In H1 2022, malicious objects were blocked at least once on 31.8% of ICS computers globally.Percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked
For the first time in five years of observations, the lowest percentage in the first half of the year was observed in March. During the period from January to March, the percentage of attacked ICS computers decreased by 1.7 p.p.Percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked, January – June 2020, 2021, and 2022
Among regions, the highest percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked was observed in Africa (41.5%). The lowest percentage (12.8%) was recorded in Northern Europe.Percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked, in global regions
Among countries, the highest percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked was recorded in Ethiopia (54.8%) and the lowest (6.8%) in Luxembourg.15 countries and territories with the highest percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked, H1 202210 countries and territories with the lowest percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked, H1 2022
Threat sources
The main sources of threats to computers in the operational technology infrastructure of organizations are internet (16.5%), removable media (3.5%), and email (7.0%).Percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects from different sources were blocked
Regions
Among global regions, Africa ranked highest based on the percentage of ICS computers on which malware was blocked when removable media was connected.Regions ranked by percentage of ICS computers on which malware was blocked when removable media was connected, H1 2022
Southern Europe leads the ranking of regions by percentage of ICS computers on which malicious email attachments and phishing links were blocked.Regions ranked by percentage of ICS computers on which malicious email attachments and phishing links were blocked, H1 2022
Industry specifics
In the Building Automation industry, the percentage of ICS computers on which malicious email attachments and phishing links were blocked (14.4%) was twice the average value for the entire world (7%).Percentage of ICS computers on which malicious email attachments and phishing links were blocked, in selected industries
In the Oil and Gas industry, the percentage of ICS computers on which threats were blocked when removable media was connected (10.4%) was 3 times the average percentage for the entire world (3.5%).Percentage of ICS computers on which threats were blocked when removable media was connected
In the Oil and Gas industry, the percentage of ICS computers on which malware was blocked in network folders (1.2%) was twice the world average (0.6%).Percentage of ICS computers on which threats were blocked in network folders
Diversity of malware
Malware of different types from 7,219 families was blocked on ICS computers in H1 2022.Percentage of ICS computers on which the activity of malicious objects from different categories was prevented
Ransomware
In H1 2022, ransomware was blocked on 0.65% of ICS computers. This is the highest percentage for any six-month reporting period since 2020.Percentage of ICS computers on which ransomware was blocked
The highest percentage of ICS computers on which ransomware was blocked was recorded in February (0.27%) and the lowest in March (0.11%). The percentage observed in February was the highest in 2.5 years of observations.Percentage of ICS computers on which ransomware was blocked, January – June 2022
East Asia (0.95%) and the Middle East (0.89%) lead the ransomware-based ranking of regions. In the Middle East, the percentage of ICS computers on which ransomware was blocked per six-month reporting period has increased by a factor of 2.5 since 2020.Regions ranked by percentage of ICS computers on which ransomware was blocked, H1 2022
Building Automation leads the ranking of industries based on the percentage of ICS computers attacked by ransomware (1%).Percentage of ICS computers on which ransomware was blocked, in selected regions, H1 2022
Malicious documents
Malicious documents (MSOffice+PDF) were blocked on 5.5% of ICS computers. This is 2.2 times the percentage recorded in H2 2021. Threat actors distribute malicious documents via phishing emails and actively use such emails as the vector of initial computer infections.Percentage of ICS computers on which malicious documents (MSOffice+PDF) were blocked
In the Building Automation industry, the percentage of ICS computers on which malicious office documents were blocked (10.5%) is almost twice the global average.Percentage of ICS computers on which malicious office documents (MSOffice+PDF) were blocked, in selected industries
Spyware
Spyware was blocked on 6% of ICS computers. This percentage has been growing since 2020.Percentage of ICS computers on which spyware was blocked
Building Automation leads the ranking of industries based on the percentage of ICS computers on which spyware was blocked (12.9%).Percentage of ICS computers on which spyware was blocked, in selected industries
Malware for covert cryptocurrency mining
The percentage of ICS computers on which malicious cryptocurrency miners were blocked continued to rise gradually.Percentage of ICS computers on which malicious cryptocurrency miners were blocked
Building Automation also leads the ranking of selected industries by percentage of ICS computers on which malicious cryptocurrency miners were blocked.Percentage of ICS computers on which malicious cryptocurrency miners were blocked, in selected industries
The gaming industry went into full gear during the pandemic, as many people took up online gaming as their new hobby to escape the socially-distanced reality. Since then, the industry has never stopped growing. According to the analytical agency Newzoo, in 2022, the global gaming market will exceed $ 200 billion, with 3 billion players globally. Such an engaged, solvent and eager-to-win audience becomes a tidbit for cybercriminals, who always find ways to fool their victims. One of the most outstanding examples involves $2 million‘s worth of CS:GO skins stolen from a user’s account, which means that losses can get truly grave. Besides stealing personal credentials and funds, hackers can affect the performance of gaming computers, infecting these with unsolicited miner files.
In this report, we provide the latest statistics on cyberthreats to gamers, as well as detailed information on the most widespread and dangerous types of malware that players must be aware of.
Methodology
To assess the current landscape of gaming risks, we observed the most widespread PC game-related threats and statistics on miner attacks, threats masquerading as game cheats, stealers, and analyzed several most active malware families, giving them detailed in-depth characteristics. For these purposes, we analyzed threat statistics from Kaspersky Security Network (KSN), a system for processing anonymized cyberthreat-related data shared voluntarily by Kaspersky users, for the period between January 2021 and June 2022.
To limit the research scope, we analyzed several lists of most popular games and based on this, created a list of TOP 28 games and game series available for download or about to be released on the streaming platforms Origin and Steam, as well as platform-independent titles. To make the overview more in-depth, we included both mobile and PC games. Thus, we analyzed threats related to the following titles:
Minecraft
Roblox
Need for Speed
Grand Theft Auto
Call of Duty
FIFA
The Sims
Far Cry
CS:GO
PUBG
Valorant
Resident Evil
Command & Conquer
Hitman
Total War
Cyberpunk 2077
Elden Ring
Final Fantasy
Halo
Legend of Zelda
League of Legends
Dota 2
Apex Legends
World of Warcraft
Gears of War
Tomb Raider
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Warhammer
We used the titles of the games as keywords and ran these against our KSN telemetry to determine the prevalence of malicious files and unwanted software related to these games, as well as the number of users attacked by these files. Also, we tracked the number of fake cheat programs for the popular games listed above, and an amount of miners that dramatically affect the performance of gamers’ computers.
Additionally, we looked at the phishing activity around gaming, specifically that related to cybersports tournaments, bookmakers, gaming marketplaces, and gaming platforms, and found numerous examples of scams that target gamers and esports fans.
Key findings
The total number of users who encountered gaming-related malware and unwanted software from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 was 384,224, with 91,984 files distributed under the guise of twenty-eight games or series of games;
The TOP 5 PC games or game series used as bait in the attacks targeting the largest number of users from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 were Minecraft, Roblox, Need for Speed, Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty;
The number of malicious and unwanted files related to Minecraft dropped by 36% compared to the previous year (23,239 against 36,336), and the number of affected users decreased by almost 30% year on year (131,005 against 184,887);
The TOP 5 mobile games that served as a lure targeting the largest number of users from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 were Minecraft, Roblox, Grand Theft Auto, PUBG and FIFA;
In the first half of 2022, we observed a noticeable increase in the number of users attacked by programs that can steal secrets, with a 13% increase over the first half of 2021;
In the first half of 2022, attackers cranked up their efforts to spread Trojan-PSW: 77% of secret-stealing malware infection cases were linked to Trojan-PSW;
Malware and unwanted software distributed as cheat programs stand out as a particular threat to gamers’ security, especially for those who are keen on popular game series: from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 we detected 3,154 unique files of this type that affected 13,689 users;
Miners pose an increasing threat to gamers’ productivity, with Far Cry, Roblox, Minecraft, Valorant, and FIFA topping the list of games and game series that were used as a lure for cyberthreats; 1,367 unique files and 3,374 users who encountered these files from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
Top game titles by number of related threats
Over the course of last year, from July 2021 through June 2022, 91,984 files that included malware and potentially unwanted applications were distributed using the popular game titles as a lure, with 384,224 users encountering these threats globally.
Continuing the trend observed in 2021, Minecraft, the famous sandbox game that has been one of the most-played titles around the world for more than a decade, took first place among the games most often used as bait, with 23,239 files distributed using the Minecraft name affecting 131,005 users from July 2021 through June 2022. However, the number of malicious and unwanted files related to Minecraft dropped by 36% compared to the previous year (36,336), and the number of affected users decreased by almost 30% year on year (184,887).
Roblox, too, entered the TOP 3 games both by number of related malicious or unwanted files (8,903) and affected users (38,838).
Other titles that were most often used as a lure were FIFA, Far Cry, and Call of Duty. A large number of users encountered threats while searching for content related to Need for Speed, GTA, and Call of Duty. These game series, too, have been winning the hearts of players around the world for years.
The TOP 10 games by number of related unique malicious and unwanted files:
Name
Number of unique files*
Minecraft
23239
FIFA
10776
Roblox
8903
Far Cry
8736
Call of Duty
8319
Need for Speed
7569
Grand Theft Auto
7125
Valorant
5426
The Sims
5005
CS:GO
4790
* Total number of detected files using game title, from July 1, 2021 to June, 30 2022
The TOP 10 games by number of unique users attacked using the game as a lure:
Name
Number of users*
Minecraft
131005
Roblox
38838
Need for Speed
32314
Grand Theft Auto
31752
Call of Duty
30401
FIFA
26832
The Sims
26319
Far Cry
18530
CS:GO
18031
PUBG
9553
Number of unique users affected by threats related to the game, from July 1, 2021 to June, 30 2022
As the mobile gaming market continues to grow, we analyzed KSN data specifically on mobile threats. For the period from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, our telemetry shows that 31,581 mobile users were exposed to game-related malware and potentially unwanted software. The number of unique malicious and unwanted files discovered within the given period is 5,976. Minecraft, Roblox, Grand Theft Auto, PUBG, and FIFA are among the games that ranked highest by number of related threats and affected users.
