info@thehackernews.com (The@The Hacker News
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A new account takeover (ATO) campaign, dubbed UNK_SneakyStrike, is actively targeting Microsoft Entra ID user accounts. Cybersecurity researchers at Proofpoint have identified that the campaign is leveraging the TeamFiltration pentesting framework to breach accounts. The activity has been ongoing since December 2024, with a surge in login attempts impacting over 80,000 user accounts across hundreds of organizations' cloud tenants. This poses a significant threat to cloud security, as successful account takeovers can lead to data exfiltration and further malicious activities.
The attackers are leveraging the TeamFiltration framework to identify valid user accounts and use password-spraying techniques to gain access. They have been observed utilizing Microsoft Teams API and Amazon Web Services (AWS) servers from various geographic locations to carry out user enumeration and password-spraying attacks. Once an account is compromised, the attackers are able to access sensitive data and potentially upload malicious files to the target user's OneDrive. This campaign demonstrates how legitimate pentesting tools can be exploited for malicious purposes, highlighting the need for robust security measures. Organizations are advised to monitor for indicators of compromise related to the UNK_SneakyStrike campaign. According to researchers, unauthorized access attempts tend to occur in concentrated bursts targeting a wide range of users within a single cloud environment. This is followed by quiet periods. The attackers appear to be attempting to access all user accounts within smaller cloud tenants while focusing on a subset of users in larger ones. Defenders are urged to check if any of their organization's accounts have been compromised and implement stronger authentication measures to prevent future account takeovers. References :
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A new method has emerged for stealing Microsoft Entra refresh tokens using Beacon Command & Control (C2) frameworks. This novel technique leverages browser-based authorization flows and Windows API functions to bypass traditional detection mechanisms, allowing attackers to maintain persistent access to cloud resources, even on devices not joined to a domain. The exploit utilizes Beacon Object Files (BOFs) to extract Entra tokens from compromised endpoints, posing a significant risk to enterprise cloud environments. By exploiting the OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow with modifications for offensive operations, attackers can initiate a hidden browser session and scrape the authorization code from the browser window title using the GetWindowTextA Win32 API.
The attack method capitalizes on First-Party Client IDs (FOCI) such as Microsoft Teams, allowing access to multiple Microsoft services through "family refresh tokens." This provides operational advantages by blending token requests with legitimate user activity as they originate from the compromised host's IP address. Furthermore, it is compatible with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) scenarios, where traditional Primary Refresh Token (PRT) extraction methods fail. After acquiring refresh tokens, attackers can conduct AzureAD reconnaissance via tools like ROADrecon. A separate but related flaw in Microsoft Entra ID's legacy login process has also been exploited to bypass MFA and Conditional Access, targeting admin accounts across various sectors including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology. This vulnerability resides in the Basic Authentication Version 2 – Resource Owner Password Credential (BAV2ROPC), a legacy login method that allows authentication using simple usernames and passwords. The attacks, which occurred between March 18 and April 7, 2025, demonstrate the dangers of outdated authentication protocols in cloud environments, highlighting how attackers can circumvent modern protections by exploiting compatibility features within Entra ID. References :
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