Running OpenClaw safely: identity, isolation, and runtime risk

Self-hosted agent runtimes like OpenClaw are showing up fast in enterprise pilots, and they introduce a blunt reality: OpenClaw includes limited built-in security controls. The runtime can ingest untrusted text, download and execute skills i.e. code from external sources, and perform actions usin...

Running OpenClaw safely: identity, isolation, and runtime risk

Self-hosted agent runtimes like OpenClaw are showing up fast in enterprise pilots, and they introduce a blunt reality: OpenClaw includes limited built-in security controls. The runtime can ingest untrusted text, download and execute skills i.e. code from external sources, and perform actions usin...

Unify now or pay later: New research exposes the operational cost of a fragmented SOC

Security operations are entering a pivotal moment: the operating model that grew around network logs and phishing emails is now buckling under tool sprawl, manual triage, and threat actors that outpace defender capacity. New research from Microsoft and Omdia shows just how heavy the burden can...

Unify now or pay later: New research exposes the operational cost of a fragmented SOC

Security operations are entering a pivotal moment: the operating model that grew around network logs and phishing emails is now buckling under tool sprawl, manual triage, and threat actors that outpace defender capacity. New research from Microsoft and Omdia shows just how heavy the burden can...

Detecting and mitigating common agent misconfigurations

Organizations are rapidly adopting agents, but attackers are equally fast at exploiting misconfigured AI workflows. Mis-sharing, unsafe orchestration, and weak authentication create new identity and data‑access paths that traditional controls don’t monitor. As agents become integrated into...

Top 10 actions to build agents securely with Microsoft Copilot Studio

Organizations are rapidly adopting Copilot Studio agents, but threat actors are equally fast at exploiting misconfigured AI workflows. Mis-sharing, unsafe orchestration, and weak authentication create new identity and data‑access paths that traditional controls don’t monitor. As AI agents become...

Your complete guide to Microsoft experiences at RSAC™ 2026 Conference

The era of AI is reshaping both opportunity and risk faster than any shift security leaders have seen. Every organization is feeling the momentum; and for security teams, the question is no longer if AI will transform their work, but how to stay ahead of what comes next. At Microsoft, we see this...

The strategic SIEM buyer’s guide: Choosing an AI-ready platform for the agentic era

As the agentic era reshapes security operations, leaders face a strategic inflection point: legacy security information and event management SIEM solutions and fragmented toolchains can no longer keep pace with the scale, speed, and complexity of modern cyberthreats. Organizations can choose to...

The strategic SIEM buyer’s guide: Choosing an AI-ready platform for the agentic era

As the agentic era reshapes security operations, leaders face a strategic inflection point: legacy security information and event management SIEM solutions and fragmented toolchains can no longer keep pace with the scale, speed, and complexity of modern cyberthreats. Organizations can choose to...

80% of Fortune 500 use active AI Agents: Observability, governance, and security shape the new frontier

Today, Microsoft is releasing the new Cyber Pulse report to provide leaders with straightforward, practical insights and guidance on new cybersecurity risks. One of today’s most pressing concerns is the governance of AI and autonomous agents. AI agents are scaling faster than some companies can s...

80% of Fortune 500 use active AI Agents: Observability, governance, and security shape the new frontier

Today, Microsoft is releasing the new Cyber Pulse report to provide leaders with straightforward, practical insights and guidance on new cybersecurity risks. One of today’s most pressing concerns is the governance of AI and autonomous agents. AI agents are scaling faster than some companies can s...

Manipulating AI memory for profit: The rise of AI Recommendation Poisoning

That helpful "Summarize with AI" button? It might be secretly manipulating what your AI recommends. Microsoft security researchers have discovered a growing trend of AI memory poisoning attacks used for promotional purposes, a technique we call AI Recommendation Poisoning. Companies are embedding...

Manipulating AI memory for profit: The rise of AI Recommendation Poisoning

That helpful "Summarize with AI" button? It might be secretly manipulating what your AI recommends. Microsoft security researchers have discovered a growing trend of AI memory poisoning attacks used for promotional purposes, a technique we call AI Recommendation Poisoning. Companies are embedding...

A one-prompt attack that breaks LLM safety alignment

Large language models LLMs and diffusion models now power a wide range of applications, from document assistance to text-to-image generation, and users increasingly expect these systems to be safety-aligned by default. Yet safety alignment is only as robust as its weakest failure mode. Despite...

A one-prompt attack that breaks LLM safety alignment

Large language models LLMs and diffusion models now power a wide range of applications, from document assistance to text-to-image generation, and users increasingly expect these systems to be safety-aligned by default. Yet safety alignment is only as robust as its weakest failure mode. Despite...