Name
Number of unique users
Minecraft
26270
Roblox
1186
Grand Theft Auto
927
PUBG
666
FIFA
619
TOP 5 mobile games used as a lure for distribution of malware and unwanted software, by users, from July 1, 2021 through June, 30 2022
Name
Number of unique files
Minecraft
2406
Grand Theft Auto
948
PUBG
624
Roblox
612
FIFA
293
TOP 5 mobile games used as a lure for distribution of malware and unwanted software, by files, from July 1, 2021 through June, 30 2022
Cyberthreats using games as a lure
The overall landscape of threats that affect gamers has not changed much since last year. Still, downloaders (88.56%) top the list of malicious and unwanted software being spread using the names of popular games: this type of unsolicited software might not be dangerous in and of itself, but it can be used for loading other threats onto devices. Adware (4.19%) comes second: this type of software displays unwanted (and sometimes irritating) pop-up ads which can appear on a user’s computer or mobile device.
The share of various Trojans that use popular games as a lure remains solid, with Trojan-SMS, Trojan-Downloader, and Trojan-Spy among the TOP 10 threats.
Threat
Infection cases, %
not-a-virus:Downloader
88.56
not-a-virus:AdWare
4.19
Trojan
2.99
DangerousObject
0.86
Trojan-SMS
0.49
Trojan-Downloader
0.48
not-a-virus:WebToolbar
0.47
not-a-virus:RiskTool
0.45
Exploit
0.34
Trojan-Spy
0.29
TOP 10 threats distributed worldwide under the guise of popular games, July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022
Game over: cybercriminals targeting gamers’ accounts and money
When downloading the games from untrustworthy sources, players may receive malicious software that can gather sensitive data like login information or passwords from the victim’s device; and in an attempt to download a desired game for free, find a cool mod or cheat, gamers can actually lose their accounts or even money. The research revealed an increase in attacks using malicious software that steals sensitive data from infected devices. It included such verdicts as Trojan-PSW (Password Stealing Ware) which gathers victims’ credentials, Trojan-Banker which steals payment data, and Trojan-GameThief which collects login information for gaming accounts. From July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, Kaspersky security solutions detected a total of 6,491 users affected by 3,705 unique malicious files of these types. In the first half of 2022, we observed a noticeable year-on-year increase in the number of users attacked: 13 percent against the first half of 2021 (2,867 vs 2,533). The number of unique files used to attack users also increased in the first half of 2022 by nearly a quarter, compared to the first half of 2021: from 1,530 to 1,868.
From July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, 77% of various data stealer infection cases were Trojan-PSW infections. Another 22% of infection attempts were related to Trojan-Bankers, and Trojan-GameThief files accounted for just 1% of cases.
Types of malicious software that steals sensitive data from infected devices, distributed worldwide using popular game titles as a lure, July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 (download)
The TOP 3 threat families, stealing data from the infected devices, by number of attacked users from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022:
Trojan-PSW.MSIL.Reline/RedLineRedLine Stealer is a password-stealing software that cybercriminals can buy on hacker forums for a very low price. From July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 2,362 unique users were attacked by RedLine, spread by using popular game titles and series as a lure, which makes it the most active data-stealing malware family for the period given. Once executed on the attacked system, RedLine Stealer collects system information, including device user names, the operating system type, and information about the hardware, installed browsers, and antivirus solutions. Its main stealer functionality involves extracting data such as passwords, cookies, card details, and autofill data from browsers, cryptocurrency wallet secrets, credentials for VPN services, etc. The stolen information is then sent to a remote C&C server controlled by the attackers, who later drain victims’ accounts.The RedLine code specifies that, depending on the configuration the malicious software can steal passwords from browsers, cryptocurrency wallet data, and VPN client passwords
Trojan-PSW.Win32.Convagent and Trojan-PSW.Win32.StealerBoth of these verdicts are generic verdicts for various families of malicious software that collect, analyze, and steal data from victims’ infected devices. From July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, 1,126 unique users encountered Convagent and 1,024 users encountered Stealer.
Most often, players get malicious software, stealing sensitive data, on their devices when trying to download a popular game from a third-grade website instead of buying it on the official one. For example, under the guise of a number of cracked popular games, attackers spread the Swarez dropper, which we analyzed in detail in our previous gaming-related threats report. Swarez was distributed inside a ZIP archive which contained a password-protected ZIP file and a text document with a password. Launching the malware resulted in decryption and activation of a Trojan-stealer dubbed Taurus. The latter had a wide range of functions: it could steal cookies, saved passwords, autofill data for browser forms and cryptocurrency wallet data, collect system information, steal .txt files from the desktop and make screenshots.
Attackers often purposely seek to spread threats under the guise of games and game series that either have a huge permanent audience (such as Roblox, FIFA, or Minecraft) or were recently released. We found that from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, the TOP 5 game titles that cybercriminals used as a lure to distribute secret-stealing software included Valorant, Roblox, FIFA, Minecraft, and Far Cry.
Name
Number of unique users affected
Valorant
1777
Roblox
1733
FIFA
843
Minecraft
708
Far Cry
389
TOP 5 game titles used by cybercriminals to lure users into downloading malicious software, stealing secrets from infected devices, from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022
Risky money: how to lose instead of gaining
One of the most widespread cyberthreats gamers are exposed to is phishing, a social engineering scheme where an attacker masquerades as a legal and trustworthy entity to encourage the user to give out sensitive data, such as account credentials or financial information.
For the period from July 1st 2021 through June 30th 2022, Kaspersky security solutions detected 3,116,782 attacks connected to phishing activities in online games. One of the key findings in this segment was connected to the attacks aimed at gaining users’ credentials or taking over gaming accounts – especially through social network login.
For instance, we found several examples of phishing activity of this type targeting Grand Theft Auto Online gamers: the cybercriminals created a fake website that launched an in-game money generator. To use it, you have to login with your gaming account. Once the credentials are shared, the cybercrooks get access to such sensitive information as gaming account, telephone number, and even banking details.
A fraudulent money generator offered to GTA Online players
Offering easy in-game money to achieve phishers’ malicious goals was a noticeable trend in the previous reporting period and remains one. By mimicking Apex Legends, a multiplayer free-to-play hero shooter, scammers created a fake website that invited gamers to take part in a lottery to win in-game coins. To try their luck, players were asked to share their game credentials. Once the username or player ID alongside with password were entered, the account was taken over by the scammers.
The Fake Apex Legends website that invited players to take part in a giveaway of in-game coins. Once the player typed in their username and password, scammers got access to his account
This year, cybercriminals have learned to mimic the entire interfaces of the in-game stores for many popular game titles. The most notable examples include fake marketplaces launched under the names of CS:GO, PUBG and Warface, which are popular esports disciplines. To achieve better results, players need a decent arsenal of weapons and artifacts that are available in the in-game stores. The scammers created fraudulent stores by copying the appearance of the actual in-game marketplaces to fool players, with the final aim of taking over their accounts or stealing their money.
Fake CS:GO in-game stores created by cybercriminals
Scammers create fake in-game store mimicking the PUBG mobile interface. The scheme encourages users to log in using their social media credentials
Unsolicited mining: programs that ruin the gaming experience
Miners are programs that may adversely affect a computer’s productivity. Once a miner file is launched on an affected computer, it starts using the machine’s energy to mine cryptocurrency. When it comes to unsolicited miners that interfere with users’ operating systems against their will, the situation might get even worse – especially for gamers who value the computer’s productivity above all.
According to our analysis, Far Cry, a gaming series that spans 18 years and six editions, proved to be the most popular title among unsolicited miners – both in terms of affected users (1,050) and unique malicious files (510). Other games that make the perfect bait for miners include Minecraft with 406 unique files and Valorant with 93 files. Overall, from July 1st 2021 through June 30th 2022, we managed to detect 1,367 unique mining files which affected 3,374 users. That said, the number of users affected by miners halved in H1 2022 (1002) compared to H1 2021 (2086), which may be linked to the sharp drop in the bitcoin exchange rate. Interestingly, the number of unique miner files rose by 30% in H1 2022 (497) compared to H1 2021 (383).
Under the guise of one of the biggest novelties of 2022, cybercriminals have also distributed malware related to miners. The fantasy role-playing game Elden Ring was used as a lure by cybercriminals who spread OpenSUpdater. OpenSUpdater is a Trojan that pretends to be a cracked version of a game, and, once installed, downloads and installs various unwanted programs and miners to the victim’s device.
The OpenSUpdater campaign only targets users from certain countries, so if the user’s IP address does not satisfy the regional requirements of the distribution server, clean software will be downloaded, e.g., the 7zip archive manager. Less fortunate users will receive an installer that delivers various payloads, including legitimate software, potentially unwanted applications, and miners. Infection chain consists of two stages. At the first stage, a malicious downloader is installed. The code of this downloader is updated by threat actors several times a week by using various obfuscation and anti-emulation techniques. The main purpose of these changes is to complicate threat investigation and detection. The second stage is the installer itself.
Cheating in games, or being cheated?
Every gamer aims for the best performance and results – even when they are not competing for a precious trophy. This explains why cheating will never go out of style. However, some of the cheats can bring more harm than good.
What exactly are cheats? When we talk about cheats, we refer to the programs that help gamers create an advantage beyond the available capabilities by applying special cheat codes or installing software that allows sideways. Cybercriminals try to fool gamers by creating fake cheat programs which, instead of providing advantages, negatively affect computers’ performance or even steal player’s data.
From July 1st 2021 through June 30th 2022, we detected 3,154 unique files distributed as cheat programs for the most popular game titles, with a total of 13,689 users affected. The vast majority of the files mimicking cheat programs were related to Counter Strike: Global Offense (418), Roblox and Valorant (332 files for both), and Total War (284). At the same time, Need for Speed came first by number of unique users exposed to this type of threats (3,256) – this series of games has not lost in its broad popularity after several decades and generations.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The pandemic times greatly boosted the gaming industry, increasing the number of computer game fans several times over.
