Social engineering and phishing

September 29 20 min read

Star Blizzard refines phishing and malware delivery with the RedFlick technique

Since January 2026, Microsoft has observed Russian state threat actor Star Blizzard evolve their detection evasion capabilities through large-scale phishing campaigns, the use of accounts on compromised websites, and a novel malware delivery technique, tracked by Microsoft as “RedFlick”.
September 22 15 min read

Unmasking EvilTokens: Getting to the root of device code phishing

EvilTokens has quickly become one of the top PhaaS platforms, enabling device code phishing attacks through AI-assisted lures, automated infrastructure, and token theft.
July 23 17 min read

Email threat landscape: Q2 2026 trends and insights

In the second quarter of 2026, the continuing effects of Microsoft’s disruption of the Tycoon2FA phishing platform contributed to sustained declines in several major phishing techniques, while threat actors expanded into Teams-based social engineering and employed increasingly automated and multi-stage attack chains.
June 8 17 min read

AI brands as bait: How threat actors are using the AI hype in social engineering

As threat actors operationalize AI to accelerate attacks, they are also leveraging the wider global interest around AI itself as a social engineering lure.
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May 4 8 min read

Breaking the code: Multi-stage ‘code of conduct’ phishing campaign leads to AiTM token compromise

Microsoft Defender Research observed a large-scale credential theft campaign that exemplifies this trend, using code of conduct-themed lures, a multi-step attack chain, and legitimate email services to distribute fully authenticated messages from attacker-controlled domains.
April 30 14 min read

Email threat landscape: Q1 2026 trends and insights

In early 2026, email threats increased with a rise in credential phishing, QR code phishing, and CAPTCHA-gated campaigns, highlighted by Microsoft’s disruption of the Tycoon2FA phishing platform which led to a 15% volume decrease and shifts in threat actor tactics.
April 16 29 min read

Dissecting Sapphire Sleet’s macOS intrusion from lure to compromise

The Microsoft Defender Security Research Team uncovered a sophisticated macOS intrusion campaign attributed to the North Korean threat actor Sapphire Sleet that abuses user driven execution and social engineering to bypass macOS security protections and steal credentials, cryptocurrency assets, and sensitive data.
March 19 14 min read

When tax season becomes cyberattack season: Phishing and malware campaigns using tax-related lures

During tax season, threat actors reliably take advantage of the urgency and familiarity of time-sensitive emails, including refund notices, payroll forms, filing reminders, and requests from tax professionals, to push malicious attachments, links, or QR codes.
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March 12 9 min read

Storm-2561 uses SEO poisoning to distribute fake VPN clients for credential theft

Storm-2561 uses SEO poisoning to push fake VPN downloads that install signed trojans and steal VPN credentials.
March 6 21 min read

AI as tradecraft: How threat actors operationalize AI

Threat actors are operationalizing AI to scale and sustain malicious activity, accelerating tradecraft and increasing risk for defenders, as illustrated by recent activity from North Korean groups such as Jasper Sleet and Coral Sleet (formerly Storm-1877).
March 4 15 min read

Inside Tycoon2FA: How a leading AiTM phishing kit operated at scale

Tycoon2FA has become a leading phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platforms, enabling campaigns that reach over 500,000 organizations monthly, prompting Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) to work with Europol and industry partners to facilitate a disruption of Tycoon2FA’s infrastructure and operations.
January 14 16 min read

Inside RedVDS: How a single virtual desktop provider fueled worldwide cybercriminal operations

Microsoft’s investigation into RedVDS services and infrastructure uncovered a global network of disparate cybercriminals purchasing and using to target multiple sectors.