Case storm-2139-azure-openaiLLMjackingWorldwide
Microsoft names Storm-2139 members who hijacked Azure OpenAI with stolen keys
Microsoft amended its lawsuit to name four people in a ring that used scraped customer API keys to access Azure OpenAI, bypass guardrails, resell access and generate harmful imagery.
HighAttack on AIStatus: OngoingVerified case file
Open in the interactive mapCite this case
- Reported
- Feb 27, 2025
- Location
- Worldwide
- Target
- Microsoft Azure OpenAI customers
- Severity
- High
- Triggered by
- Storm-2139 (Arian Yadegarnia, Alan Krysiak, Ricky Yuen, Phat Phung Tan)
- Actor type
- Criminal
- Reported loss
- None reported
- CVE
- None
What happened
Microsoft amended its lawsuit to name four people in a ring that used scraped customer API keys to access Azure OpenAI, bypass guardrails, resell access and generate harmful imagery.
Impact: Unauthorised use of Azure OpenAI accounts of Microsoft customers, guardrails bypassed to generate harmful images including of celebrities; access resold to end users; financial loss not disclosed
Who triggered it
Actor: Storm-2139 (Arian Yadegarnia, Alan Krysiak, Ricky Yuen, Phat Phung Tan)
Attribution: Named by Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit in an amended civil complaint (E.D. Virginia); members located in Iran, UK, Hong Kong and Vietnam
Motive: Resale of illicit access to generative AI services and creation of harmful or non-consensual imagery
How it happened
Attack vector: Customer Azure OpenAI API keys scraped from public sources, used with a custom de3u tool and reverse-proxy to bypass safety guardrails and resell access
Root cause: Customers leaking API keys in public code and configs; keys alone sufficed for access, enabling abuse until anomalous usage was detected
Timeline
- Microsoft discovers abuse of stolen Azure OpenAI API keys via the de3u tool
- Microsoft DCU files lawsuit against 10 John Does in Eastern District of Virginia; court allows seizure of a key domain
- Filings unsealed; Storm-2139 members allegedly dox Microsoft's lawyers in response
- Microsoft amends complaint naming four individuals (Fiz, Drago, cg-dot, Asakuri)
Response
Microsoft revoked access, added safety countermeasures, seized the de3u website, pursued civil litigation and referred the matter to law enforcement
Current status: Ongoing
Sources (open in a new tab)
- SecurityWeek securityweek.com
- Microsoft On the Issues blogs.microsoft.com
- TechTarget techtarget.com
- Security Affairs securityaffairs.com
Cite this case
Microsoft names Storm-2139 members who hijacked Azure OpenAI with stolen keys. AI Threat Watch, case storm-2139-azure-openai, Feb 27, 2025. https://aithreat.io/cases/storm-2139-azure-openai/
Permanent link: https://aithreat.io/cases/storm-2139-azure-openai/