Despite the fact that the number of users affected by gaming-related threats has dropped, certain gaming threats are still on the rise. Over the past year, we have seen an increase in cybercriminal activity around stealers, which allow attackers to steal bank card data, credentials, and even crypto wallets data from infected devices. In the first half of 2022, we observed a noticeable increase in the number of users attacked by stealers, with a 13 percent increase over the first half of 2021.
We also analyzed which popular games were used as a lure by cybercriminals who distributed malware and unwanted software, and found that most often these were multiplayer gaming platforms, such as Minecraft and Roblox. Worryingly, the primary target audience for these games is children and teenagers, who have much less knowledge of cybersecurity due to a lack of experience. Because of this, we assume that they could become an easy prey for cybercriminals, which means we need to pay special attention to cybersecurity hygiene training for kids.
Traditionally, we have found a lot of different examples of phishing tools spread by cybercriminals to get access to gaming accounts, in-game items or money. Cybercriminals mostly created phishing pages that mimicked the appearance of the games whose users they were targeting. For example, we observed fake in-game stores for PUBG and CS:GO.
Over the years, the gaming industry has grown more and more, and we expect to see new ways of abusing users next year, e.g. by exploiting the theme of esports, which are now gaining popularity around the world. That is why it is so important to stay protected, so you do not lose your money, credentials, or gaming account, which you have built over the years.
Here is what we recommend to stay safe while gaming.
Protect your accounts with two-factor authentication whenever possible. At least comb through account settings if you cannot.
Use a unique, strong password for each of your accounts. Should one of your passwords get leaked, the rest of your accounts would remain safe.
You will benefit greatly from a robust security solution that will protect you from every possible cyberthreat without interfering with your computer’s performance while you are playing. Kaspersky Total Security plays nicely with Steam and other gaming services.
Download your games from official stores like Steam, Apple App Store, Google Play, or Amazon Appstore only. While not 100 % safe, games from these stores undergo a screening process, which makes sure that a random app cannot be published.
If your desired title is not available from the official store, purchase it from the official website only. Double-check the URL of the website to make sure it is authentic.
Avoid buying the first thing that pops up. Even during Steam’s summer sale, make sure you read a few reviews before forking out the dough for a little-known title. If something is fishy, other people will have figured it out.
Beware of phishing campaigns and unfamiliar gamers. Do not open links received by email or in a game chat unless you trust the sender. Do not open files from strangers.
Carefully check the address of any website asking for your username and password, as it might be fake.
Avoid downloading cracked software or any other illegal content, even if you are redirected to it from a legitimate website.
Keep your operating system and other software up to date. Updates can help address many security issues.
Do not visit dubious websites when these are offered in search results and do not install anything they offer.
Microsoft said it’s tracking an ongoing large-scale click fraud campaign targeting gamers by means of stealthily deployed browser extensions on compromised systems.
“[The] attackers monetize clicks generated by a browser node-webkit or malicious browser extension secretly installed on devices,” Microsoft Security Intelligence said in a sequence of tweets over the weekend.
The tech giant’s cybersecurity division is tracking the developing threat cluster under the name DEV-0796.
Attach chains mounted by the adversary commence with an ISO file that’s downloaded onto a victim’s machine upon clicking on a malicious ad or comments on YouTube. The ISO file, when opened, is designed to install a browser node-webkit (aka NW.js) or rogue browser extension.
It’s worth noting that the ISO file masquerades as hacks and cheats for the Krunker first-person shooter game. Cheats are programs that help gamers gain an added advantage beyond the available capabilities during gameplay.
Also used in the attacks are DMG files, which are Apple Disk Image files primarily used to distribute software on macOS, indicating that the threat actors are targeting multiple operating systems.
The findings arrive as Kaspersky disclosed details of another campaign that lures gamers looking for cheats on YouTube into downloading self-propagating malware capable of installing crypto miners and other information stealers.
“Malware and unwanted software distributed as cheat programs stand out as a particular threat to gamers’ security, especially for those who are keen on popular game series,” the Russian cybersecurity firm said in a recent report.
Contemporary organizations understand the importance of data and its impact on improving interactions with customers, offering quality products or services, and building loyalty.
Data is fundamental to business success. It allows companies to make the right decisions at the right time and deliver the high-quality, personalized products and services that customers expect.
There is a challenge, though.
Businesses are collecting more data than ever before, and new technologies have accelerated this process dramatically. As a result, organizations have significant volumes of data, making it hard to manage, protect, and get value from it.
Here is where Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) comes in. GRC enables companies to define and implement the best practices, procedures, and governance to ensure the data is clean, safe, and reliable across the board.
More importantly, organizations can use GRC platforms like StandardFusion to create an organizational culture around security. The objective is to encourage everyone to understand how their actions affect the business’s success.
Now, the big question is:
Are organizations getting value from their data?
To answer that, first, it’s important to understand the following two concepts.
Data quality
Data quality represents how reliable the information serves an organization’s specific needs — mainly supporting decision-making.
Some of these needs might be:
Operations – Where and how can we be more efficient?
Resource distribution – Do we have any excess? Where? And why?
Planning – How likely is this scenario to occur? What can we do about it?
Management – What methods are working? What processes need improvement?
From a GRC standpoint, companies can achieve data quality by creating rules and policies so the entire organization can use that data in the same ways. These policies could, for example, define how to label, transfer, process, and maintain information.
Data Integrity
Data integrity focuses on the trustworthiness of the information in terms of its physical and logical validity. Some of the key characteristics to ensure the usability of data are:
Consistency
Accuracy
Validity
Truthfulness
GRC’s goal for data integrity is to keep the information reliable by eliminating unwanted changes between updates or modifications. It is all about the data’s accuracy, availability, and trust.
How GRC empowers organizations achieve high-quality data
Organizations that want to leverage their data to generate value must ensure the information they collect is helpful and truthful. The following are the key characteristics of high-quality data:
Completeness: The expected data to make decisions is present.
Uniqueness: There is no duplication of data.
Timeliness: The data is up-to-date and available to use when needed.
Validity: The information has the proper format and matches the requirements.
Accuracy: The data describes the object correctly in a real-world context.
Consistency: The data must be the same across multiple databases
A powerful way to make sure the company’s data maintains these six characteristics is by leveraging the power of GRC.
Why?
Because GRC empowers organizations to set standards, regulations, and security controls to avoid mistakes, standardize tasks and guide personnel when collecting and dealing with vital information.
GRC helps organizations answer the following questions:
How is the company ensuring that data is available for internal decision and for the clients?
Is everyone taking the proper steps to collect and process data?
Overall, GRC aims to build shared attitudes and actions towards security.
Why every organization needs high-quality data and how GRC helps
Unless the data companies collect is high-quality and trustworthy, there’s no value in it — it becomes a liability and a risk for the organization.
Modern companies recognize data as an essential asset that impacts their bottom line. Furthermore, they understand that poor data quality can damage credibility, reduce sales, and minimize growth.
In today’s world, organizations are aiming to be data-driven. However, becoming a data-driven organization is tough without a GRC program.
How so?
Governance, Risk, and Compliance enable organizations to protect and manage data quality by creating standardized, controlled, and repeatable processes. This is key because every piece of data an organization process has an associated risk.
By understanding these risks, companies can implement the necessary controls and policies for handling and extracting data correctly so that every department can access the same quality information.
Organizations without structured data can’t provide any value, and they face the following risks:
Missed opportunities: Many leads are lost because of incomplete or inaccurate data. Also, incorrect data means wrong insights, resulting in missing critical business opportunities.
Lost revenue: According to 2021 Gartner’s research, the average financial impact of poor data quality on organizations is $12.9 million annually.
Poor customer experience: When data quality is poor, organizations can’t identify customers’ pain points and preferences. As a result, the offer of products or services doesn’t match customers’ needs and expectations.
Lack of compliance: In some industries where regulations control relationships or customer transactions, maintaining good-quality data can be the difference between compliance and fines of millions of dollars. GRC is vital to keep compliance in the loop as new regulations evolve worldwide.
Increased expenses: A few years ago, IBM’s research showed that businesses lost 3.1 trillion dollars in the US alone. How? Spending time to find the correct data, fixing errors, and just hunting for information and confirmed sources.
Reputational damage: In today’s world, customers spend a lot of their time reading reviews before making a decision. For instance, if a company fails to satisfy its customers, everyone will know.
Reduced efficiency: Poor data quality forces employees to do manual data quality checks, losing time and money.
To sum up:
Having the right processes to manipulate data will prevent organizations from missing business opportunities, damaging their reputation, and doing unnecessary repetitive tasks.
How GRC supports data-driven business and what are the key benefits of clean data
Data-driven businesses embrace the use of data (and its analysis) to get insights that can improve the organization. The efficient management of big data through GRC tools helps identify new business opportunities, strengthen customer experiences, grow sales, improve operations, and more.
For example, GRC helps data-driven businesses by allowing them to create and manage the right policies to process and protect the company’s data.
More importantly, organizations can also control individual policies to ensure they have been distributed and acknowledged accordingly.
In terms of benefits, although clean data has numerous “easy-to-identify” benefits, many others are not easily identified. Trusting data not just improves efficiency and results; it also helps with fundamental, vital factors that affect business performance and success.
What are these factors?
Fundamental benefits:
Profits/Revenue
Internal communication
Employees confidence to share information
Company’s reputation
Trust
Operational benefits:
Efficiency
Business outcome
Privacy issues
Customer satisfaction
Better audience-targeting
How GRC protect the value of businesses and their data
In this contemporary world, companies should be measured not only via existing financial measurements but also by the amount of monetizable data they can capture, consume, store and use. More importantly, how the data helps the organization’s internal processes to be faster and more agile.
