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Guardz Uncovers Sophisticated Campaign Exploiting Legacy Authentication in Microsoft Entra ID

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1 year ago

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The Guardz Research Unit uncovered a coordinated cyber campaign using outdated login methods to bypass MFA and infiltrate cloud environments by attempting to exploit basic authentication protocols 

MIAMI, May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Guardz, the cybersecurity company empowering Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and IT professionals to protect small businesses with AI-native unified detection and response, today disclosed its discovery of an advanced attack campaign exploiting legacy authentication protocols in Microsoft Entra ID. Uncovered by the Guardz Research Unit (GRU), the campaign was active between March 18 and April 7, 2025, and shows how outdated authentication methods, particularly BAV2ROPC, continue to be exploited by threat actors to bypass modern identity protection systems, including Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Conditional Access Policies.

The campaign has since subsided, but Guardz warns that vulnerability continues to exist in many environments, posing a critical risk to organizations that have not yet fully modernized their authentication frameworks. Sectors that were identified as being disproportionately targeted by this vulnerability include financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology services.

“This campaign is a wake-up call—not just about one vulnerability, but about the broader need to retire outdated technologies that no longer serve today’s threat landscape,” said Dor Eisner, CEO and Co-Founder of Guardz. “At Guardz, we’re focused on helping small businesses and the MSPs that serve them stay ahead of evolving attacks by identifying hidden risks before they’re exploited.”

Guardz detected over 9,000 suspicious login attempts from distributed IP addresses, primarily originating in Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, indicating a globally orchestrated effort. Attackers leveraged automation, IP rotation, and advanced tooling to probe security controls and gain unauthorized access to cloud resources, particularly Exchange Online.

The attack unfolded in two major phases:

Initialization (March 18-20): Low-intensity probing with approximately 2,709 attempts per day.Sustained Attack (March 21-April 3): Spiking to over 6,444 attempts per day – a 138% increase – marking a move to aggressive exploitation.

Guardz tracked this progression using new AI-driven research methods and internal systems designed to continuously hunt for anomalous behavior and active threat campaigns on the dark web. The company’s AI agents executed thousands of actions in tandem with human GRU researchers, identifying patterns across IPs, geographies, and attack tools.

The campaign zeroed in on Basic Authentication Version 2 – Resource Owner Password Credential (BAV2ROPC), a behind-the-scenes compatibility mechanism in Entra ID that allows legacy applications to authenticate using usernames and passwords. Unlike modern, interactive login flows that enforce MFA and security checks, BAV2ROPC operates non-interactively and bypasses MFA, Conditional Access Policies, and login alerts and user presence verification.

Guardz urges all organizations to immediately mitigate risks from legacy authentication by auditing and disabling outdated protocols, enforcing modern authentication and MFA across all accounts, implementing conditional access policies to block unsupported flows like ROPC, and closely monitoring for unusual login activity or failed authentication patterns.

Recognizing that small businesses often lack the in-house teams and infrastructure available to larger enterprises, Guardz bridges this gap with its AI-powered cybersecurity platform that delivers identity protection, email security, threat detection, and automated incident response, purpose-built for the needs of small organizations.

To explore Guardz’s findings on the legacy authentication attack campaign and how its platform defends against such threats, read the full research blog here.

About Guardz

Guardz provides MSPs and IT professionals with an AI-powered cybersecurity platform designed to secure and insure SMBs against cyberattacks. The Guardz platform offers automatic detection and response, protecting users, emails, devices, cloud directories, and data. By simplifying cybersecurity management, Guardz enables businesses to focus on growth without being bogged down by security complexities. The company’s scalable and cost-effective pricing model ensures comprehensive protection for all digital assets, facilitating rapid deployment and business expansion.

Media Contact
Allison Grey
allison@headline.media
+1 323 283 8176

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/guardz-uncovers-sophisticated-campaign-exploiting-legacy-authentication-in-microsoft-entra-id-302448704.html

SOURCE Guardz

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HR Path Strengthens its Australian Presence with Strategic Acquisition of Payroll Experts Australia

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October 21, 2026

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PARIS, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HR Path, a global leader in HR consulting and HRIS solutions, today announces its strategic acquisition of Payroll Experts Australia, a Brisbane-based company specialising in payroll compliance, remediation, workforce management and HR systems consulting.

