When ASCII Goes Rogue: The Great Microsoft 365 Copilot Data Heist Debacle

Introduction

So, have you heard the latest scoop? Microsoft 365 Copilot had a little oopsie with a patched vulnerability that let out sensitive data! All thanks to a cheeky AI-enabled trick called “ASCII Smuggling.” Yes, you heard it right – it sounds like something you’d find in a magician’s hat!

What is ASCII Smuggling, you ask? Well, it’s like an undercover agent in the cyber world — using special Unicode characters that look like plain old ASCII text but are sneakily invisible in the user interface. It’s almost like trying to find a specific sock in a laundry basket — good luck with that!

The recent ASCII Smuggling incident with Microsoft 365 Copilot puts the “fun” in “dysfunctional cyber threats,” showcasing how these dastardly AI-driven attacks are getting slicker! Here’s everything you need to know about this latest plot twist.

What Happened to Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot is like your personal assistant who never needs coffee breaks. It’s a generative AI chatbot designed to help users with everything from writing emails to whipping up presentations. Fancy, right? But with great power comes a higher attack surface for our not-so-friendly neighborhood hackers.

Researcher Johann Rehberger, who’s been around the block a few times at Microsoft, explained that ASCII Smuggling allows these cyber tricksters to make data invisible to unsuspecting users. It’s like playing hide and seek with your critical info! They insert invisible characters into seemingly innocent texts, turning harmless messages into hidden mines of mischief. Clicking on these links can lead to a data heist that would make even the Ocean’s Eleven crew envious!

ASCII Smuggling can essentially be defined as a stealthy cyberattack where malicious characters are hidden away in plain sight. It’s the digital equivalent of sneaking a cat into a dog show!

Here’s how it works:

1. Unicode Tags Block: Think of this as the secret decoder ring for cyber villains! Hidden characters that look like ASCII but are