When people think of high-quality data and big data, they usually associate these two with big organizations, especially technology and social media platforms. However, big quality data gives organizations of any size plenty of benefits.
Data quality and integrity help organizations to:
Understand their clients
Enhance business operations
Understand industry best practices
Identify the best partnership options
Strengthen business culture
Deliver better results
Make more money
Using the right GRC platform helps companies create and control the policies and practices to ensure their data is valid, consistent, accurate, and complete — allowing them to get all these benefits.
The key to using GRC tools is that businesses can produce what customers expect on a greater scale and with higher precision and velocity.
Now, what does this have to do with value?
By protecting the value of data, organizations are protecting their overall worth. Indeed, GRC empowers companies to create a culture of value, giving everyone education and agency so they can make better decisions.
Also, GRC helps companies tell better security stories. These stories aim to build trust with customers and partners, enter new markets, and shorten sale cycles.
To summarize:
A better understanding of customers and processes — through data — will lead to better products and services, enhanced experiences, and long-lasting relationships with customers. All these represent growth and more revenue for companies.
What happens when a company’s data is not safe? Can it damage their value?
Trust is a vital component of any interaction (business or personal) and, as such, is mandatory for organizations to protect it — without trust, there is no business.
When data is not protected, the chances of breaches are higher, causing direct and indirect costs.
Direct costs are:
Fines
Lawsuits
Stolen information
Compensations
Potential business loss
Indirect costs are:
Reputation/Trust
PR activities
Lost revenue from downtime
New and better protection
Often, reputation damages can cause long-term harm to organizations, making it hard for them to acquire and maintain business. In fact, reputation loss is the company’s biggest worry, followed by financial costs, system damage, and downtime.
So, what does all this mean?
It’s not just about collecting data; it is also about how companies reduce risks and leverage and protect the data they have. GRC integrates data security, helping organizations be better prepared against unauthorized access, corruption, or theft.
Moreover, GRC tools can help elevate data security by controlling policies, regulations, and predictable issues within the organization.
The bottom line?
When companies can’t get or maintain customers because of a lack of trust, the organization’s value will be significantly lower — or even zero. Unfortunately, this is even more true for small and medium size companies.
How to use GRC to achieve and maintain high-quality data?
Many organizations have trouble managing their data, which, unfortunately, leads to poor decisions and a lack of trust from employees and customers.
Moreover, although companies know how costly wrong information is, many are not working on ensuring quality data through the right processes and controls. In fact, Harward Business Review said that 47% of newly created data records have at least one critical error.
Why is that?
Because there is a lack of focus on the right processes and systems that need to be in place to ensure quality data.
What do poor processes cause?
Human errors
Wrong data handling
Inaccurate formatting
Different sets of data for various departments
Unawareness of risks
Incorrect data input or extraction
Fortunately, GRC’s primary goal is to develop the right policies and procedures to ensure everyone in the organization appropriately manages the data.
GRC aims to create a data structure based on the proper governance that will dictate how people organize and handle the company’s information. As a result, GRC will empower companies to be able to extract value from their data.
That is not everything.
Governance, Risk, and Compliance allow organizations to understand the risks associated with data handling and guide managers to create and distribute the policies that will support any data-related activity.
The following are some of the ways GRC is used to achieve and maintain high-quality data:
Data governance: Data governance is more than setting rules and telling people what to do. Instead, it is a collection of processes, roles, policies, standards, and metrics that will lead to a cultural change to ensure effective management of information throughout the organization.
Education: Achieving good data quality is not easy. It requires a deep understanding of data quality principles, processes, and technologies. GRC facilitates the education process by allowing the organization to seamlessly implement, share, and communicate its policies and standards to every department.
Everyone is involved: Everyone must understand the organization’s goal for data quality and the different processes and approaches that will be implemented. GRC focuses on cultural change.
Be aware of threats: When managing data, each process has risks associated with it. The mission of GRC is for the organization to recognize and deal with potential threats effectively. When companies are aware of risks, they can implement the necessary controls and rules to protect the data.
One single source of truth: A single source of truth ensures everyone in the organization makes decisions based on the same consistent and accurate data. GRC can help by defining the governance over data usage and manipulation. Furthermore, GRC makes it easy to communicate policies, see who the policy creator is, and ensure employees are acting according to the standards.
Tech giant Microsoft on Tuesday shipped fixes to quash 64 new security flaws across its software lineup, including one zero-day flaw that has been actively exploited in real-world attacks.
Of the 64 bugs, five are rated Critical, 57 are rated Important, one is rated Moderate, and one is rated Low in severity. The patches are in addition to 16 vulnerabilities that Microsoft addressed in its Chromium-based Edge browser earlier this month.
“In terms of CVEs released, this Patch Tuesday may appear on the lighter side in comparison to other months,” Bharat Jogi, director of vulnerability and threat research at Qualys, said in a statement shared with The Hacker News.
“However, this month hit a sizable milestone for the calendar year, with MSFT having fixed the 1000th CVE of 2022 – likely on track to surpass 2021 which patched 1,200 CVEs in total.”
The actively exploited vulnerability in question is CVE-2022-37969 (CVSS score: 7.8), a privilege escalation flaw affecting the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) Driver, which could be leveraged by an adversary to gain SYSTEM privileges on an already compromised asset.
“An attacker must already have access and the ability to run code on the target system. This technique does not allow for remote code execution in cases where the attacker does not already have that ability on the target system,” Microsoft said in an advisory.
The tech giant credited four different sets of researchers from CrowdStrike, DBAPPSecurity, Mandiant, and Zscaler for reporting the flaw, which may be an indication of widespread exploitation in the wild, Greg Wiseman, product manager at Rapid7, said in a statement.
CVE-2022-37969 is also the second actively exploited zero-day flaw in the CLFS component after CVE-2022-24521 (CVSS score: 7.8), the latter of which was resolved by Microsoft as part of its April 2022 Patch Tuesday updates.
It’s not immediately clear if CVE-2022-37969 is a patch bypass for CVE-2022-24521. Other critical flaws of note are as follows –
“An unauthenticated attacker could send a specially crafted IP packet to a target machine that is running Windows and has IPSec enabled, which could enable a remote code execution exploitation,” Microsoft said about CVE-2022-34721 and CVE-2022-34722.
Also resolved by Microsoft are 15 remote code execution flaws in Microsoft ODBC Driver, Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server, and Microsoft SharePoint Server and five privilege escalation bugs spanning Windows Kerberos and Windows Kernel.
The September release is further notable for patching yet another elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Print Spooler module (CVE-2022-38005, CVSS score: 7.8) that could be abused to obtain SYSTEM-level permissions.
Lastly, included in the raft of security updates is a fix released by chipmaker Arm for a speculative execution vulnerability called Branch History Injection or Spectre-BHB (CVE-2022-23960) that came to light earlier this March.
“This class of vulnerabilities poses a large headache to the organizations attempting mitigation, as they often require updates to the operating systems, firmware and in some cases, a recompilation of applications and hardening,” Jogi said. “If an attacker successfully exploits this type of vulnerability, they could gain access to sensitive information.”
Software Patches from Other Vendors
Aside from Microsoft, security updates have also been released by other vendors since the start of the month to rectify dozens of vulnerabilities, including —
Companies are increasingly using Cloud services to support their business processes. But which types of Cloud services are there, and what is the difference? Which kind of Cloud service is most suitable for you? Do you want to be unburdened or completely in control? Do you opt for maximum cost savings, or do you want the entire arsenal of possibilities and top performance? Can you still see the forest for the trees? In this article and in the next, I describe several different Cloud services, what the differences and features are and what exactly you need to pay attention to.
Let’s start with the definition of Cloud computing. This is the provision of services using the internet (Cloud). Think of storage, software, servers, databases etc. Depending on the type of service and the service that is offered (think of license management or data storage), you can divide these services into categories. Examples are IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), SaaS (Software as a Service), etc. These services are provided by a cloud provider. Whether this is Microsoft (Azure), Amazon (AWS), or another vendor (Google, Alibaba, Oracle, etc.), each vendor offers Cloud services that fall under one of the categories of Cloud services that we are about to discuss.
One feature of Cloud computing is that you pay according to the usage and the service you purchase. For example, for SaaS, you pay for the software’s license and support. This also means that if you buy a SaaS service (e.g., Office 365) and don’t use it, you will still be charged. At the same time, if you purchase storage with IaaS, for example, you only pay for the amount of storage you use, possibly supplemented with additional services such as backup, etc.
Sometimes Cloud services complement each other; think, for example, of DaaS (Database as a Service), where a database is offered via the Cloud. Often you need an application server and other infrastructure to read data from this database. These usually run in a Landing Zone, purchased from an IaaS service. But some services can also be standalone, for example, SaaS (Office 365).
Each Cloud service has specific characteristics. Sometimes it requires little or no (technical) knowledge, but it can also be challenging to manage and use the services according to best practices. This often depends on the degree to which you want to see yourself in control. If you want an application from the Cloud where you are completely relieved of all worries, this requires little technical knowledge from the user or the administrator. But if you want maximum control, then IaaS gives you an enormous range of possibilities. In this article, you can read what you need to consider.
It is advisable to think beforehand about what your requirements and wishes are precisely and whether this fits in with the service you want to purchase. If you wish to use an application in the Cloud but use many custom settings, this is often not possible. If you don’t want to be responsible for updating and backing up an application and use little or no customization, a SaaS can be very interesting. Also, look at how a service fits into your business process. Does it offer possibilities for automation, reporting, or disaster recovery? Are there possibilities to temporarily allocate extra resources in case of peak demand (horizontal or vertical scaling up), and what guarantees does the supplier offer with this service? Think of RPO / RTO and accessibility of the service desk in case of a calamity.
Let’s get started quickly!
