US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard on Thursday said that United States and Israel have different objectives during the military campaign in Iran.During a hearing in front of the House of intelligence committee, Gabbard said that Trump’s objective are to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles launching capabilities and their navy.“The objectives that have been laid out by the president are different from the objectives that have been laid out by the Israeli government.”“We can see through the operations that the Israeli government has been focused on disabling ⁠the Iranian leadership. The president has stated that his objectives are to ⁠destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles launching capability, their ballistic ⁠missile production capability, and their navy,” she added.Earlier in the day, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that there was no “time frame” for ending the war against Iran.“It will be at the president’s choosing, ultimately, where we say, ‘Hey, we’ve achieved what we need to,'” he told reporters.‘Immense blessing for Israel’Meanwhile, an Israeli minister said that strikes on Iran were “an immense blessing” for Israel.Zeev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, said, “The debate should not be about when (the war) will end, but about how we are going to prolong and deepen the damage caused,” said Zeev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party.”“Every day of the campaign is an immense blessing for the State of Israel,” Elkin added, speaking on army radio.An Israeli minister said on Thursday that the US-Israeli strikes against Iran were “an immense blessing” for Israel, nearly three weeks into the Middle East war. Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering a war that has since engulfed the Middle East. Trump distances US from Israel’s attack on South Pars gas fieldEarlier in the day, Trump distanced US from Israel’s attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field, describing his Israeli allies as having “violently lashed out” at the facility and promising that it would not happen again if Tehran refrains from attacking Qatar. He claimed Iran responded without full information, launching what he described as an unjustified strike on part of Qatar’s LNG infrastructure.Trump said the US had “nothing to do” with the strike on the offshore gasfield facilities in Iran’s Bushehr province on Wednesday, which was followed by Iran pledging to strike energy facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.In a social media post, Trump said Israel had targeted a section of the major gas facility “out of anger” over developments in the Middle East, stressing that Washington had no prior knowledge of the attack and that Qatar was “in no way” involved.“Israel, out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran. A relatively small section of the whole has been hit. The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen,” wrote Trump.“Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility. No more attacks will be made by Israel pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar – In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before,” he said.“I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” added Trump.Meanwhile, Israel has continued targeting senior Iranian leadership, including the reported killing of intelligence minister Esmail Khatib and other top security figures. Iran has retaliated with missile barrages on Israel, including strikes that caused casualties in the occupied West Bank.

Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty suffered a sharp sell-off on Thursday, with both plunging more than 3 per cent as surging crude oil prices, weak global cues and escalating attacks on energy infrastructure in West Asia triggered a broad-based market rout. The fall was especially severe in financials, autos and industrials, while ONGC stood out as the only gainer in the Nifty50.The BSE Sensex tanked 2,496.89 points, or 3.26 per cent, to close at 74,207.24 — its biggest single-day fall since June 2024 and its lowest level since April 7, 2025. The NSE Nifty slumped 775.65 points, or 3.26 per cent, to end at 23,002.15, wiping out the gains of the previous three sessions.

Nifty50 losers

Sensex losers

Nifty50 gainer

Sharp reversal wipes out three-day rally

Thursday’s sell-off marked a dramatic reversal after a brief recovery in the previous three sessions. Nifty had rallied 2.68 per cent, or 626 points, over the last three sessions, while Sensex had gained 2.8 per cent, or 2,140 points. Those gains were erased in a single trading day as global risk sentiment deteriorated sharply.

Oil shock and global weakness trigger broad sell-off

The market slide came after Brent crude surged 6.75 per cent to $114.8 per barrel, as Iran intensified strikes on Gulf energy assets, including a key natural gas facility in Qatar, two Kuwaiti oil refineries and a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea.That sharp rise in oil prices heightened concerns over inflation, India’s import bill and corporate margins, especially as the country remains heavily dependent on imported crude.PTI also said all sectoral indices ended in the red, with auto, realty, financial services and banking among the hardest hit. Market breadth was decisively negative, with 3,192 stocks declining on the BSE against just 1,051 advances.

