HOLLOWGRAPH: Turning Microsoft 365 Calendars into Covert Command-and-Control Channels


The Group-IB Threat Intelligence team has identified HOLLOWGRAPH, a new malware sample that we attribute, with high confidence, to the Cavern backdoor framework. This malware is one component of a larger toolkit, and it uses the Microsoft Graph API through a compromised Microsoft 365 account observed in Israel to communicate with its operators — a technique that helps conceal command-and-control traffic within legitimate Microsoft 365 communications.

The malware supports just two commands, get and send, and executes both  exclusively through trusted Microsoft cloud infrastructure. Using the Microsoft Graph API, it treats the compromised mailbox’s calendar as a two-way dead-drop: operators plant tasking as calendar events, and the implant exfiltrates stolen files by creating its own events with encrypted data attached. To avoid catching the mailbox owner’s attention, every event is dated far into the future — 13 May 2050 — with payloads attached as files to the event.

Read more…
Source:  Group-IB


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Indian pharmacy chain giant exposed customer data and internal systems

    February 17, 2026

    A major Indian pharmacy chain operated a flawed platform which exposed highly sensitive data of millions of users, experts have warned. DavaIndia Pharmacy, the pharmacy arm of Zota Healthcare, currently runs more than 2,300 stores across the country – however, its platform was bugged in a way that allowed unauthenticated users to create “super admin” ...

  • Google patches first Chrome zero-day of the year

    February 16, 2026

    Google has patched a high-severity vulnerability in the Chrome browser which was apparently being used as a zero-day in the wild. In a security advisory, Google said it addressed CVE-2026-2441, a “use after free in CSS in Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.75”. This bug, given a severity score of 8.3/10 (high), allows threat actors to execute ...

  • EU Parliament blocks AI tools over cyber, privacy fears

    February 16, 2026

    he European Parliament has disabled AI features on the work devices of lawmakers and their staff over cybersecurity and data protection concerns, according to an internal email seen by POLITICO. The chamber emailed its members on Monday to say it had disabled “built-in artificial intelligence features” on corporate tablets after its IT department assessed it couldn’t ...

  • CVE-2024-43468: Attackers exploiting critical Microsoft bug from 2024

    February 13, 2026

    According to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) a SQL injection flaw in Microsoft Configuration Manager patched in October 2024 is now being actively exploited, exposing unpatched businesses and government agencies to attack. CISA added CVE-2024-43468 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Thursday, setting a March 5 deadline for federal agencies to deploy the ...

  • Major telco breach sees 6.2 million users have personal info leaked

    February 13, 2026

    Dutch telecommunications company Odido has confirmed suffering a cyberattack and losing sensitive data on millions of people. In a notice published on its website, the company says it “deeply regrets” the situation and is “fully committed” to limiting its impact. “Based on investigation, the incident concerns personal data from a customer contact system used by Odido,” ...

  • World Leaks Ransomware Group Adds Stealthy, Custom Malware ‘RustyRocket’ to Attacks

    February 12, 2026

    World Leaks, the cyber-criminal data extortion group which has targeted some of the world’s biggest companies, has added a novel, never-before-seen malware to their arsenal, research by Accenture Cybersecurity has revealed. Accenture has named the malware ‘RustyRocket’. It allows World Leaks to stealthily maintain persistence on networks and forms a key part of the extortion groups’ ...