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
One of the best-known Cloud services is undoubtedly IaaS. For many companies, this is often their first introduction to a Cloud service. You rent the infrastructure from a cloud provider. For example, the network infrastructure, virtual servers (including operations system), and storage. A feature of IaaS is that you have complete control – Both on the management side and how you can deploy resources (requests). This can be done in various automated ways (Powershell, IaC, DevOps pipelines, etc.) and via the classic management interface that all providers offer. Things that are often not possible with a PaaS service are possible with an IaaS service. You have complete control. In principle, you can set up a complete server environment (all services are available for this), but you do have the benefits of the Cloud, such as scalability and pay per use or per resource.
IaaS therefore, most resembles an on-premise implementation. You often see this used in combination with the use of virtual servers. Critical here is a good investigation into the possible limitations, for example, I/O, so that the performance can be different in practice than in a traditional local environment. You are responsible for arranging security and backup. The advantage is that you have an influence on the choice of technology used. You can customize the setup according to your needs and wishes. You can standardize the configuration to your organization. Deployment can be complex, and you are forced to make your own choices, so some expertise is needed.
PaaS (Platform as a Service)
PaaS stands for Platform as a service and goes further than IaaS. You get a platform where you can do the configuration yourself. When you use a PaaS service, the vendor takes care of the sub-layer (IaaS) and the operating system and middleware. So you sacrifice something in terms of control and capabilities. PaaS services are ideal for developers, web and application builders. After all, you can quickly make an environment available. Using it means you no longer have to worry about the infrastructure, operating system, and middleware. This is taken care of by the supplier based on best practices. This also offers security advantages, as you do not have to think about patching and upgrading these things that are now done by the vendor.
Another advantage is that you can entirely focus on what you want to do and not on managing the environment. You can also easily purchase additional services and quickly scale them up or down. When you are finished, you can remove and stop the resources, so you have no more costs.
However, do take into account the use of existing software. Not all existing software is suitable to function in a PaaS environment; for example, in a PaaS environment, you do not have full access (after all, the vendor is responsible). Also, not all CPU power and memory are allocated to the Cloud application. This is because it is often hosted on a shared platform, so other applications (and databases) may use the same resources. As for the database, you have the same advantages and disadvantages as with DBaaS.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
This is probably a service you’ve been using for a while. In short, you take applications through the Cloud on a subscription basis. The provider is responsible for managing the infrastructure, patches, and updates. A SaaS solution is ready for use immediately, and you directly benefit from the added value, such as fast scaling up and down and paying per use. Examples are Office365, Sharepoint online, SalesForce, Exact Online, Dropbox, etc.
Unlike IaaS and PaaS, where there is still a lot of freedom, and you have to set everything up yourself, with SaaS however, it is immediately clear what you are buying and what you will get. With this service, you are relieved of most of your worries. The vendor is responsible for all updates, patches, development, and more. You cannot make any updates or changes to the software with this service.
Many companies use one or more SaaS services often even within companies, there is a distinction. For example, each department within a company has its specific applications and associated SaaS services. With this service, you only pay for what you need, including the licenses. These licenses can easily be scaled up or down.
It is interesting for many companies to work with SAAS solutions. It is particularly interesting for start-ups, small companies and freelancers because you only purchase what you use, you don’t have unnecessarily high start-up costs, and you don’t have to worry about the maintenance of the software.
But SAAS can also be a perfect solution for larger companies. For example, if you hire extra staff for specific periods, you can quickly get these people working with the software they need. You buy several additional licenses, and you can stop this when the temporary staff leaves.
How can Vembu help you?
BDRSuite, is a comprehensive Backup & DR solution designed to protect your business-critical data across Virtual (VMware, Hyper-V), Physical Servers (Windows, Linux), SaaS (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace), AWS EC2 Instances, Endpoints (Windows, Mac) and Applications & Databases (MS Active Directory, MS Exchange, MS Outlook, SharePoint, MS SQL, MySQL).
A new attack technique called ‘GIFShell’ allows threat actors to abuse Microsoft Teams for novel phishing attacks and covertly executing commands to steal data using … GIFs.
The new attack scenario, shared exclusively with BleepingComputer, illustrates how attackers can string together numerous Microsoft Teams vulnerabilities and flaws to abuse legitimate Microsoft infrastructure to deliver malicious files, commands, and perform exfiltrating data via GIFs.
As the data exfiltration is done through Microsoft’s own servers, the traffic will be harder to detect by security software that sees it as legitimate Microsoft Team’s traffic.
Overall, the attack technique utilizes a variety of Microsoft Teams flaws and vulnerabilities:
Bypassing Microsoft Teams security controls allows external users to send attachments to Microsoft Teams users.
Modify sent attachments to have users download files from an external URL rather than the generated SharePoint link.
Spoof Microsoft teams attachments to appear as harmless files but download a malicious executable or document.
Insecure URI schemes to allow SMB NTLM hash theft or NTLM Relay attacks.
Microsoft supports sending HTML base64 encoded GIFs, but does not scan the byte content of those GIFs. This allows malicious commands to be delivered within a normal-looking GIF.
Microsoft stores Teams messages in a parsable log file, located locally on the victim’s machine, and accessible by a low-privileged user.
Microsoft servers retrieve GIFs from remote servers, allowing data exfiltration via GIF filenames.
GIFShell – a reverse shell via GIFs
The new attack chain was discovered by cybersecurity consultant and pentester Bobby Rauch, who found numerous vulnerabilities, or flaws, in Microsoft Teams that can be chained together for command execution, data exfiltration, security control bypasses, and phishing attacks.
The main component of this attack is called ‘GIFShell,’ which allows an attacker to create a reverse shell that delivers malicious commands via base64 encoded GIFs in Teams, and exfiltrates the output through GIFs retrieved by Microsoft’s own infrastructure.
To create this reverse shell, the attacker must first convince a user to install a malicious stager that executes commands, and uploads command output via a GIF url to a Microsoft Teams web hook. However, as we know, phishing attacks work well in infecting devices, Rauch came up with a novel phishing attack in Microsoft Teams to aid in this, which we describe in the next section.
GIFShell works by tricking a user into loading a malware executable called the “stager” on their device that will continuously scan the Microsoft Teams logs located at $HOME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Teams\IndexedDB\https_teams.microsoft.com_0.indexeddb.leveldb\*.log.
Microsoft Teams log folder Source: BleepingComputer
All received messages are saved to these logs and are readable by all Windows user groups, meaning any malware on the device can access them.
Once the stager is in place, a threat actor would create their own Microsoft Teams tenant and contact other Microsoft Teams users outside of their organization. Attackers can easily achieve this as Microsoft allows external communication by default in Microsoft Teams.
To initiate the attack, the threat actor can use Rauch’s GIFShell Python script to send a message to a Microsoft Teams user that contains a specially crafted GIF. This legitimate GIF image has been modified to include commands to execute on a target’s machine.
When the target receives the message, the message and the GIF will be stored in Microsoft Team’s logs, which the malicious stager monitors.
When the stager detects a message with a GIF, it will extract the base64 encoded commands and execute them on the device. The GIFShell PoC will then take the output of the executed command and convert it to base64 text.
This base64 text is used as the filename for a remote GIF embedded in a Microsoft Teams Survey Card that the stager submits to the attacker’s public Microsoft Teams webhook.
As Microsoft Teams renders flash cards for the user, Microsoft’s servers will connect back to the attacker’s server URL to retrieve the GIF, which is named using the base64 encoded output of the executed command.
The GIFShell server running on the attacker’s server will receive this request and automatically decode the filename allowing the attackers to see the output of the command run on the victim’s device, as shown below.
For example, a retrieved GIF file named ‘dGhlIHVzZXIgaXM6IA0KYm9iYnlyYXVjaDYyNzRcYm9iYnlyYXVJa0K.gif’ would decode to the output from the ‘whoami’ command executed on the infected device:
the user is:
bobbyrauch6274\bobbyrauIkBáë
The threat actors can continue using the GIFShell server to send more GIFs, with further embedded commands to execute, and continue to receive the output when Microsoft attempts to retrieve the GIFs.
As these requests are made by the Microsoft website, urlp.asm.skype.com, used for regular Microsoft Teams communication, the traffic will be seen as legitimate and not detected by security software.
This allows the GIFShell attack to covertly exfiltrate data by mixing the output of their commands with legitimate Microsoft Teams network communication.
Even worse, as Microsoft Teams runs as a background process, it does not even need to be opened by the user to receive the attacker’s commands to execute.
The Microsoft Teams logs folder have also been found accessed by other programs, including business monitoring software, such as Veriato, and potentially malware.
Microsoft acknowledged the research but said it would not be fixed as no security boundaries were bypassed.
“For this case, 72412, while this is great research and the engineering team will endeavor to improve these areas over time, these all are post exploitation and rely on a target already being compromised,” Microsoft told Rauch in an email shared with BleepingComputer.
“No security boundary appears to be bypassed. The product team will review the issue for potential future design changes, but this would not be tracked by the security team.”
Abusing Microsoft teams for phishing attacks
As we previously said, the GIFShell attack requires the installation of an executable that executes commands received within the GIFs.
To aid in this, Rauch discovered Microsoft Teams flaws that allowed him to send malicious files to Teams users but spoof them to look as harmless images in phishing attacks.
“This research demonstrates how it is possible to send highly convincing phishing attachments to victims through Microsoft Teams, without any way for a user to pre-screen whether the linked attachment is malicious or not,” explains Rauch in his writeup on the phishing method.
As we previously said in our discussion about GIFShell, Microsoft Teams allows Microsoft Teams users to message users in other Tenants by default.
However, to prevent attackers from using Microsoft Teams in malware phishing attacks, Microsoft does not allow external users to send attachments to members of another tenant.
While playing with attachments in Microsoft Teams, Rauch discovered that when someone sends a file to another user in the same tenant, Microsoft generates a Sharepoint link that is embedded in a JSON POST request to the Teams endpoint.
This JSON message, though, can then be modified to include any download link an attacker wants, even external links. Even worse, when the JSON is sent to a user via Teams’ conversation endpoint, it can also be used to send attachments as an external user, bypassing Microsoft Teams’ security restrictions.
