<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) is no stranger to cybersecurity issues. With so many platforms that people use every day, protecting those platforms from unwanted intrusion is basically second nature. And Microsoft managed to fend off one doozy of an attack recently, as a &#34;password-spraying campaign&#34; fired up only recently. The attack, and subsequent fact that little damage was done, was welcome news to shareholders, who gave Microsoft shares nearly a 2% boost in Thursday afternoon's trading.</p><h3>4th of July Sale - 70% Off</h3><ul><li> Unlock powerful  investing tools and data-driven insights with TipRanks Premium for more confident investment decisions.</li><li> Discover top stock picks and new investment opportunities through TipRanks' Smart Investor Newsletter.</li></ul> <p>The attack targeted Microsoft 365, reports noted, and featured 81 million login attempts spread out over a period of two weeks. The person behind the threat tried using command-line interface (CLI) systems with still-valid username and password combinations that were found from past system breaches. By then, quite a few of those had likely been changed, but some were not, and that opened up an opportunity for the hacker to use the Resource Owner Password Credentials (ROPC) O Auth system.</p> <p>That in turn allowed the hacker to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) in at least some cases. And with that came some key realizations about MFA in cybersecurity, and some of its key limitations. In some cases, reports noted, MFA had been applied, but only to certain applications as opposed to all cloud apps. MFA also may not have been enforced for some user groups, like regular end users, as opposed to administrators.</p> <h2><strong>The Disc-to-Digital Conundrum</strong></h2> <p>This generation—and to a limited extent the last generation—has given rise to a particular problem for gamers. When you buy a game on disc, why do you not have the ability to download the game from the Xbox store? This is particularly important if the disc should be unplayable due to scratches or the like. But Microsoft is currently testing a tool that may help on that front, albeit too late for a lot of gamers who already bought digital copies of games they already owned on disc.</p> <p>The feature is currently known as &#34;Disc2Digital,&#34; reports note, and that may well change by the time it goes live. Reports also note that it will work for Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs only, so those hoping to digitize their old Xbox and Xbox 360 titles will be, sadly, out of luck.</p> <h2><strong>Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?</strong></h2> <p>Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 35 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 22.97% loss in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $562.10 per share implies 43.53% upside potential.</p></div>

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<p>Microsoft stock rose nearly 2% after successfully thwarting a massive brute force attack involving 81 million login attempts against Microsoft 365. The company also announced testing for a 'Disc2Digital' feature for Xbox consoles. Wall Street analysts maintain a Strong Buy consensus on MSFT, with an average price target of $562.10.</p>

- Microsoft recently faced a "password-spraying campaign" that attempted 81 million login attempts on Microsoft 365.  
- Despite the attack, minimal damage occurred, resulting in a nearly 2% stock boost, which reassured shareholders.  
- Analysts maintain a Strong Buy rating for MSFT, citing an average price target of $562.10, indicating a potential 43.53% upside.

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"81 Million Login Attempts": Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gains Following Huge Brute Force Attack