Cyber Crime
Microsoft Sues Hackers for Exploiting AI Services with Stolen Azure Credentials
Microsoft has launched a legal offensive against a foreign-based hacking group accused of operating a “hacking-as-a-service” scheme targeting its generative AI platforms.
The group reportedly bypassed safety controls in services like Azure OpenAI to generate harmful content, monetize access, and distribute tools to other cybercriminals.
The tech giant’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) revealed that the hackers exploited stolen customer credentials scraped from public sources to unlawfully access accounts.
They developed sophisticated software to manipulate AI services, including using stolen Azure API keys and Entra ID credentials to breach systems. The malicious actors then provided detailed instructions on misusing these tools, including generating offensive imagery via DALL-E.
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Microsoft discovered the illicit activity in July 2024 and has since revoked the group’s access, strengthened its security measures, and secured a court order to seize the website aitism[.]net, a key hub for the operation.
The group also utilized proxy services, such as “de3u,” to facilitate unauthorized API calls and mask their activities.
The attackers allegedly targeted multiple U.S. companies, with evidence pointing to broader campaigns against other AI providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, and Google Cloud Vertex AI.
Microsoft described the group’s actions as part of a larger “Azure Abuse Enterprise,” highlighting a coordinated and persistent pattern of illegal activity.
The GitHub repository associated with the “de3u” tool, created in November 2023, has since been removed, along with other traces of the group’s infrastructure.
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However, Microsoft noted that the attackers made efforts to erase their tracks, deleting Rentry.org pages and portions of their proxy services following the seizure of their domain.
This incident underscores the growing threat of cybercriminals exploiting AI services for nefarious purposes. Microsoft and other tech giants continue to combat these threats, emphasizing the importance of robust safeguards to protect cutting-edge technologies from abuse.
As the popularity of AI tools grows, so does their appeal to malicious actors, making it imperative for organizations to stay ahead of evolving cyber risks.