For example, the JSON below has been modified to show a file name of Christmas_Party_Photo.jpeg but actually delivers a remote Christmas_Party_Photo.jpeg………….exe executable.
Microsoft Teams JSON to spoof an attachment Source: Bobby Rauch
When the attachment is rendered in Teams, it is displayed as Christmas_Party_Photo.jpeg, and when highlighting it, it will continue to show that name, as shown below.
Spoofing a JPEG file Source: Bobby Rauch
However, when the user clicks on the link, the attachment will download the executable from the attacker’s server.
In addition to using this Microsoft Teams spoofing phishing attack to send malicious files to external users, attackers can also modify the JSON to use Windows URIs, such as ms-excel:, to automatically launch an application to retrieve a document.
Rauch says this would allow attackers to trick users into connecting to a remote network share, letting threat actors steal NTLM hashes, or local attackers perform an NTLM relay attack to elevate privileges.
“These allowed, potentially unsafe URI schemes, combined with the lack of permissions enforcement and attachment spoofing vulnerabilities, can allow for a One Click RCE via NTLM relay in Microsoft Teams,” Rauch explains in his report on the spoofing attack.
Microsoft not immediately fixing bugs
Rauch told BleepingComputer that he disclosed the flaws to Microsoft in May and June of 2022, and despite Microsoft saying they were valid issues, they decided not to fix them immediately.
When BleepingComputer contacted Microsoft about why the bugs were not fixed, we were not surprised by their response regarding the GIFShell attack technique, as it requires the device to already be compromised with malware.
“This type of phishing is important to be aware of and as always, we recommend that users practice good computing habits online, including exercising caution when clicking on links to web pages, opening unknown files, or accepting file transfers.
We’ve assessed the techniques reported by this researcher and have determined that the two mentioned do not meet the bar for an urgent security fix. We’re constantly looking at new ways to better resist phishing to help ensure customer security and may take action in a future release to help mitigate this technique.” – a Microsoft spokesperson.
However, we were surprised that Microsoft did not consider the ability of external attackers to bypass security controls and send attachments to another tenant as not something that should be immediately fixed.
Furthermore, not immediately fixing the ability to modify JSON attachment cards so that Microsoft Teams recipients could be tricked to download files from remote URLs was also surprising.
However, Microsoft has left the door open to resolving these issues, telling BleepingComputer that they may be serviced in future versions.
“Some lower severity vulnerabilities that don’t pose an immediate risk to customers are not prioritized for an immediate security update, but will be considered for the next version or release of Windows,” explained Microsoft in a statement to BleepingComputer.
One month from today, we’re going to start to turn off basic auth for specific protocols in Exchange Online for customers who use them.
Since our first announcement nearly three years ago, we’ve seen millions of users move away from basic auth, and we’ve disabled it in millions of tenants to proactively protect them.
We’re not done yet though, and unfortunately usage isn’t yet at zero. Despite that, we will start to turn off basic auth for several protocols for tenants not previously disabled.
Starting October 1st, we will start to randomly select tenants and disable basic authentication access for MAPI, RPC, Offline Address Book (OAB), Exchange Web Services (EWS), POP, IMAP, Exchange ActiveSync (EAS), and Remote PowerShell. We will post a message to the Message Center 7 days prior, and we will post Service Health Dashboard notifications to each tenant on the day of the change.
We will not be disabling or changing any settings for SMTP AUTH.
If you have removed your dependency on basic auth, this will not affect your tenant or users. If you have not (or are not sure), check the Message Center for the latest data contained in the monthly usage reports we have been sending monthly since October 2021. The data for August 2022 will be sent within the first few days of September.
What If You Are Not Ready for This Change?
We recognize that unfortunately there are still many tenants unprepared for this change. Despite multiple blog posts, Message Center posts, interruptions of service, and coverage via tweets, videos, conference presentations and more, some customers are still unaware this change is coming. There are also many customers aware of the deadline who simply haven’t done the necessary work to avoid an outage.
Our goal with this effort has only ever been to protect your data and accounts from the increasing number of attacks we see that are leveraging basic auth.
However, we understand that email is a mission-critical service for many of our customers and turning off basic auth for many of them could potentially be very impactful.
One-Time Re-Enablement
Today we are announcing an update to our plan to offer customers who are unaware or are not ready for this change.
When we turn off basic auth after October 1st, all customers will be able to use the self-service diagnostic to re-enable basic auth for any protocols they need, once per protocol. Details on this process are below.
Once this diagnostic is run, basic auth will be re-enabled for those protocol(s). Selected protocol(s) will stay enabled for basic auth use until end of December 2022. During the first week of calendar year 2023, those protocols will be disabled for basic auth use permanently, and there will be no possibility of using basic auth after that.
Avoiding Disruption
If you already know you need more time and wish to avoid the disruption of having basic auth disabled you can run the diagnostics during the month of September, and when October comes, we will not disable basic for protocol(s) you specify. We will disable basic for any non-opted-out protocols, but you will be able to re-enable them (until the end of the year) by following the steps below if you later decide you need those too.
In other words – if you do not want basic for a specific protocol or protocols disabled in October, you can use the same self-service diagnostic in the month of September. Details on this process below.
Diagnostic Options
Thousands of customers have already used the self-service diagnostic we discussed in earlier blog posts (here and here) to re-enable basic auth for a protocol that had been turned off, or to tell us not to include them in our proactive protection expansion program. We’re using this same diagnostic again, but the workflow is changing a little.
Today, we have archived all prior re-enable and opt-out requests. If you have previously opted out or re-enabled basic for some protocol, you’ll need to follow the steps below during the month of September to indicate you want us to leave something enabled for basic auth after Oct 1.
To invoke the self-service diagnostic, you can go directly to the basic auth self-help diagnostic by simply clicking on this button (it’ll bring up the diagnostic in the Microsoft 365 admin center if you’re a tenant Global Admin):
Or you can open the Microsoft 365 admin center and click the green Help & support button in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.
When you click the button, you enter our self-help system. Here you can enter the phrase “Diag: Enable Basic Auth in EXO”
Customers with tenants in the Government Community Cloud (GCC) are unable to use the self-service diagnostic covered here. Those tenants may opt out by following the process contained in the Message Center post sent to their tenant today. If GCC customers need to re-enable a protocol following the Oct 1st deadline they will need to open a support ticket.
Opting Out
During the month of September 2022, the diagnostic will offer only the option to opt-out. By submitting your opt-out request during September, you are telling us that you do not want us to disable basic for a protocol or protocols during October. Please understand we will be disabling basic auth for all tenants permanently in January 2023, regardless of their opt-out status.
The diagnostic will show a version of the dialog below, and you can re-run it for multiple protocols. It might look a bit different if some protocols have already been disabled. Note too that protocols are not removed from the list as you opt-out but rest assured (unless you receive an error) we will receive the request.
Re-Enabling Basic for protocols
Starting October 1, the diagnostic will only allow you to re-enable basic auth for a protocol that it was disabled for.
If you did not opt-out during September, and we disabled basic for a protocol you later realize you need, you can use this to re-enable it.
Within an hour (usually much sooner) after you run the diagnostics and ask us to re-enable basic for a protocol, basic auth will start to work again.
At this point, we have to remind you that by re-enabling basic for a protocol, you are leaving your users and data vulnerable to security risks, and that we have customers suffering from basic auth-based attacks every single day (but you know that already).
Starting January 1, 2023, the self-serve diagnostic will no longer be available, and basic auth will soon thereafter be disabled for all protocols.
Summary of timelines and actions
Please see the following flow chart to help illustrate the changes and actions that you might need to take:
Blocking Basic Authentication Yourself
If you re-enable basic for a protocol because you need some extra time and then afterward no longer need basic auth you can block it yourself instead of waiting for us to do it in January 2023. The quickest and most effective way to do this is to use Authentication Policies which block basic auth connections at the first point of contact to Exchange Online.
Just go into the Microsoft 365 admin center, navigate to Settings, Org Settings, Modern Authentication and uncheck the boxes to block basic for all protocols you no longer need (these checkboxes will do nothing once we block basic for a protocol permanently, and we’ll remove them some time after January 2023).
Reporting Web Service Endpoint
For those of you using the Reporting Web Service REST endpoint to get access to Message Tracking Logs and more, we’re also announcing today that this service will continue to have basic auth enabled until Dec 31st for all customers, no opt-out or re-enablement is required. And, we’re pleased to be able to provide the long-awaited guidance for this too right here.
EOP/SCC PowerShell
Basic authentication will remain enabled until Dec 31st, 2022. Customers need to migrate to certificate based authentication. Follow the Instructions here: App-only authentication
One Other Basic Authentication Related Update
We’re adding a new capability to Microsoft 365 to help our customers avoid the risks posed by basic authentication. This new feature changes the default behavior of Office applications to block sign-in prompts using basic authentication. With this change, if users try to open Office files on servers that only use basic authentication, they won’t see any basic authentication sign-in prompts. Instead, they’ll see a message that the file has been blocked because it uses a sign-in method that may be insecure.
Office Team is looking for customers to opt-in to their Private Preview Program for this feature. Please send them an email if you are interested in signing up: basicauthdeprmailer@microsoft.com.
Summary
This effort has taken three years from initial communication until now, and even that has not been enough time to ensure that all customers know about this change and take all necessary steps. IT and change can be hard, and the pandemic changed priorities for many of us, but everyone wants the same thing: better security for their users and data.
Our customers are important to us, and we do not want to see them breached, or disrupted. It’s a fine balance but we hope this final option will allow the remaining customers using Basic auth to finally get rid of it.
The end of 2022 will see us collectively reach that goal, to Improve Security – Together.
In this article, we are going to talk about this and see what you can do to resolve the Error 740 Printer install error with some simple solutions. Some users are unable to add a Printer to their computer. When they try to do the same, they see the following error message.
That didn’t work We can’t install this printer right now. Try again later or contact your network administrator for help. Error: #740
Can’t install this printer right now #740?
