The U.S This article explores misuse endpoint management. . Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has sent out a new warning telling businesses to make their endpoint management systems more secure, especially Microsoft Intune environments.

This comes after a cyberattack on medical technology company Stryker Corporation earlier this month. The advisory, which came out on March 18, 2026, talks about how attackers are becoming more interested in using enterprise endpoint management platforms to get privileged access and mess up operations. The warning comes from a cyber attack on Stryker's Microsoft environment on March 11 that caused network problems and led to ongoing investigations. CISA confirmed that attackers are increasingly going after endpoint management solutions tools that are meant to centrally control devices, applications, and configurations by abusing legitimate administrative features instead of just using malware or traditional exploits.

This strategy lets attackers blend in with regular administrative work, which makes it much harder to find them. Threat actors can use compromised privileged accounts or incorrectly set up roles to run malicious scripts, wipe devices, change settings, or move laterally across enterprise networks without setting off normal security alerts. Misuse of Legitimate Management Tools CISA said that the misuse of endpoint management software like Microsoft Intune is a sign of a move toward "living-off-the-land" techniques, where attackers use built-in enterprise tools to do bad things.

This method makes it less necessary to use custom payloads and lets you stay in trusted systems. In response, the agency is working with federal partners, like the FBI, to look into the bigger threat landscape and find other groups that might be in danger.

The advisory also stresses that similar tactics could be used in other industries, especially where access controls are weak or administrative roles are too powerful. To lower these risks, CISA is asking businesses to follow Microsoft's most recent security best practices for Intune, which focus on protecting identities, controlling access, and keeping an eye on administrators. One of the main suggestions is to follow the rule of least privilege.

Organizations should use Microsoft Intune's role-based access control (RBAC) to make sure that administrators only have the permissions they need to do their jobs. This means putting limits on what they can do and how many users or devices they can manage. CISA also says that multi-factor authentication (MFA) that is resistant to phishing is very important, especially for privileged accounts.

Organizations can greatly lower the risk of unauthorized access by using Microsoft Entra ID features like Conditional Access policies, risk-based authentication, and privileged identity controls. Multi Admin Approval (MAA) is another important safety measure. This feature needs a second administrator's approval for actions that have a big effect, like wiping a device, deploying a script, or changing settings.

The extra layer of verification helps keep a single account from being hacked and causing a lot of damage. The agency also suggests that endpoint management settings be in line with zero trust principles. This includes checking user identities all the time, having strict access rules, and keeping an eye on administrative actions in real time. Organizations are also urged to use Privileged Identity Management (PIM) to enforce just-in-time access, which shortens the time that high-privilege accounts are open.

These controls, along with auditing and logging features, make it easier to see what's going on in the administration and speed up incident response. CISA's warning is part of a larger trend in which attackers are going after management layers and identity systems more than just endpoint vulnerabilities. The agency says that businesses should read Microsoft's official advice on Intune security, RBAC configuration, and privileged access management, as well as CISA's own tips on how to make MFA that is resistant to phishing.

Endpoint management platforms are like central control planes for business environments. If they are hacked, it can have a domino effect on whole networks. The Stryker incident shows how important it is to harden systems ahead of time, keep an eye on them all the time, and control who can access them. Make Google your preferred source for ZeroOwl