Azure ActiveDirectory Credentials Exposed via Public ASP.NET Configuration File
Summary
Hide ▲
Show ▼
A publicly accessible ASP.NET Core configuration file (appsettings.json) leaked Azure ActiveDirectory (AD) credentials, enabling potential attackers to authenticate via Microsoft's OAuth 2.0 endpoints and infiltrate Azure cloud environments. The exposed credentials included ClientId and ClientSecret, which could be used to access sensitive data and perform various malicious activities. The vulnerability highlights a critical cloud misconfiguration that enterprises must address to prevent similar incidents. The misconfiguration allowed unauthorized access to Azure AD, enabling threat actors to retrieve sensitive data, enumerate users, and abuse Graph API for privilege escalation. The exposed credentials could also facilitate further intrusion and data theft. The incident underscores the importance of secure secrets management and regular security audits to prevent such exposures.
Timeline
-
02.09.2025 14:52 📰 1 articles · ⏱ 14d ago
Azure AD Credentials Exposed via Public ASP.NET Configuration File
A publicly accessible appsettings.json file for an ASP.NET Core application leaked Azure AD credentials, including ClientId and ClientSecret. The exposed credentials could be used to authenticate against OAuth 2.0 endpoints, potentially leading to cloud account compromise, data theft, or further intrusion. The incident highlights the risks associated with poor secrets management in cloud-native applications.
Show sources
- JSON Config File Leaks Azure ActiveDirectory Credentials — www.darkreading.com — 02.09.2025 14:52
Information Snippets
-
The exposed credentials (ClientId and ClientSecret) were found in an appsettings.json file, which is a central configuration file for ASP.NET Core applications.
First reported: 02.09.2025 14:52📰 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- JSON Config File Leaks Azure ActiveDirectory Credentials — www.darkreading.com — 02.09.2025 14:52
-
The credentials allowed attackers to authenticate against OAuth 2.0 endpoints, potentially leading to cloud account compromise, data theft, or further intrusion.
First reported: 02.09.2025 14:52📰 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- JSON Config File Leaks Azure ActiveDirectory Credentials — www.darkreading.com — 02.09.2025 14:52
-
The appsettings.json file contained various sensitive data, including database connection strings, API keys, and cloud service credentials.
First reported: 02.09.2025 14:52📰 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- JSON Config File Leaks Azure ActiveDirectory Credentials — www.darkreading.com — 02.09.2025 14:52
-
Attackers could use the leaked credentials to access sensitive data from SharePoint, OneDrive, or Exchange Online, and enumerate users, groups, and directory roles in Azure AD.
First reported: 02.09.2025 14:52📰 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- JSON Config File Leaks Azure ActiveDirectory Credentials — www.darkreading.com — 02.09.2025 14:52
-
The incident highlights the risks associated with poor secrets management in cloud-native applications, where sensitive values are often hardcoded in configuration files.
First reported: 02.09.2025 14:52📰 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- JSON Config File Leaks Azure ActiveDirectory Credentials — www.darkreading.com — 02.09.2025 14:52
-
Regular scanning, penetration tests, and code reviews are essential to detect and mitigate such exposures.
First reported: 02.09.2025 14:52📰 1 source, 1 articleShow sources
- JSON Config File Leaks Azure ActiveDirectory Credentials — www.darkreading.com — 02.09.2025 14:52
Similar Happenings
UNC6040 and UNC6395 Target Salesforce Platforms in Data Theft Campaigns
The FBI has issued an alert about two cybercriminal groups, UNC6040 and UNC6395, targeting Salesforce platforms for data theft and extortion. UNC6395 exploited compromised OAuth tokens for the Salesloft Drift application, while UNC6040 used vishing campaigns and modified Salesforce tools to breach Salesforce instances. Both groups have been active since at least October 2024, impacting multiple organizations. UNC6040 has been linked to extortion activities, with Google attributing these to a separate cluster, UNC6240, which has claimed to be the ShinyHunters group. The ShinyHunters group, along with Scattered Spider and LAPSUS$, recently announced they are going dark, but experts warn that the threat persists. UNC6040 impersonated corporate IT support personnel to gain access to Salesforce environments and used modified versions of Salesforce's Data Loader to exfiltrate data. Salesforce re-enabled integrations with Salesloft technologies, except for the Drift app, which remains disabled.