Error message, Can’t install this printer right now, comes with error code: 740. The issue, sometimes, can be nothing more than a glitch. Windows is notorious for having glitches, and this can be one of them. However, as reports from other victims and from our own probing of this error code, we found the Printer wizard is unable to get installed on your system. The most common reason for this peculiar behavior is lack of administrative privilege, which is a bit weird as more often than not, the issue has been reported on an administrator system. We have mentioned all the solutions you need to resolve the issue later in this guide.
We can’t install this printer right now, Error 740
You can fix Error #740, We can’t install this printer right now on Windows 11/10 by following these suggestions:
Remove the Printer and restart your computer
Run Printer Wizard as an administrator
Disable UAC or User Account Control
Run Printer Troubleshooter
Create a new Administrator Account
Let us talk about them in detail.
1] Remove the Printer and restart your computer
Maybe the issue is nothing more than a glitch. This glitch can be resolved by just restarting the process. So, first up, try removing your printer, turn off your device and detach all the cables. Now, see if the issue is resolved. If the issue persists, try restarting your system. Make sure to not, click on the Restart button, instead, click on Shutdown and then reopen your system. Hopefully, this will do the job for you.
2] Run Printer Wizard as an administrator
If the issue was not a glitch, then this is the solution you need. After studying the error code for a while we stumbled upon a solution that worked for a lot of users. According to them, all you have to do to add the Printer is manually install the wizard with administrative privileges. So, open Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following command.
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /il
This should do the job for you.
3] Disable UAC or User Account Control
UAC or User Account Control helps in preventing malware from attacking and damaging your computer. Even though it is a good thing to have, sometimes, it can the reason for your issue, as in this case. You should try and disable UAC temporarily and see if it helps. Follow the given steps to do the same.
Open Run by Win + R.
Type useraccountcontrolsettings and click Ok.
Select Never and press OK.
Finally, retry adding your Printer. Hopefully, it will be added without any hassle.
4] Run Printer Troubleshooter
Next up, we are going to give put some load on your Operating System to resolve the issue. The Printer Troubleshooter is a utility that not only looks for the problem but also resolves it. We are going to deploy it and see if it helps.
Windows 11
Open Settings from the Start Menu.
Click System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
Look for the Printer troubleshooter, and click on the Run button.
Windows 10
Open Settings.
Go to Update & Security > Additional troubleshooter.
Click Printer > Run the troubleshooter.
Let the troubleshooter do its job and then see if the issue persists. Hopefully, the troubleshooter will resolve the issue for you.
5] Create a new Administrator Account
Maybe there is an issue with your account. The issue can sometimes be a glitch, and sometimes, a misconfiguration. What you have to do is create a new account and retry adding your Printer. Follow the prescribed steps to do the same.
Launch Settings.
Go to Accounts and then to Family and other users.
Click on Add account from the Other users section.
Click on I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
Select Add a user without a Microsoft account.
Enter the username you want and Security questions.
Finally, a user account will be created.
Now, click on Change account type.
Select Administrator > Ok.
Now, log out from your current account and log in to the newly created one.
There are two Error 740s that users are facing. One of them is, We can’t install this printer right now. Try again later or contact your network administrator for help, we have mentioned all the required solutions for this error in this post, but if you are looking for solutions for The requested operation requires elevation, then check our post.
Securing a Microsoft 365 tenant must start with identity.
Protecting identities is a fundamental part of Zero Trust and it’s the first “target” that most attackers look for. We used to say that attackers hack their way in, now we say they log in, using bought, found or stolen/phished credentials. This article will show you why MFA is so important and how to implement advanced security features in Azure AD such as PIM, Password protection, Conditional Access policies (also a strong part of Zero Trust), auditing and more.
Below is the first chapter from our free Microsoft 365 Security Checklist eBook. The Microsoft 365 Security Checklist shows you all the security settings and configurations you need to know for each M365 license to properly secure your environment. Download the full eBook and checklist spreadsheet.
Multi-Factor Authentication
It should be no surprise that we start with identity, it’s the new security perimeter or the new firewall and having a strong identity equals strong security. The first step to take here is implementing Multi Factor Authentication (MFA). It’s free for all Office / Microsoft tenants. If you want to use Conditional Access (CA) to enforce it (rather than just enabling users “in bulk”), you need Azure AD Premium P1+ licensing. A username and a simple password are no longer adequate (it never was, we just never had a simple, affordable, easy to use alternative) to protect your business.
Hand-in-hand with MFA you need user training. If your business is relying on users doing the right thing when they get the prompt on their phone – they MUST also know that if they get a prompt when they’re NOT logging in anywhere, they must click Block / No / Reject.
To enable MFA on a per-user basis, go to aad.portal.azure.com, login as an administrator, click Azure Active Directory – Security – MFA and click on the blue link “Additional cloud-based MFA settings”.
Additional MFA settings
There are two parts (tabs) on this page, “service settings” where you should disable app passwords (a workaround for legacy clients that don’t support MFA, shouldn’t be necessary in 2022), add trusted public IP addresses (so that users aren’t prompted when they’re in the corporate office – we and Microsoft recommend not using this setting), disabling Call and Text message to phone and remember MFA on trusted devices setting (1-365 days), Microsoft recommends either using CA policies to manage Sign-In frequency or setting this to 90 days. Phone call / text message MFA are not strong authentication methods and should not be used unless there’s no other choice.
On the user’s tab you can enable MFA for individual users or click bulk update and upload a CSV file with user accounts.
If you have AAD Premium P1, it’s better to use a CA policy to enforce MFA, it’s more flexible and the MFA settings page will eventually be retired.
Enforcing MFA with a Conditional Access Policy
A few words of caution, enabling MFA for all your administrators is a given today. Seriously, if you aren’t requiring every privileged account to use MFA (or 2FA / passwordless, see below), stop reading and go and do that right now. Yes, it’s an extra step and yes, you’ll get push back but there’s just no excuse – it’s simply unprofessional and you don’t belong in IT if you’re not using it. For what it is worth, I’ve been using Azure MFA for over seven years and require it for administrators at my clients – no exceptions.
Enabling MFA for all users is also incredibly important but takes some planning. You may have some users who refuse to run the Microsoft Authenticator app on their personal phone – ask for it to be put in their hiring contract. You need to train them as to why MFA is being deployed, what to do, both for authentic logins and malicious ones. Furthermore, you need to have a smooth process for enrolling new users and offboarding people who are leaving.
You should also strongly consider creating separate (cloud only) accounts for administrators. They don’t require a license and it separates the day-to-day work of a person who only performs administrative actions in your tenant occasionally (or use PIM, Chapter 10).
MFA protects you against 99.9% of identity-based attacks but it’s not un-phishable. Stronger alternatives include biometrics such as Windows Hello for Business (WHFB) and 2FA hardware keys which bring you closer to the ultimate in identity security: passwordless.
Legacy Authentication
However, it’s not enough to enable MFA for all administrators and users, the bad guys can still get in with no MFA prompt in sight. The reason is that Office 365 still supports legacy protocols that don’t support modern authentication / MFA. You need to disable these; you can’t just turn them off, you need to check if there are legitimate applications / workflows / scripts that use any of them. Go to aad.portal.azure.com, login as a Global Administrator, click Azure Active Directory – Monitoring – Sign-in logs. Change the time to last one month, and click Add filters, then click Client app and then None Selected, in the drop-down pick all 13 checkboxes under Legacy Authentication Clients and click Apply.
Filtering Azure AD Sign-in logs for legacy authentication
This will show you all the logins over the last month that used any of the legacy protocols. If you get a lot of results, add a filter for Status and add Success to filter out password stuffing attacks that failed. Make sure you check the four different tabs for interactive / non-interactive, service principals and managed identity sign-ins.
You’ll now need to investigate the logins. In my experience there will be some users who are using Android / Apple mail on smartphones; point them to the free Outlook app instead (Apple mail can be configured to use modern authentication). There’s also likely to be line-of-business (LOB) applications and printers / scanners that send emails via Office 365, so you’ll need updates for these. Alternatively, you can use another email service for these such as smtp2go.
Once you have eliminated all legitimate legacy authentication protocol usage you can disable it in two ways, it’s best to use both. Start by creating a Conditional Access policy based on the new template to block it, also go to admin.microsoft.com, Settings – Org settings – Services – Modern authentication and turn off basic authentication protocols.
Disable legacy authentication protocols in the M365 Admin Center
Break Glass accounts
Create at least one, preferably two break glass accounts, also known as emergency access accounts. These accounts are exempted from MFA, all CA policies and PIM (see below) and have very long (40 characters+), complex passwords. They’re only used if AAD MFA is down, for example, to gain access to your tenant to temporarily disable MFA or a similar setting, depending on the outage.
A second part to this is that you want to be notified if these accounts are ever used. One way to do this is to send your Azure AD sign-in logs to Azure Monitor (also known as Log Analytics), with instructions here. Another option is to use Microsoft Sentinel (which is built on top of Log Analytics) and create an Analytics rule.
Microsoft Sentinel alert rule when a Break Glass account is used
Security Defaults
If yours is a very small business, with few requirements for flexibility, the easiest way to set up Azure AD with MFA for everyone, plus several other security features enabled, is to turn on Security Defaults. Note that you can’t have break-glass accounts or other service accounts with Security Defaults as there’s no way to configure exceptions. Go to Properties for your Azure AD tenant and scroll to the bottom, and click on Manage Security defaults, here you can enable and disable it.
Privileged Identity Management
It’s worth investing in Azure Active Directory (AAD) Premium P2 for your administrator’s accounts and enabling Privileged Identity Management (PIM). This means their accounts are ordinary user accounts who are eligible to elevate their privileges to whatever administrator type they are assigned (see Chapter 10).
If you’re not using PIM, create dedicated admin accounts in AAD only. Don’t sync these accounts from on-premises but enforce MFA and strong passwords. Since they won’t be used for day-to-day work, they won’t require an M365 license.