Analysis of active exploitation of SolarWinds Web Help Desk

The Microsoft Defender Research Team observed a multi‑stage intrusion where threat actors exploited internet‑exposed SolarWinds Web Help Desk WHD instances to get an initial foothold and then laterally moved towards other high-value assets within the organization. However, we have not yet confirm...

Analysis of active exploitation of SolarWinds Web Help Desk

The Microsoft Defender Research Team observed a multi‑stage intrusion where threat actors exploited internet‑exposed SolarWinds Web Help Desk WHD instances to get an initial foothold and then laterally moved towards other high-value assets within the organization. However, we have not yet confirm...

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...

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...

The security implementation gap: Why Microsoft is supporting Operation Winter SHIELD

Every conversation I have with information security leaders tends to land in the same place. People understand what matters. They know the frameworks, the controls, and the guidance. They can explain why identity security, patching, and access control are critical. And yet incidents keep happenin...

The security implementation gap: Why Microsoft is supporting Operation Winter SHIELD

Every conversation I have with information security leaders tends to land in the same place. People understand what matters. They know the frameworks, the controls, and the guidance. They can explain why identity security, patching, and access control are critical. And yet incidents keep happenin...

Detecting backdoored language models at scale

Today, we are releasing new research on detecting backdoors in open-weight language models. Our research highlights several key properties of language model backdoors, laying the groundwork for a practical scanner designed to detect backdoored models at scale and improve overall trust in AI...

Detecting backdoored language models at scale

Today, we are releasing new research on detecting backdoors in open-weight language models. Our research highlights several key properties of language model backdoors, laying the groundwork for a practical scanner designed to detect backdoored models at scale and improve overall trust in AI...

Microsoft SDL: Evolving security practices for an AI-powered world

As AI reshapes the world, organizations encounter unprecedented risks, and security leaders take on new responsibilities. Microsoft’s Secure Development Lifecycle SDL is expanding to address AI-specific security concerns in addition to the traditional software security areas that it has...

Microsoft SDL: Evolving security practices for an AI-powered world

As AI reshapes the world, organizations encounter unprecedented risks, and security leaders take on new responsibilities. Microsoft’s Secure Development Lifecycle SDL is expanding to address AI-specific security concerns in addition to the traditional software security areas that it has...

Infostealers without borders: macOS, Python stealers, and platform abuse

Infostealer threats are rapidly expanding beyond traditional Windows-focused campaigns, increasingly targeting macOS environments, leveraging cross-platform languages such as Python, and abusing trusted platforms and utilities to silently deliver credential-stealing malware at scale. Since late...

Infostealers without borders: macOS, Python stealers, and platform abuse

Infostealer threats are rapidly expanding beyond traditional Windows-focused campaigns, increasingly targeting macOS environments, leveraging cross-platform languages such as Python, and abusing trusted platforms and utilities to silently deliver credential-stealing malware at scale. Since late...

Case study: Securing AI application supply chains

The rapid adoption of AI applications, including agents, orchestrators, and autonomous workflows, represents a significant shift in how software systems are built and operated. Unlike traditional applications, these systems are active participants in execution. They make decisions, invoke tools,...

Case study: Securing AI application supply chains

The rapid adoption of AI applications, including agents, orchestrators, and autonomous workflows, represents a significant shift in how software systems are built and operated. Unlike traditional applications, these systems are active participants in execution. They make decisions, invoke tools,...

Turning threat reports into detection insights with AI

Security teams routinely need to transform unstructured threat knowledge, such as incident narratives, red team breach-path writeups, threat actor profiles, and public reports into concrete defensive action. The early stages of that work are often the slowest. These include extracting tactics,...

Turning threat reports into detection insights with AI

Security teams routinely need to transform unstructured threat knowledge, such as incident narratives, red team breach-path writeups, threat actor profiles, and public reports into concrete defensive action. The early stages of that work are often the slowest. These include extracting tactics,...

New Microsoft Data Security Index report explores secure AI adoption to protect sensitive data

Generative AI and agentic AI are redefining how organizations innovate and operate, unlocking new levels of productivity, creativity and collaboration across industry teams. From accelerating content creation to streamlining workflows, AI offers transformative benefits that empower organizations ...

New Microsoft Data Security Index report explores secure AI adoption to protect sensitive data

Generative AI and agentic AI are redefining how organizations innovate and operate, unlocking new levels of productivity, creativity and collaboration across industry teams. From accelerating content creation to streamlining workflows, AI offers transformative benefits that empower organizations ...

Microsoft announces the 2026 Security Excellence Awards winners

In today’s fast‑moving digital arena, security isn’t a solo act—it’s a team sport. Every day, defenders across the globe suit up, strategize, and work shoulder‑to‑shoulder to protect organizations and communities from an ever‑evolving field of cyberthreats. That shared spirit of collaboration is...

