本输入提供的标题为“京公网安备 11000002002063号”，来源标注为“360CERT 安全报告”，但实际链接指向公安部备案信息页面，且未提供任何正文摘要。标签中包含“report”、“apt”、“360”、“malware”，暗示可能是一份APT相关恶意软件报告，但没有任何具体内容可供分析。因此无法确认攻击活动、战术、工具链、受害者或结论。信息严重不足，无法生成有效的威胁情报摘要。请提供完整报告内容以便进一步分析。

该输入为360CERT安全报告页面，但实际内容为网络备案信息（“网出证（京）字第281号”），并非真正的威胁情报文章。页面仅包含备案号，没有提供任何安全事件描述、技术细节、攻击指标或防御建议。标题和来源URL表明其属于360CERT网站的法律备案页面，而非技术报告。标签中虽包含“apt”、“malware”等威胁情报相关词汇，但正文未提供任何相关信息，无法提取攻击组织、恶意家族、受影响行业或地区、CVE编号或ATT&CK技术等有效情报。因此，本条目属于无效或无效输入，无法用于安全分析。建议忽略此记录，或通过其他可信渠道获取实际的360CERT安全报告。

输入数据仅包含一个ICP备案号“京网文〔2020〕6051-1195号”，来源标注为360CERT安全报告，但未提供任何摘要、正文或分析内容。标签中提及“report”“apt”“360”“malware”，但没有任何实际信息支撑这些标签。因此，本次报告无法提供任何威胁情报细节，也未提及具体漏洞、攻击组织、恶意软件、受影响行业或地区。建议安全团队忽略此篇内容，并核实来源真实性。

本次输入内容并非有效的威胁情报文章。标题为“京ICP证080047号[京备08010314号-6]”，来源标注为360CERT安全报告，但链接指向工信部备案查询页面，且未提供任何正文摘要、CVE编号、攻击者、恶意软件家族、行业、地区或ATT&CK技术信息。因此无法从中提取任何关于网络攻击活动、漏洞利用、恶意代码或防御建议的有效情报。该输入可能是错误抓取、占位内容或非安全事件记录。建议核实原始来源，或忽略此条目。

Storm-2945, a sub-cluster of the Russian threat actor Midnight Blizzard, has been observed compromising the sign-in portals of hospitality-related organizations such as hotels since May 2026 in order to deliver malware to travelers and steal credentials in an operation we call CaptiveCrunch. The post CaptiveCrunch: Midnight Blizzard targets travelers worldwide for malware delivery and credential t

Analysis of XCSSET v40 reveals a macOS malware targeting developers via Xcode. Unit 42 used advanced pattern matching and AI to decode its logic. The post The Xcode Assassin Returns: A Deep Dive Into the Latest XCSSET Version appeared first on Unit 42.

Amy hikes Virginia’s most difficult trail and muses on the persistent challenges of cybersecurity. The two aren't dissimilar.

Learn how better questions, trusted AI, and human judgment help security leaders make confident decisions and build resilient systems. The post ​​Better security starts with better questions appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Talos IR's Q2 report highlights a significant surge in phishing-based initial access and the weaponization of legitimate remote management tools. Learn how to sharpen your defenses.

Attackers used Microsoft Teams vishing, custom malware, and remote access tools to facilitate ransomware deploymentCategories: Threat ResearchTags: Microsoft Teams, vishing, Ransomware, Chaos

The physics of cybersecurity are changing. Introducing security's new cyber stack: Project Perception. The post Rethinking security for the age of AI appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Microsoft's External Red Team Alliance (EXTRA) is a global AI security initiative designed to advance AI safety research and red teaming. By partnering with universities, researchers, and regional experts, EXTRA helps identify emerging AI risks, improve security testing, and strengthen the resilience of frontier AI systems. The post Enhancing AI security through global AI red teaming appeared firs

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 27th July, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES Nichirei, a Japan-based frozen-food supplier and logistics company, has experienced a ransomware attack that disrupted shipping operations and affected approximately 5,000 customers. KFC Japan warned of possible shortages. Nichirei confirmed personal da

What that means for Customer Protections Categories: Threat Research, AI Research

Thorsten explores Q2 2026 stats, the artificial buffer zone of 2026, and why smart, prioritized patching is more critical than ever.

In the second quarter of 2026, the continuing effects of Microsoft’s disruption of the Tycoon2FA phishing platform contributed to sustained declines in several major phishing techniques, while threat actors expanded into Teams-based social engineering and employed increasingly automated and multi-stage attack chains. The post Email threat landscape: Q2 2026 trends and insights appeared first on Mi

Unit 42 details a Russian cyberespionage campaign targeting Zimbra webmail servers using JavaScript injection to steal credentials. The post Russian Global Webmail Espionage appeared first on Unit 42.

The Chaos ransomware group uses new malware "msaRAT" that hijacks browsers. The malware doesn't communicate directly with C2 but connects through the browser. It enables arbitrary command execution while hiding the attacker's IP from victims via WebRTC over TURN.

Here’s some of the ways Talos is showing up at Black Hat, alongside our friends at Cisco and Splunk.

本文针对安卓应用中恶意软件通过应用推广广告（app promotion ads）分发的新趋势，提出了一种名为ADGPE（App promotion ad Detection via Graph learning and UI Exploration）的自动化检测与解释方法。研究背景是：应用开发者常嵌入推广其他应用的广告，但广告内容审核不足，导致恶意开发者利用这些广告作为恶意软件的新分发渠道。核心问题是如何自动收集应用推广广告、检测其中推广的恶意软件，并解释恶意软件采用的推广机制。方法上，ADGPE协同整合了应用用户界面（UI）探索与图学习技术：首先通过UI探索自动收集应用内的推广广告，构建应用推广图（App Promotion Graph）；然后利用图神经网络（GNN）对节点（应用）进行分类，检测恶意软件；最后通过路径推断模型揭示恶意软件的推广机制。实验基于18,627个应用推广广告数据，结果表明：从应用推广广告下载应用时遇到恶意软件的概率比Google Play高出数百倍；主流广告网络（如Google AdMob、Unity Ads、Applovin）被恶意开发者利用来传播各种恶意软件，包括激进广告软件、流氓安全软件、木马和勒索软件。UI探索技术相比现有方法在相同时间内多发现24%的推广广告。恶意软件检测模型在F1分数上比现有最佳技术提升5.17%（从90.14%提升至95.31%），并检测到28个最初被VirusTotal标记为良性但六个月后被标记为恶意/潜在有害应用（PUA）的应用。路径推断模型揭示了两种恶意软件推广机制：通过硬编码广告的自定义广告推广，以及通过与广告服务器（如AdMob和Applovin）交互的广告库推广。这些发现揭示了应用推广广告的关键安全风险，并证明了ADGPE结合动态程序分析与图学习在研究应用推广广告恶意软件分发方面的有效性。

A real-world benchmark tests whether powerful AI models can keep an investigation trustworthy when new evidence invalidates their conclusions.

Our collaboration with AXA XL brings Microsoft Incident Response services directly to cyber insurance policyholders, helping organizations coordinate technical, business, and insurance decisions. The post Real world incident response: Microsoft and AXA XL strengthen cyber resilience appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

In April, SentinelLABS’ Tom Hegel published an initial assessment of the first five weeks of the conflict. Three months later, the evidence supports refinement.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 20th July, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES Ernst & Young, a global accounting and professional services company, has disclosed a data breach involving a compromised third-party IT support platform. The exposed support tickets may have contained client documents, tax information, […] The post 20t

Join Microsoft Security at Black Hat USA 2026 for supply chain research, hands-on security experiences, expert conversations, and our reception. The post Microsoft at Black Hat USA 2026: Defending trust in the age of AI and supply chain attacks appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

A technical analysis of three chained zero-day vulnerabilities in Siemens ROX II OT switches that allow privilege escalation and persistent root access. The post Three Steps to the Terminal: A Siemens ROX II Zero-Day Trilogy appeared first on Unit 42.

