News Summary

• Microsoft has been tracking a threat group that stands out for its ability to cash in from data theft hacks.
• Octo Tempest as Microsoft has named the group doesn t encrypt data after gaining illegal access to it instead the threat actor threatens to share the data publicly unless the victim pays a hefty ransom.
• To defeat targets defenses the group resorts to a host of techniques which besides social engineering include SIM swaps and live voice calls.
• These actors use personal information such as home addresses and family names along with physical threats to coerce victims into sharing credentials for corporate access.