covered by the media. Apart...

Zero Trust Adoption Report: How does your organization compare?

From the wide adoption of cloud-based services to the proliferation of mobile devices. From the emergence of advanced new cyberthreats to the recent sudden shift to remote work. The last decade has been full of disruptions that have required organizations to adapt and accelerate their security...

Combing through the fuzz: Using fuzzy hashing and deep learning to counter malware detection evasion techniques

Today’s cybersecurity threats continue to find ways to fly and stay under the radar. Cybercriminals use polymorphic malware because a slight change in the binary code or script could allow the said threats to avoid detection by traditional antivirus software. Threat actors customize their wares...

How to protect your CAD data files with MIP and HALOCAD

This blog post is part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association guest blog series. Learn more about MISA. Computer-aided design CAD files are used by design professionals in the manufacturing, engineering, architecture, surveying, and construction industries. These highly valuable files...

A guide to balancing external threats and insider risk

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 Rockwell Automation Vice President and...

When coin miners evolve, Part 1: Exposing LemonDuck and LemonCat, modern mining malware infrastructure

Note: In this two-part blog series, we expose a modern malware infrastructure and provide guidance for protecting against the wide range of threats it enables. Part 1 covers the evolution of the threat, how it spreads, and how it impacts organizations. Part 2 is a deep dive on the attacker behavi...

Microsoft acquires CloudKnox Security to offer unified privileged access and cloud entitlement management

Today on the Official Microsoft Blog, Microsoft announced the acquisition of CloudKnox Security, a leader in Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management CIEM. CloudKnox offers complete visibility into privileged access. It helps organizations right-size permissions and consistently enforce...

The evolution of a matrix: How ATT&CK for Containers was built

Note: The content of this post is being released jointly with the Center for Threat-Informed Defense. It is co-authored with Chris Ante and Matthew Bajzek. The Center post can be found here. As containers become a major part of many organizations’ IT workloads, it becomes crucial to consider the...

Protecting customers from a private-sector offensive actor using 0-day exploits and DevilsTongue malware

The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center MSTIC alongside the Microsoft Security Response Center MSRC has uncovered a private-sector offensive actor, or PSOA, that we are calling SOURGUM in possession of now-patched, Windows 0-day exploits CVE-2021-31979 and CVE-2021-33771. Private-sector offensiv...

Microsoft delivers comprehensive solution to battle rise in consent phishing emails

Microsoft threat analysts are tracking a continued increase in consent phishing emails, also called illicit consent grants, that abuse OAuth request links in an attempt to trick recipients into granting attacker-owned apps permissions to access sensitive data. This blog offers a look into the...

MISA expands portfolio and looks ahead during Microsoft Inspire

This blog post is part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association MISA guest blog series. Learn more about MISA. Welcome to fiscal year 2022 FY22 and my first official blog as the MISA Lead. It’s been a whirlwind couple of months getting up to speed with all things MISA—closing out FY21...

How Microsoft Security empowers partners to build customer trust

As I reflect on my first year at Microsoft, it was both challenging and exceptional: from my remote onboarding in the middle of a pandemic to dramatic changes in the cyber landscape, to Microsoft’s critical role as a frontline responder in some of the most sophisticated cyberattacks in history an...

Microsoft discovers threat actor targeting SolarWinds Serv-U software with 0-day exploit

Microsoft has detected a 0-day remote code execution exploit being used to attack SolarWinds Serv-U FTP software in limited and targeted attacks. The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center MSTIC attributes this campaign with high confidence to DEV-0322, a group operating out of China, based on...

Microsoft to acquire RiskIQ to strengthen cybersecurity of digital transformation and hybrid work

Organizations are increasingly using the cloud to reimagine every facet of their business. Hybrid work has accelerated this digital transformation, and customers are challenged with the increasing sophistication and frequency of cyberattacks. Today, Microsoft is announcing that we have entered in...

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...

How to build a privacy program the right way

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 attorney Whitney Merrill, an expert on...

Accessibility and usability for all in Azure Sentinel

As a father of a child on the Autism spectrum who relies completely on digital media for his learning, I fully appreciate the impact that digital accessibility can have on people with disabilities. Designing with accessibility in mind greatly expands the impact of Microsoft solutions. What many...

Preparing for your migration from on-premises SIEM to Azure Sentinel

The pandemic of 2020 has reshaped how we engage in work, education, healthcare, and more, accelerating the widespread adoption of cloud and remote-access solutions. In today’s workplace, the security perimeter extends to the home, airports, the gym—wherever you are. To keep pace, organizations...

Microsoft finds new NETGEAR firmware vulnerabilities that could lead to identity theft and full system compromise

The continuous improvement of security solutions has forced attackers to explore alternative ways to compromise systems. The rising number of firmware attacks and ransomware attacks via VPN devices and other internet-facing systems are examples of attacks initiated outside and below the operating...

The critical role of Zero Trust in securing our world

We are operating in the most complex cybersecurity landscape that we’ve ever seen. While our current ability to detect and respond to attacks has matured incredibly quickly in recent years, bad actors haven’t been standing still. Large-scale attacks like those pursued by Nobelium1 and Hafnium,...