From late April 2026 to mid-June 2026, Microsoft Defender Experts observed increased ACR Stealer activity across customer environments. These campaigns are successfully using ClickFix lures to steal browser credentials, authentication tokens, and sensitive documents from enterprise environments. The post ACR Stealer: Two observed intrusion chains amid increased threat activity appeared first on Mi

Explore Unit 42's perspectives on AI's impact on cybersecurity, including key updates since the 2026 Incident Response Report. The post AI, Automation and Attacks: Unpacking the Unit 42 2026 Global Incident Response Report appeared first on Unit 42.

Long foretold, the Great Patching has begun and it’s a doozy. Buckle in as Joe takes you through the story.

As AI agents become more autonomous, strong identity, access, and auditing controls are critical to keeping them secure. The post Least privilege for AI agents: Identity, access, and tool binding appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Humans can no longer keep up with the volume and velocity of security data on their own, but AI can't be fully trusted. David discusses the merits of both and muses on what the future might look like.

Cisco Talos is disclosing UAT-11795, a sophisticated, Russian-speaking, financially motivated adversary that has been conducting a malicious campaign targeting users in the U.S. and Europe since at least June 2025.

Threat actors compromised AsyncAPI packages and weaponized trusted CI/CD workflows to distribute malware through npm. This analysis breaks down the attack chain, payload delivery, and recommended defenses. The post Unpacking the AsyncAPI npm supply chain compromise and import-time payload delivery appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 团队发布了关于 npm 生态系统威胁态势的更新分析报告。报告指出，自 Shai Hulud 事件后，npm 供应链攻击持续演进，出现了可蠕虫化的恶意软件、CI/CD 持久化机制以及多阶段攻击等新型威胁。攻击者利用 npm 包的广泛分发特性，通过恶意包注入、依赖混淆、typosquatting 等手段渗透开发环境，进而横向移动至生产系统。报告重点分析了 CI/CD 管道中的持久化技术，攻击者可在构建过程中植入后门，导致每次部署都携带恶意代码。此外，蠕虫化恶意软件能够自动感染相关联的包，引发连锁反应。尽管报告未给出具体的攻击组织、恶意软件家族或 CVE 编号，但提供了详细的攻击面分析和缓解措施，帮助安全团队理解当前 npm 威胁格局并制定防御策略。目前尚未发现大规模在野利用的证据，但攻击手法日益复杂，开发者和安全团队需保持警惕。

Security teams have never had more visibility, yet rarely have they felt more uncertain. Signal pours in from endpoints, identities, cloud workloads, and a sprawling mix of third-party tools. The post Turning threat intelligence into decisive action with Defender Experts appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

TuxBot v3 Evolution, an IoT botnet framework built with LLMs. Read our analysis of its cross-compiled binaries, C2 architecture and bugs. The post TuxBot v3: Inside an IoT Botnet Framework With LLM-Assisted Development appeared first on Unit 42.

Categories: Threat ResearchTags: advisory, Vulnerabilities, SonicWall

Microsoft has released its monthly security update for July 2026, which includes 622 vulnerabilities affecting a range of products, including 57 that Microsoft marked as "critical."

Every day, defenders make high-consequence decisions with incomplete information. Learn how Cisco Talos Intelligence Integrations help reduce uncertainty by turning the latest threat intelligence into proactive protections across Cisco technologies.

This blog examines the full lifecycle of a Python package, from hosting on repositories such as PyPI or custom web servers, through source and wheel distribution formats, to the final installation into virtual or system-wide Python environments.

For years, the cyber security industry tracked AI as a force multiplier: something that made existing attack techniques faster, cheaper, and more accessible. That framing was accurate. But the Annual AI Security Report 2026 from Check Point Research documents a transition that goes further. AI has crossed from assistant to operator. Where it once helped attackers prepare, it now runs the […] The p

Microsoft Threat Intelligence identified threat actor activity with overlapping tradecraft commonly associated with ShinyHunters, including voice phishing (vishing), supply-chain compromise, and misconfigured guest access targeting SaaS-based applications. The post Defending SaaS-based applications against ShinyHunters OAuth abuse appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Microsoft Entra ID makes passkeys the default sign-in experience and introduces a new model for SMS and voice authentication. Read about how to prepare. The post Microsoft Entra ID security updates: Passkeys are the default authentication method in Entra ID appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 13th July, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES U.S. auto insurer AssuranceAmerica has disclosed a data breach affecting approximately 7 million people. Attackers targeted an employee and used compromised credentials to access company systems, stealing names, contact information, driver’s license […]

该论文通过大规模实证研究，分析了真实世界中恶意软件在执行过程中行为动态变化的现象。作者收集了来自多个来源的恶意软件样本，在沙箱环境中执行并记录其系统调用、网络流量、文件操作等行为轨迹。通过时序聚类和变化点检测算法，识别出恶意软件行为发生显著变化的时间点。研究发现，相当比例的恶意软件在执行中会改变其行为模式，例如先进行良性行为再突然执行恶意载荷，或根据环境反馈调整攻击策略。这种行为变化有助于恶意软件逃避基于静态特征或固定行为模式的检测系统。论文进一步评估了现有检测方法对这种动态行为的脆弱性，并提出了改进建议，例如利用行为序列的上下文信息和时序依赖性来增强检测鲁棒性。实验结果表明，考虑行为变化的检测模型能够显著提高对高级恶意软件的识别率。该研究为恶意软件行为分析提供了新的视角，并强调了动态行为建模在网络安全防御中的重要性。

Unit 42 explores The Gentlemen ransomware operations, revealing the affiliate model driving its rapid growth. Learn more here. The post No Manners Here: The Ruthless Rise of The Gentlemen Ransomware appeared first on Unit 42.

Microsoft’s latest Secure Future Initiative report outlines progress on secure foundations, AI-powered defense, and future-ready cybersecurity. The post Securing our future: July 2026 progress report on Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

该论文提出了一种名为 Malaika 的多智能体框架，用于解决恶意软件理解中的核心挑战：如何在部分可观测性下，从稀疏、分散的代码证据中重建高级恶意行为，并与良性功能区分。作者将恶意软件理解形式化为一个基于证据的推理问题，并主张可靠的行为重建需要三种互补的接地：领域接地（约束假设生成与评估）、语义接地（定位并连接程序证据）、知识接地（通过外部可验证威胁知识支持行为归因）。Malaika 框架通过模拟分析师的推理过程、工具辅助的证据定位和基于检索的行为归因来实现这三种机制，并在 Android 恶意软件分析任务上进行了评估。结果显示，Malaika 在分析质量上优于先前的基于 LLM 的恶意软件分析框架，并表明可靠性不仅依赖于模型能力，还依赖于推理过程。与恶意软件分析系统和前沿智能体框架的对比表明，接地感知推理能产生更精确、可审计的结论。消融研究进一步支持了接地假设。该工作为可靠恶意软件理解提供了原则性基础，并更广泛地适用于基于证据的软件分析。

Cisco Talos’ Vulnerability Discovery & Research team recently disclosed three vulnerabilities in WolfSSF, fourteen in GeoVision, and one vulnerability in VTK-DICOM.The vulnerabilities mentioned in this blog post have been patched by their respective vendors, in adherence to Cisco’s third-party vulnerability disclosure policy. For

With Wimbledon's help, Hazel argues against the popular myth that "Attackers only need to be right once, but defenders need to be right 100% of the time."

GigaWiper is a destructive backdoor that combines multiple wiping and ransomware-like capabilities into a single operational platform. This blog analyzes how the malware incorporates code from several previously separate malware families and provides guidance to help defenders detect and defend against similar threats. The post GigaWiper: Anatomy of a destructive backdoor assembled from multiple m

China and India ran separate espionage operations against the same Pakistani police force, each drawn by different stakes in Pakistan's internal security.