Password Protection
After MFA, your second most important step is banning bad passwords. You’re probably aware that we’ve trained users to come up with bad passwords over the last few decades with “standard” policies (at least 8 characters, uppercase, lowercase, special character and numbers) which results in P@ssw0rd1 and when they’re forced to change it every 30 days, P@ssw0rd2. Both NIST in the US and GHCQ in the UK now recommends allowing (but not enforcing) the use of upper / lowercase etc., but not mandating frequent password changes and instead of checking the password at the time of creation against a list of known, common bad passwords and blocking those. In Microsoft’s world that’s called Password protection which is enabled for cloud accounts by default. There’s a global list of about 2000 passwords (and their variants) that Microsoft maintains, based on passwords they find in dumps, and you should add (up to 1000) company-specific words (brands, locations, C-suite people’s names, local sports teams, etc.) for your organization.
You find Password protection in the AAD portal – Security – Authentication Methods.
Password protection settings
Remember, you don’t have to add common passwords to the list, they’re already managed by Microsoft, just add company / region specific words that your staff are likely to use.
If you’re syncing accounts from Active Directory on-premises to AAD, you should also extend Password protection to your DCs. It involves the installation of an agent on each DC, a proxy agent, and a reboot of each DC.
Continuous Access Evaluation
This feature has been in preview for quite some time but is now in general availability. Before Continuous Access Evaluation (CAE), when you disabled a user’s account, or they changed location (from the office to a public Wi-Fi for example) it could be up to one hour before their state was re-evaluated and new policies applied, or they were blocked from accessing services. With CAE, this time is much shorter, in most cases in the order of a few minutes. It’s turned on by default for all tenants (unless you were part of the preview and intentionally disabled it). Another benefit of CAE is that tokens are now valid for 28 hours, letting people keep working during a shorter Azure AD outage. You can disable CAE in a CA policy, but it’s not recommended.
Conditional Access policies
We’ve mentioned Conditional Access (CA) policies several times already as it’s a crucial component of strong identity security and Zero Trust. Unlike other recommendations, there isn’t a one size fit all set of CA policies we can give you, however (at a minimum) you should have policies for:
Require MFA for admins (see MFA above)
Require MFA for users (see MFA above)
Require MFA for Azure management
Block legacy authentication (see MFA above)
Require compliant or Hybrid AAD joined device for admins
Require compliant or Hybrid AAD joined device for users
Block access to M365 from outside your country
Require MFA for risky sign-ins (if you have AAD Premium P2)
Require password change for high-risk users (if you have AAD Premium P2)
This is all going to be a lot easier going forward with the new policy templates for identity and devices. Go to Azure AD – Security – Conditional Access – New policy – Create a new policy from templates. Another step to take is to create a system for managing the lifecycle of policies and there’s an API for backing up and updating policies, that you can access in several ways, including PowerShell. There’s even a tutorial to set up a backup system using a Logic App.
Conditional Access policy templates for identity
A common question is if there’s a priority when policies are evaluated and there isn’t, they’re all processed together for a particular sign-in, from a specific device and location to an individual application. If there are multiple policies with different controls (MFA + compliant device), all controls must be fulfilled for access. And if there are conflicting policies with different access (block vs grant), block access will win.
To get you started, here are the step-by-step instructions for a policy blocking access to M365 from outside your country, appropriate for most small and medium businesses that only operate in one or a few countries. Keep in mind that travelling staff may be caught out by this so make sure you align with business objectives and be aware that this won’t stop every attack as a VPN or TOR exit node can make it appear as if the attacker is in your country, but it’s one extra step they must take. Remember, you don’t have to run faster than the Fancy Bear, just faster than other companies around you.
Start by going to Azure AD – Security – Conditional Access – Named locations and click +Countries location and call the location Blocked countries. Leave Determine location by IP address, a new feature is using GPS location from the Microsoft Authenticator app which will be more accurate once all your users are using Azure AD MFA (and therefore can be located via GPS). Click the box next to Name to select all countries, then find the one(s) that you need to allow login from and click Create.
Creating a Named Location for a Conditional Access Policy
Go to Azure AD – Security – Conditional Access – New policy – Create new policy and name your policy with a name that clearly defines what the policy does and adheres to your naming standard. Click on All Users… and Include All users and Exclude your Break Glass accounts.
Click on No cloud apps… and select All cloud apps. Select 0 conditions… and click Not configured under Locations. Pick Selected locations under Include and select your newly created location. Finally, under Access controls – Grant, click 0 controls selected and then Block access.
CA policies can be either in Report-only mode where you can look at reports of what they would have blocked and control they would have enforced, or they can be turned on / off. Report-only can be handy to make sure you don’t get fired for accidentally locking everyone out but turn this policy on as soon as possible.
Conditional Access policy to block logins from outside Australia
A common question is, how can I control how often users are prompted for MFA or signing in again? While it might be counterintuitive, the default in Azure AD is a rolling windows of 90 days. Remember, if you change a user’s password, block non-compliant devices, or disable an account (plus any number of other CA policies you have in place that might affect the security posture of the session), it’ll automatically require new authentications. Don’t prompt the users for authentication when nothing has changed because if you do it too frequently, they’re more likely to approve a malicious login.
Branding Log-on Pages
While in the Azure AD portal, click on Company branding and add a company-specific Sign-in page background image (1920x1080px) and a Banner logo (280x60px). Note that these files have to be small (300 KB and 10 KB respectively) so you may have to do some fancy compression. This isn’t just a way to make users feel at home when they see a login page, in most cases when attackers send phishing emails to harvest credentials, they’ll send users to a fake login page that looks like the generic Office 365 one, not your custom one which is another clue that should alert your users to the danger. Also – Windows Autopilot doesn’t work unless you have customized AAD branding.
Edit Azure AD Company Branding images
Self Service Password Reset
The benefit of Self Service Password Reset (SSPR) is to lower the load on your help desk to manage password resets for users. Once enabled, users must register various ways of being identified when they’re resetting their password, mobile app notification/code, email (non-Office 365), mobile/office phone call, security questions (not available to administrators, plus you can create custom questions). If you are synchronizing user accounts from AD to Azure AD, take care in setting up SSPR as the passwords must be written back to AD from the cloud once changed.
Configuring Self Service Password Reset in Azure AD
Unified Auditing
Not restricted to security but nevertheless, a fundamental building block is auditing across Microsoft 365. Go to the Microsoft 365 Defender portal and find Audit in the left-hand menu (it’s almost at the end). If for some reason unified auditing isn’t enabled in your tenant a yellow banner will give you a button to turn it on (it’s on by default for new tenants). Once enabled, click the Audit retention policies tab, and create a policy for your tenant. You want to ensure that you have logs to investigate if there’s a breach and you want them kept for as long as possible.
With Business Premium you get a maximum of 90 days of retention and Microsoft 365 E5 gives you one year, but you want to make sure to create a policy to set this, rather than rely on the default policy (which you can’t see). Give the policy a name, a description and add all the record types, one by one. This policy will now apply to all users (including new ones that are created) for all activities. Only use the Users option when you want to have a specific policy for a particular user. Give the policy a priority, 1 is the highest and 10,000 is the lowest.
Create an audit retention policy for maximum retention
Integrating applications into Azure AD
One of the most powerful but often overlooked features (at least in SMBs) is the ability to use Azure AD to publish applications to your users. Users can go to myapps.microsoft.com (or office.com) and see tiles for all applications they have access to. But there’s more to that story. Say, for example, you have a shared, corporate Twitter account that a few executives and marketing staff should have access to. Instead of sharing a password amongst them all and having to remember to reset it if someone leaves the organization, you can create a security group in AAD, add the relevant users, link Twitter to the group and they’ll automatically have access – without knowing the password to the account. There are a lot more actions you can take here to simplify access and secure management of applications, here’s more information.
Azure AD Connect
If you’re synchronizing accounts from Active Directory to Azure Active Directory (AAD), check the configuration of AAD Connect and make sure you’re not replicating an entire domain or forest to AAD. There’s no reason that service accounts etc. should be exposed in both directories, start the AAD Connect wizard on the server where it’s installed and double-check that only relevant OUs are synchronized. One other thing to note here is the fact that any machine running Azure AD Connect should be treated with the same care (in terms of security) as a domain controller. This is because AAD Connect requires the same level of access as AD itself and has the ability to read password hashes. Making sure security best practices for access, patching, etc. are followed to the letter for the system running AAD connect is critically important.
The M365 Identity Checklist
Work through the Identity checklist.
Enable MFA for administrators
Enable MFA for users
Create cloud-only administrator accounts for privileged users / occasional administrators
Disable app passwords
(Configure trusted IPs)
Disable text message MFA
Disable phone call MFA
Remember MFA trusted devices 90 days
Train staff in using MFA correctly
Use Windows Hello where possible
Use FIDO2 / 2FA keys where possible
Investigate legacy authentication protocol usage in AAD Sign-in logs
Block legacy authentication with CA Policy
Block legacy authentication in M365 Admin Center
Create two Break glass accounts and exempt from MFA, CA Policies etc.
Configure alerting if a Break glass account is used
Enable Security Defaults in AAD (consider the limitations)
Enable PIM (AAD Premium P2) for all admin users
Add organization-specific words to Password protection
Deploy Password protection in AD on-premises
CA Policy Require MFA for admins
CA Policy Require MFA for users
CA Policy Require MFA for Azure management
CA Policy Block legacy authentication
CA Policy Require compliant or Hybrid AAD joined device for admins
CA Policy Require compliant or Hybrid AAD joined device for users
CA Policy Block access to M365 from outside your country
Require MFA for risky sign-ins [Only for E5)
Require password change for high-risk users [Only for E5)
Create custom branding logos and text in Azure AD
Enable and configure Self Service Password Reset, including password writeback
Go Further than Identity to Protect your M365 Tenant
There you have it, all the most important steps to take to make sure your users’ identities are kept secure, and therefore your tenant and its data also safeguarded. Keen to learn and do more?
The Microsoft 365 Security Checklist has another nine chapters of security recommendations each with its own checklist for:
