Microsoft has adopted an innovative approach to counter phishing attacks, effectively luring cybercriminals into carefully crafted honeypots by creating fake Azure tenants.
What happened
Microsoft has launched an initiative to set up realistic Azure tenants designed to attract phishing actors. These decoy environments replicate genuine Azure features, making them appealing targets for cybercriminals. By luring attackers, Microsoft can gather insights into their methods and tactics.
The process involves creating honeypot tenants populated with thousands of user accounts and custom domain names. These setups mimic authentic environments with internal communication tools and file-sharing capabilities, increasing the likelihood attackers will engage with the traps.
Going deeper
After deploying the fake tenants, Microsoft monitors phishing sites to identify potential targets. Using the Defender tool, security teams proactively input credentials from the honeypot tenants into malicious sites, drawing attackers to the decoys instead of waiting for them to find the traps.
Once attackers access the decoy environments, detailed logging systems track their activity, capturing data such as IP addresses, browser types, geographical locations, and behavioral patterns.
What was said
Sherrod DeGrippo, Director of Threat Intelligence Strategy, explained to Bleeping Computer that Microsoft creates "around two of these tenants per month," each containing approximately 20,000 user accounts. As part of its defense efforts, Microsoft alerts about 400 users daily when their accounts have been compromised.
These tenants fall under the research efforts of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center, known as the "Microsoft Deception Network" or "Sensor Network." DeGrippo noted that this network allows Microsoft to "create a better and more robust ability to detect and block malicious email in our Defender systems." So far, the intelligence gathered from these efforts has helped Microsoft block "over 40,000 connections from accessing Microsoft resources."
Why it matters
Microsoft’s strategy of using fake Azure tenants is a smart, hands-on way to tackle phishing. By setting up decoy environments that look and feel real, they’re not just blocking attacks—they’re learning from them. This gives Microsoft deeper insight into how cybercriminals operate, which means they can improve their defenses and protect more users. It’s a forward-thinking approach that could change how companies defend themselves against phishing, making the digital world safer for everyone.
FAQs
What is Microsoft Azure?
Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that offers a wide range of services like virtual machines, databases, and storage. It helps businesses store data, run apps, and manage workloads over the internet without needing physical servers.
What is a tenant in cloud computing?
A tenant is a separate, secure space within a cloud environment that is used by an individual or organization. In services like Microsoft Azure, each tenant operates independently, ensuring that the data and operations of one tenant don't affect others.
Farah Amod