微软于2026年7月8日发布博文，介绍其安全未来计划（Secure Future Initiative, SFI）如何利用AI速度主动加固云服务。SFI将威胁知识、运营框架与安全需求相结合，定义了完善云服务的防御标准。文章强调，满足这些标准需要持续以AI速度对在线服务进行评估。该计划旨在提前发现和缓解潜在威胁，而非事后响应。博文未提及具体攻击活动或漏洞，重点在于微软自身的安全架构和实践。

A cybercrime campaign combined a loader-as-a-service framework and DLL sideloading via a Go-compiled fake MpClient.dll, a novel evasion layer combination. The post Vidar Stealer Unmasked: Code Signing Abuse, Go Loaders and File Inflation appeared first on Unit 42.

Talos’ latest findings on UAT-7810 indicate that the threat actor continues to develop their custom-made malware.

An X-Ops analysis of how AI coding agents trigger endpoint detection rules designed for adversariesCategories: Threat Research

该文章基于Frost & Sullivan发布的2025年云安全态势管理（CSPM）Frost Radar™报告，提炼了五项关键洞察。报告指出，CSPM正从传统的“时间点合规”工具向“持续风险管理”平台演进。核心变化包括：1）CSPM不再仅检查配置错误，而是集成实时威胁情报，主动发现攻击路径；2）机器学习模型用于异常行为检测，减少误报；3）跨云环境（AWS、Azure、GCP）的统一视图成为标配；4）自动化修复能力（如自动回滚、策略实施）显著提升；5）与DevOps流程的深度集成，支持“安全即代码”。文章强调，现代CSPM需要同时处理基础设施即代码（IaC）的静态分析和运行时动态风险。虽然文章未披露具体漏洞或攻击事件，但这为安全团队选择或优化云安全工具提供了战略方向。附录中的Frost Radar排名显示微软、Palo Alto Networks、Check Point等厂商处于领导者象限。整体内容属于行业趋势分析，不涉及恶意活动。

Key Points Introduction Since early 2026, Check Point Research (CPR) has tracked a new modular command-and-control framework used by Cavern Manticore, an Iran-nexus APT group primarily targeting Israeli organizations, with a focus on IT providers, and government sectors. Cavern Manticore is an Iran MOIS (Ministry of Intelligence and Security)-linked actor, with links to the OilRig […] The post Cav

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 6th July, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES River Bank & Trust, a US financial institution, has experienced a ransomware incident after an unauthorized actor accessed the network of parent company River Financial Corporation on June 16. The bank found […] The post 6th July – Threat Intelligence Re

由于原始输入未提供论文摘要，以下内容基于标题推断：本文提出一种名为 BOOTKITTY 的隐蔽启动套件（bootkit）与 rootkit 组合攻击技术，针对现代操作系统（如 Windows、Linux）设计。核心研究目标是在系统启动过程中植入恶意代码，实现持久化并绕过 UEFI 安全启动、内核完整性检查等防御机制。作者可能提出了一种新型的启动阶段恶意软件，利用固件或引导加载程序漏洞实现高隐蔽性。该方法可能涉及修改系统引导组件或利用硬件级虚拟化特性。实验部分可能通过搭建实际环境测试逃避检测的能力，并与现有 bootkit（如 Trickboot、BootHole）进行对比。主要贡献在于揭示了现代操作系统启动链中的潜在攻击面，并提出了更难以检测的恶意代码植入技术。适合操作系统安全、恶意软件分析和防御研究者阅读。

A look inside the reverse-engineering journey of building the first RDP client outside of Windows to support WebAuthn redirection. The post How We Added WebAuthn to a Browser-Based RDP Client appeared first on Unit 42.

What do board games and cybersecurity have in common? Pattern recognition. Strategy. Adaptation. In this week’s Threat Source Bill explores why curiosity may be a defender’s most valuable skill.

Frost & Sullivan names Microsoft a leader as cloud and application security converge into unified, runtime risk reduction. The post Microsoft named a leader in the Frost Radar for cloud and application runtime security appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 22nd June, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has been affected by a third-party data breach involving its license system vendor. The incident exposed driver’s license information, passport numbers, emails, phone numbers, and residential addresses for […] The pos

Research by: Alexey Bukhteyev Key Takeaways Introduction Over the past several years, large language models have reshaped software development, and malware development has followed the same path. Check Point Research has documented this trend from early experiments showing that AI systems could generate offensive components, to cases of cybercriminals using ChatGPT to create malicious tools, and [

Ever wonder how someone goes from studying human viruses to leading cybersecurity teams? In this Humans of Talos, we’re joined by Martin Lee, EMEA Lead, to talk about his journey into the industry.

Talos has identified "ARToken," a phishing-as-a-service platform that targets Microsoft 365. The ARToken panel exposes 80+ API endpoints for device code phishing, Primary Refresh Token persistence, email access, BEC operations, and SharePoint exfiltration.

Attackers can exploit LLM domain hallucinations through phantom squatting to target supply chains. Read the analysis to learn more. The post Phantom Squatting: AI-Hallucinated Domains as a Software Supply Chain Vector appeared first on Unit 42.

We’re accelerating quantum-safe readiness—and sharing what organizations can do now to transition earlier and with confidence. The post Accelerating the quantum-safe timeline appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

This month’s updates help security and IT teams strengthen identity and multicloud foundations, protect data wherever it lives, and secure the developer workflows powering AI innovation. The post ​​What’s new in Microsoft Security: June 2026 appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

MCP tool poisoning turns trusted AI agents into a control plane for data loss. Learn how threat actors manipulate tool descriptions to trigger unauthorized actions, and how to detect, contain, and prevent it. The post Securing AI agents: When AI tools move from reading to acting appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

本文针对生成式AI在网络安全领域带来的威胁，特别关注大型语言模型（LLM）被用于生成PowerShell恶意代码的攻击事件。作者提出了一个评估LLM生成PowerShell恶意软件的实验框架，包括一种新型动态分析沙箱，用于分析AI生成的恶意软件行为。此外，他们构建了一个手动整理的、带有自然语言注释的真实世界PowerShell恶意软件数据集，以辅助LLM的训练和评估。研究评估了多种宽松许可的开源LLM在生成PowerShell恶意软件方面的能力。结果显示，在触发的操作系统恶意事件方面，真实恶意软件与LLM生成的恶意软件之间具有高度相似性，中位Jaccard指数达到84.5%，48.4%的实例实现了完全重叠。该研究揭示了当前LLM在恶意代码生成方面的潜在风险，并为防御方提供了评估和检测AI生成恶意脚本的方法框架。

A malicious Chromium-based extension that spoofs the AI-powered answer engine Perplexity AI redirects browser search traffic using MV3 APIs and intermediary infrastructure. The post Chromium extension uses AI‑related branding to redirect browser search appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 29th June, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES Polymarket, a large cryptocurrency-based prediction market, has confirmed a supply chain attack after a third-party frontend vendor breach led to malicious JavaScript being injected into its website. Attackers tricked users into approving fraudulent […]

Your inbox is an identity system all of its own: whoever owns it may own a lot more

We provide guidance for preparing for and mitigating large-scale credential attacks, focusing on recent campaigns targeting security vendors' devices. The post Threat Brief: Mitigating Large-Scale Credential Attacks appeared first on Unit 42.

Your business may be small, but its attack surface is anything but. Readiness is the first step to resilience.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence identified an active multi-stage intrusion campaign targeting hospitality organizations in Europe and Asia. The campaign uses photo-themed ZIP archives and fake image shortcut files to deliver a persistent Node.js implant and evade detection. The post Photo ZIP campaign targeting hospitality industry delivers Node.js implant for persistent access appeared first on Mic

Government entities and critical infrastructure were targeted for espionage in SE Asia by attackers using a hybrid toolkit, including custom TinyRCT backdoor. The post CL-STA-1062 Targets Southeast Asian Governments and Critical Infrastructure appeared first on Unit 42.

In this week’s newsletter, Martin considers how AI will help threat intelligence by creating an easily queryable data source of intelligence reports.