Founded in 2009, Payroll Experts Australia has delivered more than 530 projects for over 260 organisations across Australia and New Zealand. Independent of any software vendor, the company supports employers across the full payroll, workforce management and HR systems lifecycle, with expertise spanning payroll compliance and audit, remediation, award and agreement interpretation, payroll processing, advisory and end-to-end systems implementation.

The acquisition strengthens HR Path’s ability to provide end-to-end HR transformation services across the ANZ market. Payroll Experts Australia’s specialist capabilities complement HR Path’s existing HRIS technology and SAP SuccessFactors expertise, enabling the combined organisation to support clients with a broader range of locally grounded services, from strategic advisory and systems implementation to payroll compliance and operational support. 

Payroll Experts Australia will continue to operate under the brand “Payroll Experts Australia, an HR Path Company”. Its leadership team and employees will remain in their current roles, ensuring continuity of service for clients while giving the business access to HR Path’s international capabilities and resources. 

The transaction builds on HR Path’s expansion in the region. HR Path has been active in Australia since 2019, following the acquisition of DDG. It opened an Australian office in 2024 and acquired RKM Consulting in 2025, strengthening its HRIS technology and SAP SuccessFactors capabilities across Australia and New Zealand.  

“The acquisition of Payroll Experts Australia, a company renowned for its expertise in payroll compliance, is a strategic move that supports our ambition to be the global reference in HR transformation,” said François Boulet, Co-founding Partner at HR Path. “Their deep knowledge and strong client relationships in Australia complement our global capabilities, enabling us to deliver even more value to our clients. This partnership is about synergy, innovation, and shared commitment to excellence.”

“We are very happy about this new chapter!” said Steve Keenaghan, Chief Executive Officer at Payroll Experts Australia. “This step opens up exciting opportunities for our team and our clients and ensures our continued growth and success. We will maintain our commitment to delivering exceptional, independent payroll expertise while exploring new possibilities within HR Path.”

Contact:

Fabienne LATOUR  Fabienne.latour@hr-path.com

 

 

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Sungrow Powers Up for All Energy Australia 2026 With New Residential Innovation and Full Ecosystem Showcase

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October 21, 2026

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MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sungrow, the global leader in PV inverter and energy storage solutions, is set to make a strong return to All Energy Australia 2026, the region’s largest and most influential renewable energy exhibition. It will introduce its next-generation all-in-one residential flagship PowerHarbour, alongside a comprehensive showcase of technologies for residential, C&I, and utility-scale applications.

As Australia accelerates toward a cleaner, more resilient energy future, Sungrow’s presence at All Energy will once again serve as a central meeting point for industry leaders, installers, innovators, and policymakers. The booth will offer visitors a rich blend of product demonstrations, technical insights, interactive experiences, and opportunities to connect with Sungrow’s local engineering and sales teams.

A New Addition to Residential Energy Storage

At the upcoming All-Energy 2026, Sungrow will officially unveil PowerHarbour in Australia for the first time. It is a residential all in one solution designed to simplify energy independence for homeowners. It combines sleek design, intelligent integration, advanced safety features and a modular design that can deliver up to 120kWh of capacity. The enhanced AFCI 3.0 protection makes it one of the most flexible and homeowner‑friendly systems on the market. The result is a clean, integrated solution that empowers households to take control of their energy with confidence and ease.

C&I Solutions for Diverse Applications

The exhibition will also showcase Sungrow’s C&I portfolio, including PowerKeeper, deployed across diverse Australian environments, and the ST255CS liquid-cooled BESS cabinet, designed for applications such as microgrid stability and FCAS. Together, these solutions demonstrate Sungrow’s capabilities in delivering flexible, reliable energy storage for a wide range of commercial and industrial needs.

