Know The Threats.
13 March, 2024 Vol. 00001
Protect Yourself.
INDIA
BREACH DIGEST
Microsoft Hacked!!! That’s True.
Microsoft was attacked by the nation-state threat actor
known as Midnight Blizzard in late 2023. Here's a
breakdown of what we know about the attack and its
implications:
Attack Methodology:
1. Initial Entry: Midnight Blizzard gained a foothold in
Microsoft's systems via a password spray attack on a
legacy, non-production test tenant account.
2. Exploiting Permissions: The attackers then exploited
this account's permissions to access a small
percentage of Microsoft's corporate email accounts in
cybersecurity and legal functions.
3. Information Exfiltration: Microsoft confirmed that
attackers exfiltrated some emails and attached
documents.
4. Further Compromises: In recent weeks, Microsoft
discovered Midnight Blizzard using stolen information
to access some of the company's source code
repositories and internal systems.
Cybersecurity is a constant arms race. This incident
highlights the threat from well-funded nation-state actors
who target large organizations for intelligence gathering
underscores the need for continuous vigilance and strong
security practices.
Editor: Soumya Mondal
Information Sources: Google
Pepper Spray! No.
it’s Password Spray!
Here's a simple explanation of a password
spray attack.
Imagine a locked door. The door is your
online account. The lock's combination is
your password.
A bad guy tries random combinations
super fast, hoping to guess the right one
This is called ‘‘Brute Force Attack’. This is
noisy – lots of failed attempts might
trigger alarms.
In Password Spray Attack, the bad guy
assumes people often use common, bad
passwords like "password123" or "qwerty.
They have a list of those common
passwords. They try ONE common
password across MANY accounts, then
switch to the next one betting that
someone, somewhere, used a weak
password and hoping to sneak in without
setting off alarms.
Why it works! Because people are lazy with
passwords. They reuse them or pick easy-
to-guess ones. Also, companies struggle to
force everyone to use good passwords.
With lots of accounts to try, even a few
successes
Here's a canbreakdown
be valuable for
ofhackers.
effective
protections against password spray
attacks:
For Individuals:
Strong, Unique Passwords are best
defense. Avoid common words or
phrases.
Use Password Manager, Multi-Factor
Authentication (MFA) to add an extra
layer of security.
Stay vgilant about login alerts.
For Organizations:
Enforce Strong Password Policies,
Account Lockout Thresholds, Multi-
Factor Authentication (MFA).
Use tools to spot unusual login patterns
(e.g.: too many login failures) that
indicate an attack.
Educate employees about password
security best practices.
Additionally, consider CAPTCHAs, IP
restrictions, Zero-Trust Framework
adoption. While less effective alone,
CAPTCHAs can slow down automated
attacks.
Important to note that no single measure
is foolproof. A layered defense strategy is
crucial to maximize protection against