Security strategies for safeguarding governmental data

The Deputy CISO blog series is where Microsoft Deputy Chief Information Security Officers CISOs share their thoughts on what is most important in their respective domains. In this series, you will get practical advice, tactics to start and stop deploying, forward-looking commentary on where the...

Security strategies for safeguarding governmental data

The Deputy CISO blog series is where Microsoft Deputy Chief Information Security Officers CISOs share their thoughts on what is most important in their respective domains. In this series, you will get practical advice, tactics to start and stop deploying, forward-looking commentary on where the...

From runtime risk to real‑time defense: Securing AI agents

AI agents, whether developed in Microsoft Copilot Studio or on alternative platforms, are becoming a powerful means for organizations to create custom solutions designed to enhance productivity and automate organizational processes by seamlessly integrating with internal data and systems. From a...

Microsoft Security success stories: Why integrated security is the foundation of AI transformation

AI is transforming how organizations operate and how they approach security. In this new era of agentic AI, every interaction, digital or human, must be built on trust. As businesses modernize, they’re not just adopting AI tools, they're rearchitecting their digital foundations. And that means...

Microsoft Security success stories: Why integrated security is the foundation of AI transformation

AI is transforming how organizations operate and how they approach security. In this new era of agentic AI, every interaction, digital or human, must be built on trust. As businesses modernize, they’re not just adopting AI tools, they're rearchitecting their digital foundations. And that means...

Resurgence of a multi‑stage AiTM phishing and BEC campaign abusing SharePoint

Microsoft Defender Researchers uncovered a multi‑stage adversary‑in‑the‑middle AiTM phishing and business email compromise BEC campaign targeting multiple organizations in the energy sector, resulting in the compromise of various user accounts. The campaign abused SharePoint file‑sharing services...

Resurgence of a multi‑stage AiTM phishing and BEC campaign abusing SharePoint

Microsoft Defender Researchers uncovered a multi‑stage adversary‑in‑the‑middle AiTM phishing and business email compromise BEC campaign targeting multiple organizations in the energy sector, resulting in the compromise of various user accounts. The campaign abused SharePoint file‑sharing services...

A new era of agents, a new era of posture

The rise of AI Agents marks one of the most exciting shifts in technology today. Unlike traditional applications or cloud resources, these agents are not passive components- they reason, make decisions, invoke tools, and interact with other agents and systems on behalf of users. This autonomy...

A new era of agents, a new era of posture

The rise of AI Agents marks one of the most exciting shifts in technology today. Unlike traditional applications or cloud resources, these agents are not passive components- they reason, make decisions, invoke tools, and interact with other agents and systems on behalf of users. This autonomy...

Four priorities for AI-powered identity and network access security in 2026

No doubt, your organization has been hard at work over the past several years implementing industry best practices, including a Zero Trust architecture. But even so, the cybersecurity race only continues to intensify. AI has quickly become a powerful tool misused by threat actors, who use it to...

Four priorities for AI-powered identity and network access security in 2026

No doubt, your organization has been hard at work over the past several years implementing industry best practices, including a Zero Trust architecture. But even so, the cybersecurity race only continues to intensify. AI has quickly become a powerful tool misused by threat actors, who use it to...

Microsoft named a Leader in IDC MarketScape for Unified AI Governance Platforms

As organizations rapidly embrace generative and agentic AI, ensuring robust, unified governance has never been more critical. That’s why Microsoft is honored to be named a Leader in the2025-2026 IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Unified AI Governance Platforms Vendor Assessment US53514825, December...

Microsoft named a Leader in IDC MarketScape for Unified AI Governance Platforms

As organizations rapidly embrace generative and agentic AI, ensuring robust, unified governance has never been more critical. That’s why Microsoft is honored to be named a Leader in the2025-2026 IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Unified AI Governance Platforms Vendor Assessment US53514825, December...

Inside RedVDS: How a single virtual desktop provider fueled worldwide cybercriminal operations

Over the past year, Microsoft Threat Intelligence observed the proliferation of RedVDS, a virtual dedicated server VDS provider used by multiple financially motivated threat actors to commit business email compromise BEC, mass phishing, account takeover, and financial fraud. Microsoft’s...

Inside RedVDS: How a single virtual desktop provider fueled worldwide cybercriminal operations

Over the past year, Microsoft Threat Intelligence observed the proliferation of RedVDS, a virtual dedicated server VDS provider used by multiple financially motivated threat actors to commit business email compromise BEC, mass phishing, account takeover, and financial fraud. Microsoft’s...

How Microsoft builds privacy and security to work hand-in-hand

The Deputy CISO blog series is where Microsoft Deputy Chief Information Security Officers CISOs share their thoughts on what is most important in their respective domains. In this series, you will get practical advice, tactics to start and stop deploying, forward-looking commentary on where the...