Top Nifty50 losers led by Shriram Finance, Eternal and Bajaj Finance

The sell-off in the Nifty50 was led by financial and consumption-linked counters.Shriram Finance emerged as the top loser on the Nifty50, falling 7.03 per cent to Rs 949.80. Eternal dropped 5.69 per cent to Rs 228.74, while Bajaj Finance declined 5.45 per cent to Rs 832.20.HDFC Bank, already under pressure after chairman Atanu Chakraborty’s resignation over ethical concerns, slid 5.32 per cent to Rs 798.20, as per the data provided and PTI’s broader market report.Mahindra & Mahindra fell 5.27 per cent to Rs 3,045, while Larsen & Toubro lost 4.81 per cent to Rs 3,435. Other major Nifty laggards included Tata Motors PV, down 4.76 per cent to Rs 309.30; InterGlobe Aviation, down 4.74 per cent to Rs 4,154; Trent, down 4.37 per cent to Rs 3,482; and Bajaj Auto, down 4.35 per cent to Rs 8,869.

Sensex losers mirror the broader damage

On the Sensex, Eternal was also the worst performer, dropping 5.69 per cent to Rs 228.74.It was followed by Bajaj Finance, down 5.45 per cent to Rs 832.20; HDFC Bank, down 5.32 per cent to Rs 798.20; Mahindra & Mahindra, down 5.27 per cent to Rs 3,045; and Larsen & Toubro, down 4.81 per cent to Rs 3,435.InterGlobe Aviation fell 4.74 per cent to Rs 4,154, while Trent lost 4.37 per cent to Rs 3,482. Bajaj Finserv slipped 4.30 per cent to Rs 1,715, UltraTech Cement dropped 3.85 per cent to Rs 10,814, and Axis Bank declined 3.69 per cent to Rs 1,207.The list underlines how the pain was concentrated in rate-sensitive lenders, cyclicals and discretionary names.

ONGC was the lone bright spot in Nifty50

In an otherwise deeply red market, ONGC was the only stock in the Nifty50 to end in positive territory.ONGC rose 1.55 per cent to Rs 269.10, gaining Rs 4.11 on the day, making it the lone exception.

Analysts say macro risks changed sentiment quickly

Market experts said the sharp fall reflected a rapid shift in risk appetite as geopolitical and macroeconomic concerns converged.“Indian equities witnessed a sharp and broad-based reversal, with the Nifty-50 erasing recent gains in a single session as global and domestic risks converged. The sell-off was triggered by a combination of macro headwinds that significantly altered risk perception. Crude oil prices surged above USD 111 per barrel amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, raising concerns over sustained supply disruptions,” Hariprasad K, Research Analyst and Founder, Livelong Wealth, said, as quoted by news agency PTI.Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Investments Limited, also linked the decline to both oil and global monetary signals.“The domestic market ended sharply lower, giving up the gains of the past three days, as a series of attacks on energy infrastructure in the Middle East triggered a renewed spike in oil prices and dampened investor sentiment. The US Fed adopted a hawkish stance, signalling higher inflation amid elevated geopolitical uncertainty,” he said, according to PTI.

Midcaps, smallcaps and all sectors end in the red

The damage was not limited to frontline indices.The BSE MidCap Select index fell 3.34 per cent, while the SmallCap Select index declined 2.77 per cent.All sectoral indices ended lower. Auto was the worst-hit, plunging 4.07 per cent, followed by realty at 3.79 per cent, financial services at 3.66 per cent, consumer discretionary at 3.62 per cent, BSE Top 10 Banks at 3.53 per cent, industrials at 3.49 per cent, services at 3.44 per cent, BSE Focused IT at 3.41 per cent and consumer durables at 3.38 per cent, according to PTI.Market breadth also remained deeply negative, with 3,192 stocks declining on the BSE against 1,051 advances, while 161 remained unchanged.

