Ransomware: From Isolated Attacks to Global Criminal Ecosystem

More from Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast

1. 

   S3 · E69 · 20 May 2026 · 42 min

   Eviltokens: A Conversation with Huntress on an AI‑Enabled Device Code Phishing Campaign

   In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo joins researchers from Huntress to break down the rise of EvilTokens, an AI-powered phishing-as-a-service platform designed to bypass MFA and automate credential theft at scale. Together, they explore how attackers are leveraging legitimate authentication flows, trusted infrastructure, and AI-generated phishing lures to blend malicious activity into normal enterprise traffic. The conversation also examines how modern phishing operations have evolved into highly professionalized cybercrime ecosystems and…

2. 

   S3 · E68 · 6 May 2026 · 52 min

   Russia’s Forest Blizzard Is Abusing Home + Small Office Routers for Cred Theft

   This week on the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo speaks with Danny Adamitis, Distinguished Engineer at Lumen Technologies’ Black Lotus Labs who break down how the Russian state-linked threat actor Forest Blizzard is exploiting home and small office routers to hijack DNS traffic, enabling large-scale surveillance and targeted credential theft. The conversation highlights how this low-cost approach scales globally, why unmanaged routers have become a critical weak point, and how tactics, from brute force to token theft to DNS hijacking continue to evolve. In…

3. 

   S3 · E67 · 22 Apr 2026 · 40 min

   The Cybercrime Shift: From Opportunistic Attacks to Marketplace-Driven Ecosystem

   In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo speaks with Maurice Mason and Jackie Burns-Koven to explore how cybercrime has shifted into a highly organized, marketplace-driven ecosystem. They break down the growing convergence between criminal networks and nation-state actors, highlighting how shared tools, infrastructure, and cryptocurrency have blurred traditional boundaries. The conversation dives into the rise of as-a-service cybercrime models, where access, malware, and infrastructure can be easily bought and sold, lowering barriers to entry and…

4. 

   S3 · E65 · 25 Mar 2026 · 37 min

   Winter SHIELD: Closing the Security Control Gap

   In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo speaks with Jarrod Forgues Schlenker of the FBI’s Cyber Division about the pattern's investigators see in cyber incidents and how initiatives like Operation Winter Shield aim to close the gap between knowing what to do and actually implementing it. They discuss the importance of foundational controls like phishing-resistant authentication, secure logging, and strong identity protection, as well as the role threat intelligence and prevention play in strengthening organizational defenses. The conversation…

5. 

   S3 · E64 · 11 Mar 2026 · 22 min

   AI as Tradecraft: How Threat Actors Are Operationalizing AI

   In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo is joined by Greg Schlomer and Vlad H. to discuss new research on Jasper Sleet, a North Korean–aligned threat actor incorporating AI into active operations. The conversation examines how AI is being integrated across the attack lifecycle — from highly tailored phishing lures and fabricated job applicant personas to accelerating malware development and refining operational workflows. Rather than treating AI as a novelty, Jasper Sleet is using it to increase speed, scale, and adaptability while reducing many…

6. 

   S3 · E63 · 26 Feb 2026 · 26 min

   AI Recommendation Poisoning: When Optimization Becomes Manipulation

   In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, Sherrod DeGrippo speaks with Microsoft security and AI researchers Giorgio Severi and Noam Kochavi about a newly observed trend in AI abuse: recommendation poisoning through memory manipulation. While looking into prompt injection and reprompt-style behaviors, the team uncovered something quieter but potentially more persistent—websites embedding hidden instructions inside Summarize with AI links that attempt to influence what an AI assistant remembers and recommends over time. Rather than focusing on immediate exploitation, this…

7. 

   S4 · E79 · 7 Oct 2026 · 36 min

   Inside this year’s Microsoft Digital Defense Report

   In this episode, host Elliot Volkman is joined by Chloe Messdaghi and Karen Frost for a behind-the-scenes look at Microsoft’s annual Digital Defense Report (MDDR). They explore how AI is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape by increasing the speed, scale, and automation of attacks while also giving defenders new tools to detect and respond to threats. The conversation covers AI agents, phishing and identity-based attacks, vulnerability management, security resilience, and the growing need for organizations to connect signals across their environments. Chloe and Karen also share practical…

8. 

   S4 · E78 · 30 Sep 2026 · 51 min

   From Identity Compromise to AI Defense: Inside Modern Incident Response

   This week we are taking you back to Black Hat USA 2026 and exploring two sides of the security landscape. First, Microsoft incident response experts Adrian Hill and Terry Mee break down identity-based attacks, from compromised credentials and MFA bypasses to containment, logging, access controls, and the growing risks surrounding AI agents. Then, members of Microsoft’s Defender Purple Team discuss how they recreate full attack chains, including emerging AI-driven techniques, to identify detection gaps, strengthen defenses, and use AI to accelerate security research while keeping human…

9. 

   S4 · E77 · 9 Sep 2026 · 28 min

   Why Threat Actors Love Your RMM

   In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, recorded live at Black Hat, Microsoft Threat Intelligence Director Elliot Volkman is joined by Andrew “Spike” Brandt, Principal Threat Intelligence Incident Commander at Huntress. They explore how cybercriminals are increasingly abusing legitimate remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools, why trusted remote-access software has become an attractive alternative to traditional malware, and how AI is improving phishing and social engineering. Spike also breaks down a real-world attack that deployed multiple RMM tools to maintain…

10. 

    S4 · E76 · 26 Aug 2026 · 31 min

    JADEPUFFER: An End-to-End Agentic-Led Ransomware Attack

    In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, we are joined by Sysdig’s Michael Clark and Crystal Morin to discuss JADEPUFFER, one of the first documented cases of an LLM conducting an end-to-end ransomware operation. They break down how the agent, and the direction of a threat actor was identified, how AI is lowering the barrier to entry for ransomware, and why speed and adaptability are changing the threat landscape. Plus, they explore what organizations can do to defend against AI-powered attacks, from basic security hygiene and exposure management to better understanding…

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