Microsoft named a Leader in the Forrester Wave™: Endpoint Management Platforms, Q2 2026, with the highest scores in the current offering and strategy categories. The post Microsoft a Leader in The Forrester Wave™ for Endpoint Management Platforms appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Component Object Model (COM) is a fundamental Windows technology used by legitimate applications for object activation, inter-process communication, automation and language-independent component reuse. Those same qualities make it useful to threat actors.

ESET Research analyzes Gamaredon’s new toolset and the group’s growing reliance on legitimate online services to hide its C&C infrastructure and exfiltrate stolen data

Learn how CNAPP platforms are helping organizations prioritize exploitable risks, reduce exposure, and operationalize security across the application lifecycle. The post CNAPP evolution: How Microsoft aligns with leading cloud risk management platforms appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

ESET researchers assisted in the global disruption of the Amadey botnet and Stealc infostealer, providing technical analysis, infrastructure tracking, and affiliate-level insights

On June 24, 2026, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) facilitated the takedown, suspension, and blocking of domains that formed the backbone of the StealC and Amadey infrastructure. This blog is a technical breakdown of StealC and Amadey. The post StealC and Amadey: Breaking down infostealers and the cybercrime services that deliver them appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Unit 42's analysis of ClawHub revealed evasive malicious skills bypassing automated scanners to deploy infostealers and execute agentic financial fraud. The post OpenClaw’s Skill Marketplace and the Emerging AI Supply Chain Threat appeared first on Unit 42.

DPRK-linked implant embeds 38 fabricated system messages that spoof an LLM triage harness, hiding a credential stealer and Telegram C2 underneath.

Unit 42 research details how attackers could exploit global name uniqueness in bucket hijacking to redirect cloud data streams across major CSPs. The post The Global Namespace Risk: Universal Bucket Hijacking Technique for Cloud Data Exfiltration appeared first on Unit 42.

What happens when threat actors target what AI remembers? Microsoft breaks down the risks and the defenses. The post Guarding AI memory appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Ransomware case reveals two parallel threat actors, blending tactics and evasion—showing why isolated signals can often miss modern, overlapping cyberattacks. The post One intrusion, two cyberattackers: Uncovering parallel threat activity appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

该论文提出了一种结合 Ghidra 和大语言模型（LLM）的系统，用于从 IoT 恶意软件二进制文件中自动提取通信规范并生成伪 C2 服务器，从而解决动态分析中因攻击基础设施短暂存活而导致的样本休眠问题。大多数 IoT 恶意软件作为依赖 C2 服务器的僵尸网络运作，但攻击基础设施短命，常常导致样本在动态分析时无法进行 C2 通信，使得分析受限。该系统首先利用 Ghidra 对恶意软件二进制进行反编译和静态分析，然后通过 LLM 语义解释二进制控制结构，提取协议元素（如命令格式、参数、加密方式等）。实验基于 Mirai 恶意软件，系统成功提取了所有 20 个核心协议元素，与 ground truth 完全一致，规范提取准确率达到 100%。生成的伪 C2 服务器能够完整复现十个 DDoS 攻击向量中的七个，攻击行为与原始 C2 一致。此外，在针对公开 Mirai 源代码修改而来的定制变种上，该方法也实现了端到端成功——从规范提取到伪 C2 生成再到攻击复现，证明了 LLM 能够从二进制结构推断规范而不依赖预训练知识。该工作将 LLM 的应用从分析辅助扩展到动态分析环境的自动构建，为 IoT 恶意软件分析提供了新的自动化手段。

AutoJack is a novel exploit chain showing how a single malicious webpage can turn an AI browsing agent into a remote code execution vector on the host machine. By abusing trust in localhost, missing authentication, and unsafe parameter handling, attackers can trigger arbitrary process execution through AutoGen Studio’s MCP WebSocket. The research highlights a broader pattern - when agents can brow

New Forrester Total Economic Impact™ study shows Microsoft Security consolidation delivers ROI, lowers risk, and prepares organizations to secure AI. The post New Forrester study shows customers who unified with Microsoft Security benefited from 124% ROI appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

In the latest Threat Source, Hazel channels her inner Spielberg to explore why humans are delightfully irrational, reminding us that while security best practices are simple in theory, they’re a lot harder to pull off when you’re busy dealing with real life.

Cisco Talos detailed a new approach to reverse engineering that pairs local AI agents with traditional analysis tools like the VB6 disassembler vbdec. Instead of awkwardly bolting AI onto the software, vbdec exposes its parsed data through a live COM interface.

ESET Research shares the results of a months-long investigation into the suite of EDR killers maintained by the RaaS gang Gentlemen

A poisoned npm package infected 140+ projects with a hidden payload. This report highlights how to detect, hunt, and defend against supply chain attacks using Microsoft Defender and actionable threat intelligence. The post From package to postinstall payload: Inside the Mastra npm supply chain compromise appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence analyzed a cryptocurrency clipper campaign that combines clipboard theft, wallet replacement, Tor-based communications, and worm-like propagation. Beyond stealing cryptocurrency transactions, the malware establishes persistent access and enables follow-on activity through a lightweight backdoor capability. The post Crypto Clipper uses Tor and worm-like propagation for

Read how Microsoft Security has advanced its agentic vulnerability detection system, codename MDASH, integrating into real-world workflows across Windows, Azure, and identity systems. The post Beyond the benchmark: Advancing security at AI speed  appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Microsoft has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Extended Detection and Response Platforms, Q2 2026. The post ​​Forrester names Microsoft a Leader in the 2026 Extended Detection and Response Platforms Wave™ report appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

See how Microsoft unifies identity and security signals to help teams prevent, detect, and respond to AI-accelerated attacks faster. The post AI is accelerating cyberattacks—here’s how to stay ahead appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Key Points Introduction In this research, we analyze a clipboard hijacker campaign that is hidden inside a collection of “solutions” and “tools” that claim to give users an unfair advantage. These offers include Solana and Pump.fun sniper bots (automated tools that try to buy new tokens or meme coins faster than other traders), Aviator Predictor […] The post From Stars to Upvotes: Fake Reputation

Many manufacturing plants depend on OT systems that stay in service for many years. That long run can hide significant cybersecurity risks.

Amid discussions about how artificial intelligence can facilitate cybercrime, some threat actors remain skepticalCategories: Threat ResearchTags: AI, Dark Web, underground

Unit 42 discovered a Vertex AI Python SDK vulnerability that allows remote code execution via bucket squatting. Read the article for more. The post Pickle in the Middle – Hijacking Vertex AI Model Uploads for Cross-Tenant RCE appeared first on Unit 42.

ESET researchers have discovered SprySOCKS for Windows, FishMonger’s backdoor weaponizing a kernel driver for advanced stealthiness

Attackers can move from access to exfiltration in 72 minutes. Learn how modern SOC teams close the speed gap with Unit 42's AI-driven automation, threat hunting, MDR and Managed XSIAM. The post Inside the Modern SOC: The 72-Minute Race appeared first on Unit 42.

See how Microsoft Defender performed in one year of real-world email security benchmarking against SEG and ICES vendors. The post Microsoft Defender email security benchmarking: Key insights from one year of data appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 15th June, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES The University of Nottingham, a UK research university, has suffered a data breach after ShinyHunters accessed its student records system. The incident affected about 454,600 current and former students and exposed contact details, […] The post 15th Jun

A phishing kit subverting Microsoft’s legitimate authentication flow lets attackers break into accounts without stealing passwords or creating fake login pages

本文提出MASCOT-Android，一个经过整理的Android恶意软件源代码数据集及自动化收集流水线。Android恶意软件源代码相较于二进制或反编译代码更能直接反映攻击者意图，但由于源代码稀缺且人工审查成本高昂，此类数据集难以构建和维护。作者的关键发现是：仓库级别的README文档本身即能作为恶意软件源代码收集的强信号。方法上，他们从8,772个恶意软件和25,747个良性项目的README文档中提取字符级TF-IDF特征，训练LinearSVC分类器区分恶意仓库。该仅基于README的模型在本地评估中达到96.28%的准确率和1.06%的假阳性率。此外，模型输出置信度分数，允许用户调整决策阈值以平衡假阳性率和覆盖率，使实际收集过程更具灵活性。研究贡献包括：提供了一个公开可用的Android恶意软件源代码数据集；提出了一个可扩展的自动化收集框架，降低了对人工标注的依赖；验证了项目文档作为安全信号的有效性。该工作适用于恶意软件分析、威胁情报收集及机器学习检测模型训练等场景。

Unit 42 has discovered a new macOS Tahoe 26 forensic artifact that tracks user menu selections across the operating system. Learn more here. The post Tracing Digital Intent: New MacOS Tahoe 26 Artifact Discovered appeared first on Unit 42.

