Sneaky Mermaid attack in Microsoft 365 Copilot steals data

Microsoft fixed a security hole in Microsoft 365 Copilot that allowed attackers to trick the AI assistant into stealing sensitive tenant data – like emails – via indirect prompt injection attacks. But the researcher who found and reported the bug to Redmond won't get a bug bounty payout, as Microsoft determined that M365 …

[elsergiovolador]

Prompt

Obviously Microsoft forgot to add to the prompt: "Be aware of scammers and don't let them easily trick you into handing over the data."

[Like a badger]

Re: Prompt

What, like the scammers at Microsoft who trick people into hand over bug reports, take and use the data and then go "Not paying you, hahahahahhahaaa! Looooser! Loooser!"

[RolandM]

Re: Prompt

Smart people then sell the infos elsewhere ?

[Steve Davies 3]

You forgot to add

"We, Microsoft are the ONLY ones allowed to slurp your data. It is in the small (1pt, white on white) print on page 1001 of your EULA which you agreed to."

[Richard 12]

As Copilot is out of scope

One assumes it's insecure by design, with more holes than a colander that's been snapped in half.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: As Copilot is out of scope

They wouldn't be able to afford all the payouts.

[Pascal Monett]

Re: As Copilot is out of scope

Bugzilla doesn't trust it.

What does that tell you ?

[Ropewash]

Re: As Copilot is out of scope

The singularity as seen by Microsoft. So many holes that it is now only a hole, devouring all the surrounding data.

[Fuzzy Fitzpatrick]

Not a bug, a feature

But the researcher who found and reported the bug to Redmond won't get a bug bounty payout, as Microsoft determined that M365 Copilot isn't in-scope for the vulnerability reward program. Or, it’s working just as intended and this isn’t a bug, just a pain in the arse Joe Public found the feature.

[matjaggard]

Re: Not a bug, a feature

Either way the message is clear - it's better to exploit or sell the vulnerability than tell Microsoft.

[Brian Scott]

Re: Not a bug, a feature

If Microsoft doesn't consider their AI worthy of a bug bounty, it can only mean they think it isn't finished yet and nobody in their right mind should trust it for anything beyond beta testing.

They expect the product to have so many security holes that they'd just be handing over money to everybody that asks.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Web Search

The default settings of the Search feature in Windows is to search the web, via Bing if it can't find anything locally. All those proprietary terms are being eagerly harvested by Microsoft

Icon: Big Brother Satya

[Anonymous Coward]

Graphic

The graphic with the emetic tinting is a pretty evil looking bint https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/10/24/sneaky_mermaid.jpg and uncropped you can see the legs so not actually a mermaid. Reminds me of Jadis in '80s Narnia TV series.

The image is the high point of the article as the rest is MS being MS. Same old, same old...