Automating Microsoft Office to Achieve Red Teaming Objectives

Attackers can abuse Component Object Model (COM, a Windows system that lets programs automate each other) to weaponize Microsoft Office applications like Excel and Outlook for malicious purposes, such as creating documents, stealing data, and establishing command-and-control channels. Since COM automation uses legitimate, pre-installed applications, these attacks can be hard to detect. The article highlights that monitoring for unusual COM usage patterns is important for defensive teams to catch this type of threat.