该论文探讨了持续集成（CI）系统的信任问题，核心关注点是：即便源代码本身没有恶意代码，基于容器的CI系统仍可能被植入隐形恶意软件，且不在源码中留下任何痕迹。作者借鉴了Ken Thompson经典的编译器后门思想，证明了攻击者可以通过多种初始感染手段（例如利用CI系统的镜像拉取机制、缓存污染、或插件漏洞）入侵CI环境，随后通过绕过CI系统更新的持久化机制长期潜伏。攻击载荷包括数据窃取、在生产软件中植入后门等。此外，攻击者还能利用隐蔽信道对受感染的CI系统进行远程控制，动态更新攻击载荷或规避防御措施。作者在GitLab CI上实现了概念验证，并指出该攻击可迁移至主流CI平台。研究指出传统代码审查、静态分析等防护手段对此类攻击几近无效，揭示了现代软件供应链中一个被忽视的信任盲区。

In this week’s newsletter, Amy reminisces on the tech toys of their childhood, inspired by a hilarious lesson about why your digital privacy shouldn't be left on an open channel.

By Yarden Porat AI agents need memory. Frameworks like LangGraph provide it through checkpointers – persistence layers that store execution state. But what happens when that persistence layer isn’t locked down? Key Points Background LangGraph is an open-source framework for building stateful, multi-agent AI systems with built-in persistence. It’s an extension of LangChain, with over […] The post F

Decades of piling complexity onto non-standardized stacks have left security unsteerable. Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade makes the case for a new approach.

Protect enterprise AI agents from supply chain risks by auditing third-party skills for hidden vulnerabilities and multi-stage attack chains. The post Trust No Skill: Integrity Verification for AI Agent Supply Chains appeared first on Unit 42.

该论文是首次针对Android恶意软件生态系统中隐蔽通信信道（Covert Channels, CC）使用情况的纵向研究。研究背景是：代理、VPN和Tor等工具虽然帮助隐私社区和受限地区用户对抗审查，但同样可能被恶意软件和僵尸网络滥用，以隐藏与外部命令与控制服务器的通信。尽管基于恶意软件的攻击日益增多，此前尚无纵向研究分析恶意应用如何利用CC规避检测。为填补这一空白，作者开发了一个多阶段分析管道，结合静态和动态分析，检查系统和网络层面的特征。该管道应用于一个包含350万个Android恶意软件样本的语料库，时间跨度从2009年至2025年7月。精心设计的静态验证规则发现了28.8万使用CC的APK，涉及511个恶意软件家族，CC使用率从2012年的0.30%指数增长至2025年的50%。在动态分析中，识别出19,308个唯一的IP地址，分布在85个国家，其中59个IP地址（17个国家）被明确验证存在CC。此外，进行了跨越16年的纵向数据集研究，发现CC使用方式不断演变：例如，一些恶意软件采用多种CC；另一些则定期在不同CC之间切换（一个家族在2019年至2025年间切换CC达40次）。研究揭示了CC在Android恶意软件中的广泛和增长趋势，为检测和防御提供了重要依据。

A shift in operational pattern of the infamous Vietnam-aligned APT group

Unit 42 research examines attack scenarios targeting cloud logging services. Learn how to defend against log manipulation and defense evasion. The post Blinding the Watchmen: Abusing Cloud Logging Services for Defense Evasion and Visibility appeared first on Unit 42.

Microsoft Patch Tuesday details for June 2026.

Learn how to investigate AI activity in Microsoft 365 Copilot and Azure AI services using a structured, telemetry-driven approach. This playbook helps security teams reconstruct events, assess data exposure, and detect potential threats faster. The post Reconstructing AI activity in investigations  appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

We include indicators of activity and mitigations for PAN-OS vulnerability CVE-2026-0257. The post Threat Brief: Active Exploitation of PAN-OS CVE-2026-0257 appeared first on Unit 42.

Every organisation gets audited. The question is who does the auditing.

Attackers are increasingly targeting collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams. Learn the risks and key steps to strengthen your organization's security. The post When “Hi, This Is IT” Comes Through Microsoft Teams appeared first on Unit 42.

As threat actors operationalize AI to accelerate attacks, they are also leveraging the wider global interest around AI itself as a social engineering lure. The post AI brands as bait: How threat actors are using the AI hype in social engineering appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 1st June, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES DentaQuest, a U.S. dental benefits administrator owned by Sun Life, has suffered a data breach after threat group ShinyHunters leaked exfiltrated data. Analysts assessed that 2.6 million accounts were exposed, including names, emails, […] The post 8th Ju

Microsoft Threat Intelligence identified a prompt injection pathway in Claude Code GitHub Action that allowed access to workflow secrets under specific conditions. This research examines the attack chain, responsible disclosure process, Anthropic's mitigation, and guidance for securing AI-powered CI/CD workflows. The post Securing CI/CD in an agentic world: Claude Code Github action case appeared

A surge in real-world attacks against agentic AI systems is reshaping how we think about risk. Based on 12 months of red teaming, this update introduces seven new failure modes, from supply chain compromise to goal hijacking, and the practical mitigations teams need now. The post Updating the taxonomy of failure modes in agentic AI systems: What a year of red teaming taught us  appeared first on M

Joe’s on-the-ground report from Cisco Live U.S. is here, complete with therapy dog pictures and tips on handling conference overstimulation.

该研究从行为心理学视角出发，系统分析恶意软件开发者的编码习惯与认知风格。研究者收集了大量泄露的恶意软件源代码，并与精心筛选的良性开源软件代码进行比较。通过静态应用安全测试（SAST）和多种软件度量指标（如代码行数、圈复杂度、注释密度、函数长度、抽象机制使用频率等），结合认知心理学和犯罪学理论，解释代码结构差异背后的行为含义。研究发现：恶意软件代码通常更短、注释更少，每个函数的圈复杂度更高，而类、闭包等抽象机制使用显著减少；漏洞类型上，恶意软件包含更多良性代码通常避免的安全问题，表明开发过程缺乏安全投资。这些模式暗示恶意开发者更注重快速实现、操作隐蔽和规避检测，而非代码长期可维护性。但度量数据显示，恶意代码与良性代码的差异尚不足以作为唯一的区分特征。本研究证明，定量代码分析可作为行为信号和战略选择的代理，为行为网络安全研究提供新方法，并为犯罪者行为画像的研究奠定基础。

Research by: Alexey Bukhteyev Key Takeaways Introduction When we search Google for a popular piece of software, we usually click the first result, sometimes without even looking at the rest, because official project sites tend to rank highest and appear near the top of the results. After landing on a site with a professional design and […] The post Impersonation, Click Hijacking, and TDS: Inside a

Microsoft Threat Intelligence 披露了一起大规模 npm 供应链攻击活动，代号 Miasma。攻击者入侵了 Red Hat 的 npm 组织 @redhat-cloud-services，篡改了超过 90 个版本的合法 package，在 CI/CD 环境和开发者机器中植入恶意代码。该恶意代码会窃取 GitHub 令牌、云服务凭证（如 AWS、Azure）以及本地存储的敏感信息，并通过蠕虫式传播机制，利用已感染的信任关系向其他项目自动推送恶意更新。攻击者在软件供应链的早期阶段（预安装脚本）执行恶意负载，实现了持久化驻留。受影响的主要是依赖 Red Hat 云服务组件的开发者和企业，可能引发大规模凭证泄露和横向移动。微软建议立即审计受影响的 npm 包版本，轮换所有可能暴露的凭证，并加强 CI/CD 管道的安全控制。

Discover how Microsoft enables fast, secure AI development with MDASH and new security capabilities. The post Microsoft Build 2026: Securing code, agents, and models across the development lifecycle appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

ESET researchers show how Gamaredon facilitated Turla access to Ukrainian targets, revealing rare cooperation between FSB-linked espionage groups.

