Microsoft Teams is being hacked to crack Office 365 accounts – here’s how to stay safe


Researchers have discovered more ways to abuse Microsoft Teams to steal Office 365 user credentials by spreading malware, a new report has claimed.
New Proofpoint findings (opens in new tab) have claimed hackers can abuse the Tabs feature, used to synchronize between Microsoft Teams and Calendar, and the Teams API, to deliver droppers, or phishing pages, to unsuspecting victims.
The Tabs feature providers Teams users with quick access to different tools, such as OneDrive. As the default tabs can’t be moved around, users can get used to different ones and use them without second-guessing their benign nature. However, there is a way to move the default tabs, which cybercriminals could use to swap the legitimate ones with malicious ones. In one such example, Proofpoint says, a “Website” tab could point towards a malicious landing page where victims could end up giving away their Office 365 credentials.
Abusing meetings
The Website tab can also be changed to point to a file, which would get automatically downloaded on click. Cybercriminals could abuse this functionality to deliver droppers, the researchers said.
Microsoft Teams meeting invites can also be weaponized – when a member creates an online meeting (opens in new tab), the platform generates multiple links and sends to the invitees. With the help of Teams API calls, a threat actor would be able to swap the legitimate links for malicious ones.
Crooks can also go for a different approach, using Teams API or user interface to weaponize existing links in sent messages. In this scenario, the hyperlink that the victims receive wouldn’t change, just the URL behind it, making discovery even more difficult.
While the researchers are warning that these methods are dangerous, they stressed that in order to be effective, the attackers need to obtain a Teams account beforehand.
Researchers have discovered more ways to abuse Microsoft Teams to steal Office 365 user credentials by spreading malware, a new report has claimed. New Proofpoint findings (opens in new tab) have claimed hackers can abuse the Tabs feature, used to synchronize between Microsoft Teams and Calendar, and the Teams API,…
Recent Posts
- Google may be close to launching YouTube Premium Lite
- Someone wants to sell you a digital version of the antiquated typewriter but without a glued-on keyboard (no really)
- Fitbit’s got a battery problem
- Adidas plugs its website and app into Amazon’s ‘Buy with Prime’ program
- An iOS update will give iPhone 15 Pro owners Visual Intelligence
Archives
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2018
- October 2017
- December 2011
- August 2010