Microsoft has reported that a threat group known as Storm-1977 has been targeting educational institutions through password spraying attacks over the last year. This group utilizes a tool called AzureChecker.exe, which is a Command Line Interface (CLI) application popular among various threat actors.

According to Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence team, this tool connects to an external server called "sac-auth.nodefunction.vip" to pull down AES-encrypted data that outlines its targets for password spraying. Additionally, users of the tool can upload a file named "accounts.txt," which contains username and password pairs for use in these attacks.

In a notable incident uncovered by Microsoft, a guest account was exploited to create a resource group within a breached subscription. Following this, the attackers proceeded to establish over 200 containers within this resource group with the motive of executing unauthorized cryptocurrency mining.

Microsoft emphasizes that containerized technologies, which include Kubernetes clusters and container registries, are vulnerable to numerous types of attacks. These include:

• Taking over cluster operations using compromised cloud credentials.
• Exploiting vulnerable container images to perform malicious tasks.
• Accessing misconfigured management interfaces to hijack clusters or deploy harmful containers.
• Utilizing nodes equipped with outdated or insecure software.

To counteract these threats, organizations must enhance the security of their container deployment and runtime environments. Recommendations include monitoring unusual activities through Kubernetes APIs, establishing policies against using untrusted registries for container deployment, and ensuring that deployed images are devoid of vulnerabilities.

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