Operation FlutterBridge is a malvertising campaign targeting macOS users. It distributed the new backdoor FlutterShell, built using the Flutter framework. The post Operation FlutterBridge: macOS Malvertising Campaign Spreads New FlutterShell Backdoor appeared first on Unit 42.

AI accelerated tool development and testing, but humans drove the workflowCategories: Threat ResearchTags: AI, EDR

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 1st June, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES Carnival Corporation, a global cruise line operator, has confirmed a data breach affecting nearly 6 million people after attackers used social engineering to compromise an employee account. Exposed information may include names, contact […] The post 1st

A dependency confusion campaign leveraged 33 malicious npm packages to collect reconnaissance data from developer and build environments. This report details the attack chain, observed tradecraft, and detection opportunities to help organizations identify and disrupt related activity. The post Malicious npm packages abuse dependency confusion to profile developer environments appeared first on Mic

Microsoft is named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Endpoint Protection. The post Microsoft is named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Endpoint Protection appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

The Mini Shai-Hulud campaign used malicious npm packages to target cloud and CI/CD credentials across developer environments. This report details the attack chain, detection opportunities, and mitigation guidance to help organizations identify and disrupt related activity. The post Typosquatted npm packages used to steal cloud and CI/CD secrets appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

In this newsletter, Thor breaks down why you should stop relying solely on CVSS and start using EPSS and GCVE to focus your patching efforts on the threats that actually matter.

Unit 42 explores trends in data theft and extortion, outlining key strategies for organizations as frontier AI models advance. The post Out of the Crypt: The Evolving Cyber Extortion Economy appeared first on Unit 42.

Talos researchers find 4 heap-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities in MediaArea's MediaInfoLib.

EvidenceForge generates high-quality, realistic, and consistent datasets across multiple log formats, enabling teams to effectively train personnel and validate detection models without the need for complex manual simulations.

Microsoft exposes a cryptojacking campaign using SEO poisoning and ScreenConnect to target high-performance PCs, with malicious sites also surfaced through AI chatbots. The post From poisoned search results to GPU mining: A cryptojacking campaign abusing ScreenConnect and Microsoft .NET utilities appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

该论文系统性地研究了Android权限系统中两个被忽视的过时机制，这些机制持续破坏用户知情同意：（1）权限组（permission groups）机制：用户首次授权某个权限后，后续同一组内的新权限会被静默自动授予，用户无感知；（2）普通级自定义权限（normal-level custom permissions）：安装时自动授予，且允许跨应用访问，用户完全不可见。作者对AndroZoo仓库中的1930万APK（涵盖597万个独立应用标识符）进行了纵向分析，并在Android 16设备上进行了验证。在224万多个多版本应用中，381026个（17%）在已授权组内静默获得了新增权限。通过VirusTotal检测（主阈值为20），被标记为恶意软件的应用在组内扩展权限的比例高于良性应用（优势比=1.35，p<0.001）；该关联在所有测试阈值下均成立，且集中在权限密集型应用中（上四分位数优势比=2.06）。此外，还识别出307个跨开发者的普通级自定义权限对，这些配对允许无关应用访问联系人、短信、位置、认证凭据、用户身份和医疗记录，而无需任何用户提示。基于公开Android API的轻量级原型在96天单设备试点中，记录了13个应用的23次静默扩展事件，表明不修改操作系统即可实现更新时的透明度。研究表明，尽管Android平台已加固十年，但同意侵蚀问题依然存在，影响范围从冷门工具到广泛部署的预装软件。

Executive Summary During the March–April 2026 reporting period, AI use in offensive operations advanced from development and planning to real-time operational deployment. Multiple independent cases, involving individual criminal actors, mass exploitation platforms, ransomware groups, and state-sponsored espionage, show evidence of commercial AI models executing autonomous attack workflows across e

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 25th May, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES 7-Eleven, the global convenience store chain, confirmed a breach after an unauthorized access to systems used for franchisee documents. ShinyHunters claimed responsibility and said it stole more than 600,000 Salesforce records containing personal […] The

Microsoft has been recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Workforce Identity Security Platforms, Q2 2026, receiving the highest scores in both the current offering and strategy categories. The post Microsoft recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave™ for Workforce Identity Security Platforms appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

微软威胁情报团队报告了一起针对Linux环境的多阶段入侵攻击事件。攻击始于一台暴露在公网的F5 BIG-IP边缘设备，该设备被作为初始访问入口。攻击者利用该设备作为跳板，通过内网横向移动至Confluence服务器，并试图窃取凭证和破坏身份认证系统。在攻击过程中，攻击者尝试了Kerberos中继攻击以提升权限和扩大访问范围。Microsoft Defender for Endpoint成功检测并阻止了多个攻击阶段，包括异常的网络连接和凭证访问行为。该事件展示了边缘设备暴露带来的严重风险，以及攻击者如何从边界设备深入内网核心系统。攻击者的具体身份未明确归因，但攻击手法具有APT组织特征。目前没有披露具体的漏洞利用（CVE），但强调了暴露的服务和配置不当带来的风险。微软建议组织加强边缘设备的安全配置，实施网络分段，并部署端点检测与响应（EDR）系统以监控横向移动和凭证滥用行为。

How Frontier firms secure AI at scale: read how Microsoft customers embed governance, identity, and cloud security to make protection an enabler of AI growth. The post Microsoft Security success stories: How St. Luke’s and ManpowerGroup are securing AI foundations appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Key Findings Introduction During the recent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, we reported on multiple Iran-nexus threat actors advancing Iran’s strategic objectives through cyber operations. These activities included targeting internet-connected cameras, conducting destructive attacks against US and Israeli entities, and exfiltrating data from cloud environments to support broader kinetic

Unit 42 details Screening Serpens' use of AppDomainManager hijacking and new RAT variants to target tech and defense sectors in recent campaigns. The post Tracking Iranian APT Screening Serpens’ 2026 Espionage Campaigns appeared first on Unit 42.

Open-source framework ROADtools is being misused by threat actors for cloud intrusions. Learn how to identify its malicious use. The post Paved With Intent: ROADtools and Nation-State Tactics in the Cloud appeared first on Unit 42.

In this edition of the Threat Source newsletter, William explores the value of being "ungovernable" in a professional setting, sharing how challenging the status quo and seeking out the smartest people in the room can lead to a more fulfilling and successful career.

Microsoft Security’s latest updates extend visibility, control, and protection across expanding ecosystems as organizations accelerate AI adoption. The post What’s new in Microsoft Security: May 2026 appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Compromised @antv npm packages deploy the Mini Shai-Hulud payload to steal CI/CD secrets from Linux-based automation environments. The malware executes during npm install and targets credentials across GitHub, AWS, Kubernetes, Vault, npm, and 1Password platforms. The post Mini Shai Hulud: Compromised @antv npm packages enable CI/CD credential theft appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Read about the unique challenges and rewards of securing gaming platforms and how to better protect gaming communities. The post Securing the gaming culture of cultures appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

The AI systems shipping inside enterprises today are fundamentally different from the ones we were building even two years ago, because they have moved well past answering questions and into accessing your email, retrieving records from your CRM, writing and executing code, and taking actions on your behalf across dozens of connected systems. The post Introducing RAMPART and Clarity: Open source t

Unit 42 analyzes TamperedChef malware clusters that use trojanized productivity apps and malvertising to deliver stealthy payloads to targets. The post Tracking TamperedChef Clusters via Certificate and Code Reuse appeared first on Unit 42.

