Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast
Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast
Microsoft
Unpacking the Latest Threats Targeting the Financial Services Industry
30 minutes Posted Feb 11, 2026 at 8:05 am.
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In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo is joined by Microsoft security researchers Megan Stalling and Anna Seitz to examine how financially motivated threat actors are using familiar, low-complexity techniques to drive real-world impact across the financial services sector. 
They examine Storm-0727, a financially motivated threat actor targeting cryptocurrency, financial services, and government entities, highlighting how simple techniques like financial-themed lures, macro-enabled documents, and credential theft allow attackers to quietly establish and maintain access. The conversation then expands to broader financial-services threat trends, including business email compromise, ransomware with data extortion, phishing-as-a-service, and why social engineering and unpatched vulnerabilities continue to succeed even in mature security environments. 
In this episode you’ll learn:      
How credential theft helps attackers maintain persistence 
Why social engineering works even in well-secured environments 
How Storm-0727 targets financial services and cryptocurrency organizations 
Some questions we ask:     
What happens after a victim opens a macro-enabled document used by Storm-0727? 
How are phishing as a service platforms changing the threat landscape? 
What major threat trends are currently shaping the financial services sector? 
 
Resources:  
View Megan Stalling on LinkedIn  
View Anna Seitz on LinkedIn  
View Sherrod DeGrippo on LinkedIn  
 
Related Microsoft Podcasts:                   
Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson 
The BlueHat Podcast 
Uncovering Hidden Risks     
 
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts  
 
Get the latest threat intelligence insights and guidance at Microsoft Security Insider