Global weakness adds to pressure

Weakness across global markets added to the pressure on Indian equities.Asian markets including South Korea’s Kospi, Japan’s Nikkei 225, Shanghai’s SSE Composite and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng all ended significantly lower, PTI said.European markets were also trading with steep losses, while US markets had closed sharply lower on Wednesday.

FIIs continue selling, DIIs offer some support

Foreign investor flows remained under pressure.According to exchange data, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 2,714.35 crore on Wednesday. Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs), however, bought shares worth Rs 3,253.03 crore, partially offsetting the outflows.Thursday’s crash is one of the clearest signs yet of how sharply Indian markets are reacting to the deepening West Asia conflict.With Brent crude now above $114 a barrel and Gulf energy infrastructure under direct attack, investors are increasingly pricing in the risk of higher imported inflation, pressure on India’s current account, and the possibility of slower growth if the conflict drags on.If oil remains elevated and global risk aversion deepens, market volatility is likely to stay high in the sessions ahead.

NEW DELHI: Ukraine on Thursday called for a transparent and impartial investigation into the detention of six of its nationals in Mizoram, firmly rejecting any suggestion of involvement in terrorist activities and accusing Russia of trying to “drive a wedge between Ukraine and India.”The Ukrainian nationals were detained for allegedly entering Mizoram without authorisation and suspected unlawful activities. An American national was also detained in connection with the case. According to reports, the individuals are accused of assisting certain entities in Myanmar that are believed to have links with anti-India insurgent groups.MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “There are certain areas which are restricted in India, and there are certain protected areas. So for those areas, you need permission to travel there, and whether they were in possession of this particular permission or not, it is now in the court. It will be presented, and thereafter, we’ll come to know… I understand that they may want certain documents for travelling to that part of India.“Ukraine’s ambassador Oleksandr Polishchuk recently met Secretary (West) in the external affairs ministry, Sibi George, and sought consular access to the detained citizens.Embassy of Ukraine in a statement said, “Ukraine firmly rejects any insinuations regarding the possible involvement of the Ukrainian State in supporting terrorist activities. Ukraine is a state that faces the consequences of Russian terror on a daily basis and, for this very reason, takes a principled and uncompromising stance in combating terrorism in all its forms.The embassy also expressed “serious concern” over media reports suggesting that the action in the case was “prompted” by information from the Russian side, describing the situation as showing signs of a “possible orchestrated and politically motivated nature.”Referring to ties with India, Ukraine noted that both countries have already affirmed their shared position on combating terrorism. It cited the joint statement issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine on August 23, 2024, where both sides strongly condemned terrorism, said there can be no justification for it, and underlined the need for international cooperation in line with international law and the UN Charter.Building on this, Ukraine said that any allegations related to terrorism must be examined strictly on the basis of verified facts, transparent procedures, and full intergovernmental cooperation. It also emphasised the need for objectivity, transparency, and impartiality in the investigation.Ukraine further expressed its readiness for “active cooperation” between its authorities and Indian counterparts, particularly under the bilateral Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, which provides for extensive cooperation through designated authorities.The statement also underlined that Ukraine has no interest in any activity that could threaten India’s security and alleged that “it is Russia, as an aggressor state, that seeks under every circumstance to drive a wedge between friendly countries – Ukraine and India.”Ukraine also warned that any attempts to use the case to discredit it or create distrust in India-Ukraine relations would be seen as a deliberate effort to harm bilateral ties, which it said are steadily developing and have strong potential for further growth.

