microsoft:-10,000-orgs-targeted-in-phishing-attack-that-bypasses-multifactor-authentication

Share news article

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email

Microsoft: 10,000 Orgs Targeted in Phishing Attack That Bypasses Multifactor Authentication

Microsoft recently discovered a widespread phishing attack campaign targeting Office 365 users that lures victims to a phony Office authentication page where it pilfers their credentials and later executes a second wave of attack, business email compromise (BEC), using intel gathered from their email accounts.

The attackers behind the campaign have targeted more than 10,000 organizations since September 2021, according to Microsoft, and employ the Evilginx2 phishing kit as the infrastructure for hijacking the authentication process. “We also uncovered similarities in their post-breach activities, including sensitive data enumeration in the target’s mailbox and payment frauds,” according to a post by the Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team that details the attacks.

The man-in-the-middle attack — or, as Microsoft now calls it, adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) — sets up a proxy server that sits between the victim and the actual authentication page. “Such a setup allows the attacker to steal and intercept the target’s password and the session cookie that proves their ongoing and authenticated session with the website. Note that this is not a vulnerability in MFA; since AiTM phishing steals the session cookie, the attacker gets authenticated to a session on the user’s behalf, regardless of the sign-in method the latter uses,” Microsoft said in its post.

Organizations should up their MFA game with conditional access policies, which vet sign-in requests based on identity, IP location, and device status, for example, according to Microsoft.

Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly-discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to your email inbox.

Subscribe

Related News

Researcher create polymorphic Blackmamba malware with ChatGPT

Researcher create polymorphic Blackmamba malware with ChatGPT

The malware can target Windows, macOS and Linux devices. HYAS Institute researcher and cybersecurity expert, Jeff Sims, has developed a…
Owner of Breach Forums Pompompurin Arrested in New York

Owner of Breach Forums Pompompurin Arrested in New York

Pompompurin has been charged with a single count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud. Conor Brian Fitzpatrick (aka Pompompurin,…
New Vishing Attack Spreading FakeCalls Android Malware

New Vishing Attack Spreading FakeCalls Android Malware

The attack scheme begins with the FakeCalls malware masquerading as an online banking application of a reputable South Korean financial…