MITRE ATT&CK® mappings released for built-in Azure security controls

The Security Stack Mappings for Azure research project was published today, introducing a library of mappings that link built-in Azure security controls to the MITRE ATT&CK® techniques they mitigate against. Microsoft once again worked with the Center for Threat-Informed Defense and other Center...

Encouraging women to embrace their cybersecurity superpowers

The cybersecurity challenges of today require a diversity of skills, perspectives, and experiences, yet women remain underrepresented in this field. On International Women’s Day, some Microsoft Security women leaders penned a powerful blog highlighting the underrepresentation of women in...

Encouraging women to embrace their cybersecurity superpowers

The cybersecurity challenges of today require a diversity of skills, perspectives, and experiences, yet women remain underrepresented in this field. On International Women’s Day, some Microsoft Security women leaders penned a powerful blog highlighting the underrepresentation of women in...

Windows 11 enables security by design from the chip to the cloud

Over the last year, PCs have kept us connected to family, friends, and enabled businesses to continue to run. This new hybrid work paradigm has got us thinking about how we will continue to deliver the best possible quality, experience, and security for the more than 1 billion people who use...

Windows 11 enables security by design from the chip to the cloud

Over the last year, PCs have kept us connected to family, friends, and enabled businesses to continue to run. This new hybrid work paradigm has got us thinking about how we will continue to deliver the best possible quality, experience, and security for the more than 1 billion people who use...

Strategies, tools, and frameworks for building an effective threat intelligence team

How to think about building a threat intelligence program 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...

Strategies, tools, and frameworks for building an effective threat intelligence team

How to think about building a threat intelligence program 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...

Microsoft announces recipients of academic grants for AI research on combating phishing

Every day in the ever-changing technology landscape, we see boundaries shift as new ideas challenge the old status quo. This constant shift is observed in the increasingly sophisticated and connected tools, products, and services people and organizations use on a daily basis, but also in the...

Microsoft announces recipients of academic grants for AI research on combating phishing

Every day in the ever-changing technology landscape, we see boundaries shift as new ideas challenge the old status quo. This constant shift is observed in the increasingly sophisticated and connected tools, products, and services people and organizations use on a daily basis, but also in the...

Improve your threat detection and response with Microsoft and Wortell

This blog post is part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association MISA guest blog series. Learn more about MISA. The way of working is changing rapidly. Many workloads are moving to the cloud and the pandemic accelerated organizations to provide infrastructure to aid employees working from...

Improve your threat detection and response with Microsoft and Wortell

This blog post is part of the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association MISA guest blog series. Learn more about MISA. The way of working is changing rapidly. Many workloads are moving to the cloud and the pandemic accelerated organizations to provide infrastructure to aid employees working from...

Afternoon Cyber Tea: Microsoft’s cybersecurity response to COVID-19

On February 25, 2020, Microsoft Chief Information Security Officer CISO Bret Arsenault was attending the RSA Conference in San Francisco when the city declared a state of emergency because of COVID-19. Shortly after flying back to Seattle, Bret learned of the first death from the coronavirus in...

Afternoon Cyber Tea: Microsoft’s cybersecurity response to COVID-19

On February 25, 2020, Microsoft Chief Information Security Officer CISO Bret Arsenault was attending the RSA Conference in San Francisco when the city declared a state of emergency because of COVID-19. Shortly after flying back to Seattle, Bret learned of the first death from the coronavirus in...

Behind the scenes of business email compromise: Using cross-domain threat data to disrupt a large BEC campaign

Microsoft 365 Defender researchers recently uncovered and disrupted a large-scale business email compromise BEC infrastructure hosted in multiple web services. Attackers used this cloud-based infrastructure to compromise mailboxes via phishing and add forwarding rules, enabling these attackers to...

Behind the scenes of business email compromise: Using cross-domain threat data to disrupt a large BEC campaign

Microsoft 365 Defender researchers recently uncovered and disrupted a large-scale business email compromise BEC infrastructure hosted in multiple web services. Attackers used this cloud-based infrastructure to compromise mailboxes via phishing and add forwarding rules, enabling these attackers to...

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...

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...

CRSP: The emergency team fighting cyber attacks beside customers

What is CRSP? Microsoft Global Compromise Recovery Security Practice. Who is CRSP? We are 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...

CRSP: The emergency team fighting cyber attacks beside customers

What is CRSP? Microsoft Global Compromise Recovery Security Practice. Who is CRSP? We are 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...

Optimize security with Azure Firewall solution for Azure Sentinel

Security is a constant balance between proactive and reactive defenses. They are both equally important, and neither can be neglected. Effectively protecting your organization means constantly optimizing both prevention and detection. That’s why we’re excited to announce a seamless integration...

Optimize security with Azure Firewall solution for Azure Sentinel

Security is a constant balance between proactive and reactive defenses. They are both equally important, and neither can be neglected. Effectively protecting your organization means constantly optimizing both prevention and detection. That’s why we’re excited to announce a seamless integration...