Tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) is offering up some warning about a new scam floating around with an unlikely target: the United States university system. Apparently, this scam has been floating around for some time now, with reports claiming it goes back to March 2025. But Microsoft is warning folks about it now, though that did not prove good enough for investors. Microsoft stock slipped fractionally in Tuesday afternoon’s trading.
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Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence team recently gave the warning, reports noted, about a group known as Storm-2657. This group has apparently been targeting university payroll systems for the last six months, using key human resources (HR) tools like Workday (WDAY) to get in. Taking advantage of the often reduced security on these tools, Storm-2657 was thus able to redirect worker paychecks into bank accounts the pirates controlled.
Reports noted that the operation starts with phishing email attempts, using things like fake updates from HR or mail purporting to be about “illness clusters.” The attackers then use adversary-in-the-middle techniques to land access to email boxes, cover their tracks from there, and begin siphoning off employee paychecks.
A Look Under Console Future’s Hood
For those still concerned about whether or not Microsoft will have a console, new reports suggest it really is not much of a concern. While it is not yet clear if it will be a standard console or a “hybrid PC system,” it will be coming regardless. However, given that a loose definition of a gaming console might well be “a highly-specialized gaming PC with a highly-specialized user interface,” that should not matter so much.
Anyway, the current word on the next Xbox says that it should be a real powerhouse. It is expected to boast an 11-core Zen 6 CPU, which will beat Sony’s (SONY) eight-core processor substantially. With up to 48 gigabytes of GDDR7 memory, a bigger die size, a higher power draw and a “dedicated AI accelerator,” Microsoft’s system should be a winner when it finally comes out in 2027. Assuming, of course, it actually does hit then.
Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 34 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 22.76% rally in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $628.05 per share implies 22.22% upside potential.