Suvendu Adhikari and Mamata Banerjee (File photo)

NEW DELHI: With both the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP announcing their candidate lists, the battle for Bengal has effectively begun. While the TMC has declared candidates for all 294 seats, the saffron party has so far named 144, covering roughly half the Assembly. The contest is largely being seen as a direct duel between Mamata Banerjee’s TMC and the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The BJP is now aiming to challenge Mamata Banerjee’s over-a-decade-long rule. Its rise in the Bengali-speaking state has been striking, from near-zero presence to becoming the principal opposition and a serious contender for power.The Modi-led campaign has consistently kept Mamata at the centre of its political attacks, targeting what remains an elusive prize—the second-largest assembly in the country — West Bengal.

2021: The BJP’s turning point

The 2021 assembly election marked a turning point. Despite projecting a landslide victory, the BJP secured 77 seats—falling short of power but registering a dramatic surge from just 3 seats earlier, and firmly establishing itself as a formidable opposition.In many ways, the 2021 election told a bigger story than Mamata Banerjee’s victory, it marked the BJP’s rise to prominence in Bengal politics.

How Bengal voted in 2021

Often called the BJP’s ‘Chanakya’, Amit Shah had confidently declared during the campaign that the party would cross the 200-mark in the 294-member assembly, coining the slogan “abki baar, 200 paar”. The results, however, told a very different story.

The BJP fell well short, not just of 200, but even of the halfway mark of 147 seats.The outcome also brought personal setbacks for several of the party’s prominent faces. Union minister Babul Supriyo, former Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta, and Lok Sabha MP Locket Chatterjee were among those who lost their seats.

Voting patterns and missed calculations

Much of the BJP’s strategy had rested on consolidating Hindu votes and gaining the support of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, while closely watching whether Muslim voters would back the TMC. In the end, the results suggested that Muslim voters largely stood with Mamata Banerjee, while SC votes did not consolidate in the BJP’s favour as expected.

From 2019 highs of BJP to 2021 setback

Compared to its strong performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Assembly results were a setback. Back then, the BJP had won 18 out of 42 seats and led in 121 assembly segments with a vote share of 40.2%. In 2021, it secured 77 seats—44 fewer than the segments it had led in earlier and its vote share dipped slightly to 38.13%.

BJP: A decade of rapid rise

Yet, beneath the disappointment lies a remarkable story of growth. Just a decade ago, in the 2011 Assembly elections, the BJP had failed to win a single seat and managed only 4% of the vote. In 2014, it won two Lok Sabha seats with an 18% vote share. In 2016, it secured three Assembly seats with around 10% votes. From there to 77 seats and over 38% vote share in 2021 marks a dramatic rise.In the process, the BJP has replaced the Left and the Congress, who had dominated Bengal politics for decades, as the principal opposition force. While both the Left parties and the Congress drew a blank in an unprecedented outcome, smaller players like the Rashtriya Secular Majlis Party and an independent candidate managed to win a seat each.The BJP has not just gained seats; it has built an organisational base, a cadre, and a leadership structure in the state. That machinery, now firmly in place, is likely to shape its strategy for future battles, both in the Lok Sabha elections and the next assembly contest.

The Nandigram battle

Another key takeaway for the BJP was the victory of its “giant killer” Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram by a narrow margin of 1,956 votes after a fiercely contested battle.The contest had turned into a prestige fight after Mamata herself chose to challenge Adhikari on his home turf. He had gone a step further, declaring he would quit politics if he failed to defeat her by 50,000 votes. While he fell short of that ambitious claim, his eventual win, even by a slender margin proved politically significant.The defeat dealt a symbolic blow to the TMC’s larger victory and meant Mamata Banerjee would have to seek re-election to the Assembly within six months to continue as chief minister.

