“See How We Stopped a Recent BEC Attack with XDR Attack Disruption in Action!”

XDR Attack Disruption in Action – Defending Against a Recent BEC Attack
Introduction
Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks are on the rise and are becoming more sophisticated. Companies of all sizes and industries are being targeted, with attackers using ever-evolving techniques to evade detection and compromise corporate networks. In this blog post, we will discuss a recent BEC attack that exploited Microsoft Exchange Server to gain access to a company’s environment and how the Microsoft 365 Defender team successfully disrupted the attack.

Exploiting Exchange Server
In this attack, the attacker compromised a single user’s mailbox by exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange Server and then used the account to gain access to the company’s network. The attacker also used a malicious script to gain persistence in the environment and to create a backdoor. The malicious script was used to launch a payload which, in turn, allowed the attacker to gain access to the company’s internal systems.

The Attacker’s Tactics
Once the attacker had gained access to the environment, the attacker attempted to enumerate the network and attempted to move laterally. To do this, the attacker used a variety of tactics, such as creating new admin accounts, changing domain passwords, and disabling security features. The attacker also attempted to create a backdoor to maintain access to the environment.

Disrupting the Attack with Microsoft 365 Defender
The Microsoft 365 Defender team detected the attack and quickly took action to disrupt the attacker’s activities. The team identified the malicious script and the payload, blocked the attacker’s attempts to move laterally, and blocked the attacker’s attempts to create a backdoor. The team also identified and blocked the attacker’s attempts to enumerate the network.

Conclusion
This attack demonstrates the need for organizations to be vigilant in protecting their networks and systems against attackers. Microsoft 365 Defender provides a comprehensive set of tools and services to protect against threats such as BEC attacks. With these tools and services, organizations can quickly detect, investigate, and disrupt attacks, protecting their environments and data.
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XDR attack disruption in action – Defending against a recent BEC attack
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#1: BEC attack prevention
#2: XDR attack protection
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