Akira Ransomware Group Exploits SonicWall SSL VPN Flaws
The Akira ransomware group has been actively exploiting SonicWall SSL VPN flaws and misconfigurations to gain initial access to networks. This campaign has seen increased activity since late July 2025, targeting SonicWall devices to facilitate ransomware operations. The group leverages a combination of security vulnerabilities, including a year-old flaw (CVE-2024-40766) and misconfigured LDAP settings, to bypass access controls and infiltrate networks. Organizations are advised to rotate passwords, remove unused accounts, enable multi-factor authentication, and restrict access to the Virtual Office Portal to mitigate risks. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has acknowledged Akira's targeting of SonicWall SSL VPNs and issued alerts about the increased exploitation of CVE-2024-40766.
Increased browser targeting by threat actors
Threat actors are increasingly targeting web browsers as a primary attack vector. This shift is driven by the browser's central role in accessing sensitive data and cloud applications, making it an attractive target for credential theft and session hijacking. High-profile incidents, such as the Snowflake breach, underscore the need for enhanced browser security measures. The browser's role in accessing sensitive data and cloud applications makes it a prime target for attackers. The Snowflake breach, which exploited stolen credentials, highlights the risks associated with browser-based attacks. Experts emphasize the need for stronger browser security to mitigate these threats. Browser-based attacks include phishing for credentials and sessions, malicious copy & paste (ClickFix), malicious OAuth integrations, malicious browser extensions, malicious file delivery, and exploiting stolen credentials and MFA gaps. These attacks exploit the browser's role in accessing business applications and data, making it crucial for security teams to focus on browser security.
Microsoft September 2025 Patch Tuesday fixes 81 vulnerabilities, including two zero-days
Microsoft released updates for 80 vulnerabilities on September 2025 Patch Tuesday. None of these vulnerabilities were zero-days. The updates address eight critical flaws, including five remote code execution vulnerabilities, one information disclosure, and two elevation of privilege vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities span various categories: 38 elevation of privilege, 2 security feature bypass, 22 remote code execution, 14 information disclosure, 3 denial of service, and 1 spoofing. One zero-day vulnerability was fixed in Windows SMB Server. The updates also include hardening features for SMB Server to mitigate relay attacks, with recommendations for administrators to enable auditing. The patch includes 38 elevation of privilege vulnerabilities, the highest number among all categories. CVE-2025-54918 is an EoP vulnerability in Windows NT LAN Manager (NTLM) marked as critical. CVE-2025-54111 and CVE-2025-54913 are EoP flaws in Windows UI XAML, allowing privilege escalation via phished credentials or malicious Microsoft Store apps. CVE-2025-55232 is an RCE vulnerability in the Microsoft High Performance Compute (HPC) Pack with a CVSS score of 9.8. CVE-2025-54916 is an RCE vulnerability in Windows NTFS that can be triggered by authenticated users. Microsoft's patch update includes recommendations for preparing for the end-of-life of Windows 10 and mandatory multifactor authentication (MFA) for Azure in October 2025.
Supply Chain Attack on npm Packages with Billions of Weekly Downloads
A supply chain attack compromised multiple npm packages with over 2.6 billion weekly downloads. Attackers injected malicious code into these packages after hijacking a maintainer's account via phishing. The malware targets web-based cryptocurrency transactions, redirecting them to attacker-controlled wallets. The attack was detected and mitigated by the NPM team, who removed the malicious versions within two hours. The phishing campaign targeted multiple maintainers, using a fake domain to trick them into updating their 2FA credentials. The malicious code operates by hooking into JavaScript functions and wallet APIs, intercepting and altering cryptocurrency transactions. The attack impacts users who installed the compromised packages during a specific time window and have vulnerable dependencies. The attack targeted Josh Junon, also known as Qix, who received a phishing email mimicking npm. The phishing email prompted the maintainer to enter their username, password, and 2FA token, which were stolen via an adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) attack. The attack affected 20 packages, including ansi-regex, chalk, debug, and others, with over 2 billion weekly downloads. The malware intercepts cryptocurrency transaction requests by computing the Levenshtein distance to swap the destination wallet address. The payload hooks into window.fetch, XMLHttpRequest, and window.ethereum.request, along with other wallet provider APIs. The attack also compromised another maintainer, duckdb_admin, to distribute the same wallet-drainer malware. The affected packages from the second maintainer include @coveops/abi, @duckdb/duckdb-wasm, and prebid, among others. The attack impacted roughly 10% of all cloud environments. The attackers diverted five cents worth of ETH and $20 worth of a virtually unknown memecoin. The attacker’s wallet addresses holding significant amounts have been flagged, limiting their ability to convert or use the funds.