Virus Bulletin (@virusbtn.bsky.social)

Open SesameOp: Abusing trusted AI platforms to host a C2 server To kick off Season 3 of Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo⁠ is joined by Microsoft security researchers Anna Seitz and Jonathan Checchi. Our guests examine two developments shaping today’s threat landscape: the cloud-native evolution of ransomware group Storm-0501 and the SesameOp backdoor’s abuse of trusted AI platforms for stealthy command-and-control. The discussion highlights how identity, hybrid-cloud pivot points, and federated authentication enable high-impact attacks without traditional malware, and why policy-compliant platform abuse is becoming harder to detect. Sherrod, Anna, and Jonathan provide guidance for defenders around enforcing MFA, tightening conditional access and identity controls, monitoring across cloud and on-prem environments, and partnering with platform providers to disrupt emerging attacker tradecraft. https://msft.it/6016tCBFm