Utility-Scale Innovation on Display

For utility developers and EPCs, Sungrow will present a full-size PowerTitan 3.0, giving visitors a rare opportunity to see the battery container up close. Together, PowerTitan 3.0 and 1+X modular inverter demonstrate advanced energy storage, grid-forming capabilities, and flexible deployment for complex project environment. Backed by dedicated local project management, comprehensive technical support, and a growing project pipeline across Australia and New Zealand.

Visit Sungrow at Booth KK123

Sungrow invites all attendees to visit Booth KK123 at All Energy Australia 2026 to experience its latest residential, commercial, and utility‑scale innovations firsthand. Attendees can expect a vibrant and engaging atmosphere throughout the day featuring lucky draws with exciting prizes, free premium coffee, photobooth and insightful presentations. The booth promises a full day of discovery, connection, and inspiration. Sungrow looks forward to welcoming partners, customers, and renewable energy enthusiasts as we continue powering Australia’s clean energy future together.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/sungrow-powers-up-for-all-energy-australia-2026-with-new-residential-innovation-and-full-ecosystem-showcase-302915169.html

SOURCE Sungrow

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AglaiaSense and Leopard Imaging to Demonstrate Privacy-First AI Traffic Sensing at Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona

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October 21, 2026

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FREMONT, Calif. and BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AglaiaSense and Leopard Imaging will exhibit together at Smart City Expo World Congress, November 3–5, 2026, at Fira Barcelona Gran Vía.

The two companies proposed AI-VIVA (Vision Intelligence for València and Arterials) and is selected as a finalist in the fifth urban challenge of Barcelona Innova Lab Mobility (BILM), on the application of artificial intelligence to traffic-light regulation. AI-VIVA combines AglaiaSense’s edge-AI traffic solutions with Leopard Imaging’s patented privacy architecture. At the show, the team will give a live demonstration of AglaiaSense’s signature MS500 and GS500 cameras, with the AglaiaSense AI Box, powered by NVIDIA, which adds local processing to coordinate groups of neighboring intersections.

The cameras analyze images inside the device, using the Sony IMX500 and IMX501 intelligent vision sensors. They count and classify vehicles, buses, cyclists and pedestrians in real time. Raw video is discarded on the device within 400–800 milliseconds, and only anonymous metadata is transmitted. Cities can feed that data into signal-control software to adapt traffic lights to real demand.

MS500: about 2 W average power, 1080p, powered from a standard NEMA or ZHAGA street-light socket.

GS500: about 6.5 W average, dual 4K cameras, with Ethernet, LTE Cat 4 and GPS; powered by PoE, 12–24 V DC or a NEMA adapter.

Both cameras: IP66-rated, −20 °C to +65 °C, mounted on existing poles, so no trenching or new masts are needed.

Bandwidth: more than 95% lower than CCTV-based monitoring.

“Cities want safer, smoother streets without turning every crossing into a surveillance point,” said Leon Luo, CEO of AglaiaSense. “Being named a finalist in Barcelona tells us the approach resonates.”

“Privacy has to be built into the camera, not added later,” said Bill Pu, CEO of Leopard Imaging.

AglaiaSense’s solutions are deployed across North America and Asia, and the company won first place in the Pedestrian Safety Challenge Hackathon, run by the Edge AI Foundation (formerly the tinyML Foundation) and the City of San José. In field tests, the systems achieved detection and counting accuracy above 95%. The City of Lakewood, Colorado, compared the GS500 with traditional IP cameras and LiDAR on real roads and found it more accurate, more energy-efficient, and less costly to deploy. At a high-risk crossing where pedestrians often crossed outside the crosswalk, the system alerted approaching drivers in real time.

Visit us at Pavilion 3, Level 0, Street D, Stand 71. To book a meeting, email sales@aglaiasense.com.

About AglaiaSense

AglaiaSense, is an edge-AI company specializing in privacy-first, vision-based sensing for smart cities. Its GS500 and MS500 cameras run AI on the image sensor to count and classify road users in real time and send only anonymous metadata.

About Leopard Imaging

Leopard Imaging is a global leader in high-definition embedded cameras and AI-based imaging solutions in industries including automotive, aerospace, drones, IoT, and robotics.

Media contact:

Cathy Zhao

+1 (408) 263-0988

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