Cisco Talos’ Vulnerability Discovery & Research team recently disclosed eight vulnerabilities in TP-Link, and one each in Adobe Photoshop, OpenVPN, and Gen Digital's Norton VPN.The vulnerabilities mentioned in this blog post have been patched by their respective vendors, in adherence to Cisco’s third-party vulnerability

Fox Tempest is a financially motivated threat actor operating a malware‑signing‑as‑a‑service (MSaaS) used by other cybercriminals, including Vanilla Tempest and Storm groups, to more effectively distribute malicious code, including ransomware. The post Exposing Fox Tempest: A malware-signing service operation appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Cisco Talos has uncovered a BadIIS variant — identifiable by its embedded "demo.pdb" strings — that functions as commodity malware, likely sold or shared among multiple Chinese-speaking cyber crime groups operating under a malware-as-a-service (MaaS) model for continuous monetization.

A complete decoupling from US technology is neither realistic nor necessary, but the changing environment does require nations and companies to reassess their relationships and dependencies

Brute-force attempts against SMB services can be early signs of an attackCategories: Threat ResearchTags: Ransomware, WantToCry, SMB

Storm-2949 turned stolen credentials into a cloud-wide breach, moving from identity compromise to large-scale data theft without using malware. This incident shows how threat actors can exploit trusted systems to operate undetected. The post How Storm-2949 turned a compromised identity into a cloud-wide breach appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

See how built-in security helps keep your growing business running, protect customer trust, and support growth. The post How to better protect your growing business in an AI-powered world appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 18th May, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES Vodafone, a major international telecom, has sustained a source code leak claimed by the Lapsus$ extortion group. The company confirmed limited access to GitHub files through compromised third-party development software, while stating that […] The post 1

Unit 42 analyzes the evolution of Gremlin stealer. This variant uses advanced obfuscation, crypto clipping and session hijacking to compromise data. The post Gremlin Stealer's Evolved Tactics: Hiding in Plain Sight With Resource Files appeared first on Unit 42.

In this week’s newsletter, Martin reflects on what the next iteration of AI tools means for vulnerability discovery and our ability to manage large-scale patch releases.

Cisco Talos is tracking the active exploitation of CVE-2026-20182, an authentication bypass vulnerability in Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, formerly SD-WAN vSmart, and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, formerly SD-WAN vManage.

As AI agents gain autonomy, defense in depth must evolve, with application-layer design, identity, and human oversight at the center. The post Defense in depth for autonomous AI agents appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Kazuar, a sophisticated malware family attributed to the Russian state actor Secret Blizzard, has been under constant development for years and continues to evolve in support of espionage-focused operations. Over time, Kazuar has expanded from a relatively traditional backdoor into a highly modular peer-to-peer (P2P) botnet ecosystem designed to enable persistent, covert access to target environme

Exposed UIs, weak authentication, and risky defaults could turn cloud-native AI apps on Kubernetes into potential targets by threat actors. Learn how exploitable misconfigurations lead to RCE and data leaks. The post When configuration becomes a vulnerability: Exploitable misconfigurations in AI apps appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Mick Baccio and Scott Roberts examine whether public breach signals and market timing models can turn cyber incidents into actionable trading opportunities.

Sophos X-Ops looks at the Atomic macOS Stealer and its capabilitiesCategories: Threat ResearchTags: MacOS, AMOS, infostealer

Key Points Introduction The Gentlemen ransomware‑as‑a‑service (RaaS) operation is a relatively new group that emerged around mid‑2025. Its operators advertise the service across multiple underground forums, promoting their ransomware platform and inviting penetration testers and other technically skilled actors to join as affiliates. In 2026, based on victims listed on the data leak site (DLS), […

Philippe shares his unique journey from French engineering school to the front lines of cybersecurity, explaining how his lifelong love for solving puzzles helps him uncover critical security flaws before they can be exploited.

With advisories, this month’s count approaches 300 – though many are already in placeCategories: Threat Research, X-opsTags: Patch Tuesday, MICROSOFT PATCH TUESDAY

What if you could generate realistic attack telemetry on demand? Explore research methods that translate attacker behaviors (TTPs) into synthetic logs that can trigger detections at scale and without sensitive data. The post Accelerating detection engineering using AI-assisted synthetic attack logs generation appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Today Microsoft is announcing a major step forward in AI-powered cyber defense: a new multi-model agentic scanning harness (codenamed MDASH). The post Defense at AI speed: Microsoft’s new multi-model agentic security system tops leading industry benchmark appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Microsoft has released its monthly security update for May 2026, which includes 137 vulnerabilities affecting a range of products, including 16 that Microsoft marked as “critical”.

Read how to protect consumer websites and defend against modern DDoS attacks with layered security, resilient architecture, and graceful service degradation. The post Defending consumer web properties against modern DDoS attacks appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Microsoft Incident Response investigated an attack operated through legitimate and trusted administrative mechanisms to blend seamlessly into routine operations and remain undetected demonstrating that intrusions have increasingly avoided using noisy exploits, obvious malware, or custom tooling, instead leveraging systems that organizations already trust within their environments. The post Undermi

Responding to a state-sponsored threat is nothing like responding to ransomware, and the differences can make or break the outcome. Learn why your IR plan might need revisiting, and the factors you should consider.

Seven things security teams can start doing today to reduce riskCategories: Threat ResearchTags: AI, CISO, risk

Unit 42 analyzes AD CS exploitation through template misconfigurations and shadow credential misuse while offering behavioral detection for defenders. The post Inside AD CS Escalation: Unpacking Advanced Misuse Techniques and Tools appeared first on Unit 42.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 11th May, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES Instructure, the US education technology company behind the Canvas learning platform, has confirmed a major data breach affecting its cloud-hosted environment. Exposed data reportedly includes student and staff records and private messages, while […] The

Key Findings Ransomware in Q1 2026: Consolidation at Scale During the first quarter of 2026, we monitored more than 70 active data leak sites (DLS) that collectively listed 2,122 new victims. This figure represents a 12.2% decline from the Q4 2025 all-time record of 2,416 victims but remains the second-highest Q1 on record at 117% […] The post The State of Ransomware – Q1 2026 appeared first on Ch

Smart glasses allow anyone to track and record the world around them. That could put your data and the privacy of those nearby at risk.

该论文对物联网（IoT）恶意软件的生命周期进行了大规模实证研究。作者收集了来自多个来源的物联网恶意软件样本（如蜜罐、公开样本库），并对其进行了长达数年的纵向分析。研究重点包括恶意软件的感染阶段（初始入侵、持久化、命令与控制通信）、传播机制（如利用漏洞、暴力破解）、以及恶意软件家族的演化关系。通过构建恶意软件行为图谱和家族聚类，作者揭示了不同恶意软件家族在代码重用、模块化设计上的共性，并量化了恶意软件存活时间、更新频率等指标。主要贡献包括：（1）首次对物联网恶意软件生命周期进行系统化、大规模的测量；（2）发现了恶意软件在传播和持久化策略上的趋势变化；（3）为防御者提供了针对性的缓解建议（如关闭未使用的端口、及时更新固件）。实验基于超过10万个样本，覆盖多个架构（MIPS、ARM、x86）。该研究有助于理解物联网威胁态势，并为安全团队制定检测和预防策略提供依据。

Dirty Frag is a newly disclosed Linux local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting kernel networking and memory-fragment handling components including esp4, esp6, and rxrpc. The vulnerability enables reliable escalation from an unprivileged user to root and may be leveraged after initial compromise through SSH access, web shells, containers, or low-privileged accounts. Microsoft Defender is

New research exposes how prompt injection in AI agent frameworks can lead to remote code execution. Learn how these vulnerabilities work, what’s impacted, and how to secure your agents. The post When prompts become shells: RCE vulnerabilities in AI agent frameworks appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Cybersecurity concepts — logs, packets, DNS exfiltration, and more — are usually intangible, and its practitioners are prone to mental fatigue, Amy takes a second to yell at you to go touch grass.