AI-generated image used for representation (Source: ChatGPT)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday said a “projectile hit” took place near Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, striking a structure about 350 metres from the reactor.In a statement posted on X, IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said the reactor itself was not damaged and no injuries were reported. However, he warned that any attack near nuclear facilities violates key safety principles. “Although there was no damage to the reactor itself nor injuries to staff, any attack at or near nuclear power plants violates the seven indispensable pillars related to ensuring nuclear safety and security during an armed conflict and should never take place,” he said.The agency did not specify the nature of the projectile that struck the area near the Bushehr plant, located on Iran’s Persian Gulf coast, around 480 miles south of Tehran. The facility currently has one operational unit, with two additional Russian-designed units under construction.Iran and Russia have alleged that a projectile struck the premises of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, raising fears of a potential radiological incident amid Tehran’s ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States.While no leakage of nuclear material was reported after the Tuesday evening incident, it has once again highlighted longstanding concerns among Iran’s neighbours that the Persian Gulf facility could be vulnerable to attacks or natural disasters such as earthquakes.Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, earlier said the strike took place at 15:11 GMT on Tuesday and hit an area close to the plant’s meteorological service, near an operating power unit.He stressed that safety remains the top priority, adding that personnel had already been partially reduced at the site. “The safety of human life is our absolute priority. We had previously partially reduced the number of personnel at the construction site of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Units 2 and 3. About 250 employees and their families were safely evacuated from Iran. Children of employees were preemptively evacuated before the armed conflict began. About 480 of our comrades remain there. Preparations for the third personnel evacuation are under way,” he said.Rosatom also condemned the incident, urging all sides to de-escalate tensions around the nuclear facility.The strike comes amid ongoing hostilities after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, targeting its leadership and military infrastructure. Iran has since retaliated, and the conflict continues. Grossi has repeatedly called for diplomacy, saying that “to achieve the long-term assurance that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons and for maintaining the continued effectiveness of the global non-proliferation regime, we must return to diplomacy and negotiations”.Also read: Israel bombs South Pars- Why does this gas field matter so much to Iran — and the world?
The first unit of the Bushehr plant was connected to the grid in 2011. It is a Russian-designed VVER reactor with a capacity of 915 MWe. Two additional VVER-1000 units are under construction, with unit 2 progressing steadily since its first concrete was poured in 2019 and key structural components installed in recent years.Iran has indicated that unit 2 could become operational by 2029. According to Rosatom, work is also ongoing on unit 3. In September 2025, Rosatom and the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran signed an agreement to cooperate on small modular reactors, as Iran aims to expand its nuclear capacity to 20 GW by 2041.

Bushehr spared in June conflict, scrutiny rises now

Bushehr, a functioning civilian nuclear power plant, remained untouched during the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict in June. During that period, the US targeted three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, damaging centrifuges and likely burying Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched 60% uranium underground. Since then, Iran has restricted access to those sites, blocking inspections by the IAEA.Any strike on an operational nuclear power plant raises the risk of radioactive leakage into the environment, a concern that has loomed large since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, where nuclear facilities have repeatedly come under threat.A potential radiation leak into the Persian Gulf would pose an existential crisis for Gulf Arab nations, many of which depend heavily on desalination plants in the region for their water supply.

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday announced its list of 88 candidates for the upcoming Assam assembly elections, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma set to contest from his traditional Jalukbari seat.The name of the candidate from Sissiborgaon constituency has been withheld. Under the new seat sharing arrangement, BJP will contest 89 seats, AGP 26, and BPF 11 in the 126-member assembly. Among prominent candidates, Pradyut Bordoloi, who days before quit as Congress Lok Sabha MP to join the BJP, has been fielded from the Dispur assembly constituency.Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary will contest from the Tamulpur (ST) seat, while another leader of switched sides from Congress to BJP Bhupen Borah has been nominated from Bihpuria. Borah also served as Congress Assam chief. The list includes several key names and signals a mix of continuity and change, with the party dropping 11 sitting MLAs and fielding only five women candidates.The announcement comes after the Election Commission declared the poll schedule last week. Voting for the 126-member Assam assembly will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting slated for May 4.The BJP is seeking to retain power in the state, with Sarma aiming for another term as chief minister. In the 2021 elections, the National Democratic Alliance, comprising the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad and United People’s Party Liberal, secured 75 seats, with the BJP winning 60.With an eye on consolidating the NDA before polls, the BJP on Tuesday brought back Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) into its fold after five years and firmed up seat-sharing with AGP, even as its current partner in govt, Bodoland-based United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), left the NDA earlier, citing ideological differences. The opposition Congress has already announced candidates for 65 constituencies as part of its alliance strategy, with state chief and Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi leading the campaign.

