The global socket: how threat actors are weaponizing GSocket for stealthy C2
Threat actors are deploying GSocket on compromised Linux servers to keep encrypted remote access after the original vulnerability is patched.
Threat intelligence
The Microsoft Threat Intelligence community is made up of world-class experts, security researchers, analysts, and threat hunters who analyze 100 trillion signals daily to discover threats and deliver timely and relevant insight to protect customers. See our latest findings, insights, and guidance.
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Detecting sleeper agents hiding in AI model neurons
Microsoft Research has released new threat research detailing how a capable agent model could be turned into a sleeper agent by editing fewer than ten neurons to inject a short payload; Microsoft Research has also found that this threat is detectable by frontier agents, which can identify anomalous weight edits. -
ARTEX abuse expands as cybercriminals target financial sector
In October 2026, the financially motivated threat actor Storm-3358 began targeting organizations in the financial sector using the agentic AI offensive framework ARTEX. -
Threat actors use agentic AI tooling to find and abuse exposed secrets
Microsoft Threat Intelligence has observed threat actors using the agentic offensive security framework ARTEX to search GitHub for OAuth application secrets, which can be used to compromise the associated OAuth application and perform authenticated actions in the application’s tenant. Retain Microsoft Defender Experts
Microsoft Defender Experts are available to strengthen your teams with expertise when and where you need it. Learn how to elevate your security with expert-led services.
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Email threat landscape: Q3 2026 trends and insights
Microsoft Threat Intelligence observed a sharp rise in email-based phishing activity at the end of Q3 2026 (July – September), even as QR code phishing declined, CAPTCHA-gated phishing recovered, and malicious messages spoofing familiar business-service sender domains exposed risks associated with security overrides. -
Fake-download campaign uses trojanized installers to deliver monetization payloads
Microsoft Threat Intelligence tracks a fake-download campaign that uses trojanized Inno installers to deliver multiple monetization offers and provides detection and investigation guidance across the complete installer session. -
What exploited vulnerabilities have in common: A data-driven analysis of real-world attacks
Real-world exploitation concentrates in a small, high-impact subset of CVEs. -
Inside a malicious Claude Code-branded extension and its persistent SSH backdoor
Microsoft analyzes a malicious Claude Code–branded extension, its persistent SSH backdoor, and guidance to detect and remediate it. Modernize your Security Operations Center with Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native SIEM solution powered by AI and automation that delivers intelligent security analytics across your entire enterprise.
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From help desk impersonation to AD CS abuse: Investigating ESC1 and ESC8 intrusion paths
Teams support impersonation led to remote access, malicious runtime execution, and Certificate Services abuse through authentication relay and Kerberos. -
Tracking AI adoption in North Korean threat actor tradecraft
As Microsoft Threat Intelligence continues to track how threat actors operationalize AI to increase the speed and efficiency of attacks, we’ve identified North Korean threat actors expanding their use of AI with varying levels of adoption. -
AI-driven, large-scale nation-state campaign using ARTEX enables supply chain compromise
Storm-0940 used ARTEX agentic AI to accelerate a ConnectWise supply chain compromise, enabling application credential abuse across Microsoft 365 environments. -
The hidden network: Inside the phishing infrastructure ecosystem powering global cybercrime
Microsoft uncovered a Chinese-language cybercriminal ecosystem, an interconnected network of phishing kit operators (tracked as Storm-2990), and an illicit marketplace (tracked as Storm-3119) selling tools and infrastructure for large-scale phishing.