This World Passkey Day, read how Microsoft is advancing passkey adoption to replace passwords, cut phishing risk, and deliver simpler, more secure sign-ins. The post World Passkey Day: Advancing passwordless authentication appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Cloud attack framework skips cryptomining, harvests financial, messaging, and enterprise credentials for fraud, spam, and potential extortion.

Unit 42 details CVE-2026-0300, a buffer overflow vulnerability in the PAN-OS User-ID Authentication Portal. Read now for details. The post Threat Brief: Exploitation of PAN-OS Captive Portal Zero-Day for Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution appeared first on Unit 42.

A malicious imitation of&nbsp;Anthropic’s&nbsp;Claude&nbsp;site leads to&nbsp;DLL sideloading&nbsp;– and&nbsp;a backdoorCategories: Threat ResearchTags: Claude, Beagle, Backdoor, malvertising, AI, DONUT, DLL sideloading, Sophos X-Ops

Microsoft is excited to be named an Overall Leader, and the Market Leader in the Kuppinger Cole Analyst’s 2026 Emerging AI Security Operations Center (SOC) report, as we see automation and AI as core components of the future of cybersecurity. The post ​​Microsoft named an overall leader in KuppingerCole Analyst’s 2026 Emerging AI Security Operations Center (SOC) report ​​ appeared first on Microso

Threat actors are targeting macOS users with fake utility fixes that trick them into running malicious Terminal commands. This campaign evades traditional defenses by stealing credentials, wallets, and sensitive data. The post ClickFix campaign uses fake macOS utilities lures to deliver infostealers appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Joe FitzPatrick reveals how consumer imports of networked devices pose a real security risk to small businesses and critical infrastructure alike.

Talos has recently started to collect and gather intelligence around phone numbers within emails as an additional indicator of compromise (IOC). In this blog, we discuss new insights into in-the-wild phone number reuse in scam emails.

该论文针对Android应用中的逻辑炸弹（Logic Bomb）提出了一种新型的隐蔽触发机制。传统逻辑炸弹通常依赖静态条件（如日期、文件存在等）作为触发器，容易被安全分析工具通过静态特征或简单动态执行暴露。作者创新性地提出了“自动情境化隐蔽触发器”（Auto-Contextualized Covert Triggers），利用应用运行时的上下文信息（如传感器数据、网络状态、用户行为序列等）动态生成触发条件。该方法通过机器学习模型在正常使用环境中学习上下文特征，并自动组合成难以预测的触发逻辑。实验部分，作者在多个真实Android应用上实现了原型系统，并评估了其对抗静态分析和动态监测的能力。结果显示，该机制能有效绕过现有基于规则和简单行为分析的检测方法，显著提高了逻辑炸弹的隐蔽性。论文的主要贡献包括：形式化了情境化触发器的设计空间，提出了一种自动生成框架，并验证了其在实际环境中的有效性。读者对象为移动安全、恶意软件分析与防御的研究人员。

Copy Fail (CVE-2026-31431) is a critical Linux kernel LPE that allows stealthy root access. This flaw impacts millions of systems. Read our analysis. The post Copy Fail: What You Need to Know About the Most Severe Linux Threat in Years appeared first on Unit 42.

Cisco Talos is disclosing UAT-8302, a sophisticated, China-nexus advanced persistent threat (APT) group targeting government entities in South America since at least late 2024 and government agencies in southeastern Europe in 2025.

Cisco Talos discovered an intrusion, active since at least January 2026, where an unknown attacker implanted a CloudZ remote access tool (RAT) and a previously undocumented plugin called “Pheno.”

Microsoft Defender Research observed a large-scale credential theft campaign that exemplifies this trend, using code of conduct-themed lures, a multi-step attack chain, and legitimate email services to distribute fully authenticated messages from attacker-controlled domains. The post Breaking the code: Multi-stage ‘code of conduct’ phishing campaign leads to AiTM token compromise appeared first on

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 4th May, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES Medtronic, a global medical device maker, has disclosed a cyberattack on its corporate IT systems. An unauthorized party accessed data, while the company reported no impact on products, operations, or financial systems. Threat […] The post 4th May – Threa

2026年5月，微软安全博客披露了一个影响Linux系统的高危漏洞CVE-2026-31431，命名为“Copy Fail”。该漏洞允许攻击者在云环境和Kubernetes工作负载中实现本地权限提升至root。漏洞根因在于Linux文件复制操作中的缺陷，攻击者通过精心构造的条件可触发漏洞，获取完全控制权。微软称已有野外利用（exploit in the wild），表明该漏洞正被实际攻击者使用。受影响的系统包括主流Linux发行版以及部署在公有云（如Azure、AWS、GCP）和Kubernetes集群中的节点。由于漏洞影响范围广且利用公开，组织应立即采取行动：优先安装补丁、加强监控告警、实施最小权限原则，并对Kubernetes环境进行安全审计。此漏洞目前无已知的攻击组织关联，但鉴于其危害性，预计会被勒索软件或APT组织纳入武器库。

Unit 42 highlights the need for a comprehensive security strategy that spans every IT zone. Explore the full details here. The post Essential Data Sources for Detection Beyond the Endpoint appeared first on Unit 42.

​Today we’re announcing the general availability of Agent 365, plus previews of new capabilities to discover and manage shadow AI agents, including local agents like OpenClaw and Claude Code. The post Microsoft Agent 365, now generally available, expands capabilities and integrations appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Unit 42 uncovers high-risk AI browser extensions. Disguised as productivity tools, they steal data, intercept prompts, and exfiltrate passwords. Protect your browser. The post That AI Extension Helping You Write Emails? It’s Reading Them First appeared first on Unit 42.

In this week’s newsletter, Hazel uses International Superhero Day as a springboard to explore why empathy — rather than just technical prowess — is the most essential, underrated superpower for navigating the human side of cybersecurity.

Stay ahead of emerging threats with Microsoft’s newest security innovations and updates, delivered through the In the Loop series. The post What’s new, updated, or recently released in Microsoft Security appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

In early 2026, email threats increased with a rise in credential phishing, QR code phishing, and CAPTCHA-gated campaigns, highlighted by Microsoft’s disruption of the Tycoon2FA phishing platform which led to a 15% volume decrease and shifts in threat actor tactics. The post Email threat landscape: Q1 2026 trends and insights appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Warnings about helpdesk impersonation scams and Iran-linked hackers targeting critical sectors in the US, plus the most damaging scams of 2025 - here's some of what made the headlines this month

Embracing strong proactive security is something we can all do to mitigate our increased exposure to security threats. The post 8 best practices for CISOs conducting risk reviews appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

Just as AI brings time-saving advantages to our lives, it brings similar advantages to threat actors. We can take the advantage back. This blog shows how generative AI can be used to rapidly deploy adaptive honeypot systems.

With attackers moving faster than ever, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. This blog breaks down five practical priorities from the Cisco Talos 2025 Year in Review to help defenders focus and prioritize, amidst all the noise.

Key Takeaways Background VECT Ransomware is a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) program that made its first appearance in December 2025 on a Russian-language cybercrime forum. After claiming their first two victims in January 2026, the group got back into the public eye due to an announcement of a partnership with TeamPCP, the actor behind several supply-chain attacks […] The post VECT: Ransomware by

Learn how Microsoft Sentinel UEBA helps defenders distinguish benign AWS activity from attacker behavior by enriching raw CloudTrail logs with clear, binary behavioral signals derived from baseline user, peer, and device behavior patterns. The post Simplifying AWS defense with Microsoft Sentinel UEBA appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.

For the latest discoveries in cyber research for the week of 27th April, please download our Threat Intelligence Bulletin. TOP ATTACKS AND BREACHES Vercel, a frontend cloud platform, has disclosed a security incident linked to a compromise at Context.ai, where stolen OAuth tokens enabled unauthorized access through a connected app. The company reported access to employee […] The post 27th April –