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has dismissed speculation about his chances of becoming Kerala’s next chief minister, saying he is not even in the race as he is not contesting the upcoming assembly elections.In an interview with PTI, the Thiruvananthapuram MP made it clear that the chief minister should ideally be chosen from among elected MLAs. “I am not a chief ministerial probable,” he said, adding that since he is not contesting, he does not have to focus on a single constituency. Instead, his role will involve campaigning “up and down the length and breadth of the state” for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s recent message to party leaders to “dance together”, Tharoor called it a “good message”, saying unity within the alliance was now visible. He also expressed confidence about the UDF’s prospects, suggesting that a tally between 85 and 100 seats in the 140-member Assembly would be a strong outcome.Using a cricketing analogy, Tharoor said the UDF was bowling “googlies” to the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), arguing that the ruling alliance was on a “sticky wicket”. While he acknowledged that modern elections tend to revolve around projecting a chief ministerial face, he backed the Congress’ traditional approach. “The Congress has never done that,” he said, explaining that the leadership prefers to choose a leader after victory, in consultation with MLAs.At the same time, Tharoor admitted that the absence of a clear face could have drawbacks. “You and I may have a different view… for there to be a situation where you don’t have a visible leader in a state inevitably tends to hurt you,” he said. However, he argued that the Congress’ organisational strength across Kerala allows it to campaign around “an agenda, around a mission and around the party logo”.Tharoor also downplayed the role of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala, calling it a marginal player. “It is not a triangular contest, for the BJP is a zero-seat party in the assembly,” he said, adding that even a gain of “one or two or three” seats would be seen as a major success for the party.He insisted the real contest remains between the UDF and the LDF led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. While he noted that polling suggests a tight race, he said the BJP is “not even likely to have a big enough footprint to be a kingmaker”.Kerala will vote in a single phase on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4, in a closely watched battle to unseat the incumbent LDF government.

US government has issued an advisory urging companies to implement Microsoft’s newly released best practices for securing Microsoft Intune. The advisory, issued by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) comes after a cyberattack on America’s largest medical device maker by Iran-linked hackers last week. The attack disrupted the company’s service for more than 5 days. “CISA is aware of malicious cyber activity targeting endpoint management systems of U.S. organizations based on the March 11, 2026 cyberattack against U.S.-based medical technology firm Stryker Corporation, which affected their Microsoft environment,” the advisory says. “To defend against similar malicious cyber activity, CISA urges organizations to harden endpoint management system configurations using the recommendations and resources provided in this alert,” it adds. As per the advisory, principles of these recommendations can be applied to Intune and more broadly to other endpoint management software:

Leverage Microsoft Intune’s role-based access control (RBAC) to assign the minimum permissions necessary to each role for completing day-to-day operations—permissions include what actions the role can take, and what users and devices it can apply that action to.

Use Microsoft Entra ID capabilities (including Conditional Access, MFA, risk signals, and privileged access controls) to block unauthorized access to privileged actions in Microsoft Intune.

Set up policies that require a second administrative account’s approval to allow changes to sensitive or high-impact actions (such as device wiping), applications, scripts, RBAC, configurations, etc. The advisory further informs that CISA is conducting enhanced coordination with federal partners, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to identify additional threats and determine mitigation actions.

US cyber agency’s advisory to companies

In addition to strengthening Microsoft system, CISA also recommends reviewing the following resources to strengthen defenses against similar malicious cyber activity:Microsoft resources:

CISA resources: