{"id":179767,"date":"2022-03-06T15:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T20:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ntegrait.com\/do-microsoft-teams-attacks-prove-need-for-innovative-cybersecurity-awareness-training\/"},"modified":"2024-02-06T13:24:35","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T13:24:35","slug":"do-microsoft-teams-attacks-prove-need-for-innovative-cybersecurity-awareness-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ntegrait.com\/do-microsoft-teams-attacks-prove-need-for-innovative-cybersecurity-awareness-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Microsoft Teams Attacks Prove Need for Innovative Cybersecurity Awareness Training?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do Microsoft Teams Attacks Prove Need for Innovative Cybersecurity Awareness Training?<\/h2>\n

Although hackers select email as their preferred delivery method upwards of 92 percent of the time, a recent Microsoft Teams exploitation emerged as a significant threat. Do these stunning Trojan attacks on businesses require a rethinking of cybersecurity awareness training?<\/p>\n

With more than 270 million monthly users collaborating on the platform, Microsoft Teams ranks among the high-value targets. This holds true for relatively unskilled hackers and advanced persistent threat (APT) actors who possess the knowledge, tools, and funding to abuse the even heightened cybersecurity defenses. In January, a report by researchers at Avanan surfaced that indicates thousands of malicious files circulated Microsoft Team chat spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy attaching the file to a Teams attack, hackers have found a new way to target millions of users easily. They can steal Microsoft 365 credentials from a previous phishing campaign, giving them carte blanche access to Teams and the rest of the Office suite,\u201d Avanan reportedly stated. \u201cGiven that hackers are quite adept at compromising Microsoft 365 accounts using traditional email phishing methods, they\u2019ve learned that the same credentials work for Teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cybersecurity experts have issued alerts to check laptops, desktops, and other devices synced with business networks to run enterprise-level antivirus scams immediately. It\u2019s also crucial to search devices for Trojans named User Centric, UserCentric, or UserCentric.exe. These were among the initial monikers APTs gave the Trojan files. However, cybersecurity experts believe hackers have renamed the malware.<\/p>\n

Microsoft Teams Malware Poses Substantial Risk<\/h3>\n

What makes the Teams malware attack particularly dangerous stems from workplace comfort. Business leaders who invest in cybersecurity awareness training help employees identify email phishing scams. Even more sophisticated spear-phishing schemes are usually spotted because workforces possess the knowledge to identify telltale signs. But workforces grow increasingly relaxed on platforms such as Teams and Slack, among others.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost employees have been trained to second-guess identities in email, but few know how to make sure that the name and photo they see in a Teams conversation are real,\u201d Avanan officials reportedly stated. \u201cThis attack demonstrates that hackers are beginning to understand and better utilize Teams as a potential attack vector.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relatively unskilled hackers will continue to send out tens of thousands of bulk emails, hoping an uneducated user will make a mistake. Fortunately, many industry leaders have already invested in cybersecurity awareness training that turned their workers into a hardened frontline of defense. But for cybercriminal adept a problem-solving, Teams was worth their time and energy to infiltrate. This highlights the international chess match played between digital thieves and cybersecurity professionals.<\/p>\n

How are Hackers Manipulating Teams?<\/h3>\n

Everyday people generally believe that platforms such as Teams are safe. With this comfort in mind, it\u2019s inconceivable that seemingly valid massages have been laced with malware. Unfortunately, that\u2019s precisely the vulnerability that now exists on these once trustworthy platforms. These rank among the latest methods cybercriminals leveraged on teams.<\/p>\n