Critical Microsoft Teams Vulnerabilities Allow Message and Notification Manipulation
Check Point Research has identified four severe security flaws in Microsoft Teams, a widely used communication platform with 320 million monthly active users. These vulnerabilities allow both external attackers and malicious insiders to impersonate executives, modify messages secretly, spoof notifications, and fake caller identities in video and audio calls.
Attack Methods and Risks
The research demonstrated that attackers can exploit Teams' core messaging and calling features through various attack vectors. By altering specific parameters within the platform, threat actors can create convincing impersonations of trusted colleagues or leadership, taking advantage of the urgency often associated with messages from senior management.
Message Manipulation Without Detection
One critical flaw involves the clientmessageid parameter, which attackers can manipulate to edit messages without leaving any trace in audit logs. This allows malicious content to appear as authentic communication from trusted sources.
Check Point Research: "Attackers discovered they could edit messages without leaving any audit trail by manipulating the clientmessageid parameter, making malicious content appear as legitimate communications from trusted sources."
Implications for Organizations
These vulnerabilities pose a serious threat to businesses relying on Teams for communication, potentially undermining organizational security and trust. Sophisticated exploitation could lead to fraud, misinformation, and compromised operational integrity.
Summary
Microsoft Teams vulnerabilities enable attackers to impersonate executives and tamper with messages and calls unnoticed, threatening trust in organizational communications worldwide.
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