A serious security flaw in Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise put Ghanaian office workers and businesses at risk of losing sensitive data. The good news: Microsoft fixed it at the beginning of June. The better news: you likely don’t need to do anything. Here’s what you need to know.
What was the Microsoft 365 Copilot vulnerability?
Researchers at Varonis, a cybersecurity firm, discovered that attackers could craft a single link that, when clicked, would steal your emails, documents, or meeting details without you knowing. All the victim had to do was click a malicious link, and Copilot would search their mailbox and send the results back to the attacker.
The flaw was called SearchLeak and received a critical rating (CVE-2026-42824) from Microsoft.
How did the attack work?
The attack chained three separate bugs together. Think of it like three weak locks that, used together, opened a strong door.
Stage 1: The attacker crafted a special URL with hidden instructions for Copilot, hidden in the search parameter. When a victim clicked the link, Copilot would search their emails or files without their knowledge.
Stage 2: While Copilot was processing, the attacker’s code would briefly appear on screen before safety filters could block it, allowing a request to be sent out with the stolen data.
Stage 3: Bing’s “Search by Image” feature unknowingly carried the stolen data to the attacker’s server. From the victim’s perspective, Copilot just appeared to be “thinking” for a moment.
As one researcher put it, “Bing became an unwitting exfiltration proxy” — essentially an unwitting delivery service for stolen information.
What data could be stolen?
- Email contents, including passwords and access codes
- Calendar events and meeting details
- Documents stored in OneDrive or SharePoint
- Any other company information Copilot Enterprise Search could access
Who was at risk?
Anyone using Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise at a Ghanaian company or organization. That includes banks, government offices, NGOs, and larger businesses that pay for this version of Copilot.
Regular Copilot users (the free or standard version) were not affected.
Did Microsoft fix it?
Yes. Microsoft patched the vulnerability at the beginning of June 2026. No action was needed from users or IT teams — the fix was applied automatically.
What should you do?
If you use Microsoft 365 at work, your company’s IT team has already received the patch. You don’t need to update anything manually.
However, this is a reminder to be cautious with links from unknown senders, especially those that immediately open Copilot or ask you to search something. If a link seems odd, ask your IT helpdesk before clicking.
If you manage IT for a Ghanaian business using Microsoft 365 Copilot Enterprise, confirm that your systems have the patch. Contact Microsoft support if you’re unsure.
For more on cybersecurity issues affecting Ghanaians, visit our cybersecurity coverage.
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