Microsoft opens MDASH cyber tool to SA firms

Microsoft has launched a new multi-model, AI-driven vulnerability discovery system embedded with more than 100 individual agents. The technology, codenamed MDASH, gives defenders a way to use multiple AI models together with agent reasoning.

According to the company, a new generation of frontier AI models is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape, reducing the time organisations have to prepare for AI-powered cyberattacks. The system was developed in response to this rapidly evolving threat environment.

MDASH was initially developed to leverage multiple third-party AI models to achieve security tasks and protect Microsoft code. The agentic security system is now being made available to others in a private usage programme. This approach, says Microsoft, reflects a broader industry shift toward AI-driven, collaborative security models at scale.

AI and the cyber threat landscape

Microsoft has identified five areas where advanced frontier models are disproportionately advantaged compared to traditional defenders. These include: patching; open-source software; custom code created by an organisation; systems publicly exposed; and baseline security hygiene.

The rapid advancement of AI capabilities has changed the cyber threat landscape faster than many organisations expected. AI models are becoming more capable of identifying security weaknesses with greater accuracy and depth. This could lower the barrier to more sophisticated attacks at scale. As a result, traditional manual security processes may no longer be sufficient.

“Organisations can no longer rely on legacy approaches to security alone,” says Kerissa Varma, Microsoft chief security advisor for Africa. “In a world where vulnerabilities can be discovered and exploited at scale, manual processes simply cannot keep up. The need for modern, cloud-based infrastructure and AI-driven defence has become urgent. Organisations must act now to modernise their infrastructure, adopt AI-enabled tools, and move towards more secure cloud environments where security protections can be applied broadly and at speed.”

This urgency is echoed in findings from Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) report, AI Is Raising the Stakes in Cybersecurity, which highlights a widening gap between threat exposure and defensive readiness across the continent. Nearly 60% of African companies report having experienced AI-enabled cyberattacks in the past year, yet only half are prioritising the use of AI to strengthen their defences. Less than one-third (29%) have implemented advanced AI-driven cybersecurity tools, while only 3% report a significant increase in cybersecurity budgets in response to AI-driven threats.

The Microsoft Digital Defence Report 2025 highlights AI as a growing force multiplier for threat actors, enabling them to scale operations, personalise phishing campaigns, and evade detection with greater precision. The report says that AI-enabled phishing emails are 4.5 times more likely to be clicked than traditional attempts.

In SA, these global trends are amplified by the country’s expanding digital footprint and its strategic importance across sectors such as financial services, energy and telecommunications. Organisations operating in these environments, particularly those managing distributed workforces and more complex IT estates, can face growing exposure to cyber risk. Combined with budget constraints and skills shortages seen across parts of Africa, says Microsoft, this reinforces the need for faster, AI-driven security approaches and stronger baseline cyber hygiene.

Expanding AI-powered security

Microsoft is expanding the use of AI-driven security research to identify vulnerabilities earlier and at greater scale. These AI-assisted findings are now being integrated into Microsoft’s regular Patch Tuesday releases, with the volume of AI-identified vulnerabilities increasing steadily month-on-month.

“We expect this trend to continue,” says Varma. “While this strengthens protection overall, it also means organisations need to be able to apply updates quickly.”

Organisations operating on modern cloud platforms can benefit from more automated patching and built-in protections. According to the company, organisations managing on-premises environments should evaluate how quickly they can deploy critical updates.

Advancing security with multi-model AI

MDASH, which was built by Microsoft’s Autonomous Code Security team, orchestrates more than 100 specialised AI agents across a mix of frontier and distilled models to discover, validate, and prove exploitable bugs end-to-end.

Microsoft’s approach is not tied to one AI vendor or one model. Instead, the company’s multi-model system selects the best model for the specific security task.

“Cost will be an important consideration as businesses look to scale AI securely and sustainably,” says Varma. “The good news is that some of the most cost-effective models are exceptionally effective at specific security tasks – it’s about using the right tool for the right job.”

MDASH can discover, validate, prioritise and help remediate vulnerabilities across organisations’ IT environments. The system is in use by Microsoft’s security engineering teams and has now entered a limited private preview, with a number of South African customers currently being onboarded into the programme.

MDASH recently topped the CyberGym AI security benchmark, outperforming single-model systems. This, says Microsoft, demonstrates the effectiveness of co-ordinated, multi-model AI in real-world scenarios.

Strengthening security posture

Cybersecurity challenges are compounded by a workforce shortage. The BCG report reveals 82% of African organisations cite difficulty in hiring AI-cybersecurity talent, underscoring the growing skills and capability gap.

Microsoft has expanded the company’s cybersecurity skills campaign to SA to help close the cybersecurity skills gap. Through Ikamva Digital, Microsoft is delivering industry-aligned learning across all 50 TVET colleges, equipping young people with in-demand digital and cybersecurity skills for roles such as security analyst and IT administrator. The programme responds to rising demand for professionals in digital safety and risk management.

Building both talent pipelines and awareness is only one part of the equation. According to Microsoft, organisations also need practical tools and guidance to translate skills into effective security outcomes at scale.

To support organisations on this journey, the company has widened access to practical security guidance through the Secure Now initiative. This capability can provide actionable recommendations to address key areas of risk, regardless of whether organisations use Microsoft security solutions, helping to strengthen baseline security hygiene across the ecosystem.

This work forms part of Microsoft’s broader Secure Future Initiative, which places security at the centre of the company’s design, development and operations. The initiative aims to ensure that advances in AI are supported by stronger safeguards across Microsoft platforms and services.

Call to action for SA organisations

As AI continues to reshape both the threat landscape and the tools available to defend against it, Microsoft is encouraging organisations to focus on the foundations of resilience including modern cloud-based infrastructure, timely patching, strong security hygiene, and the use of AI to strengthen defence.

“The conversation should not be about access to a single model,” says Varma. “It’s about building a comprehensive, resilient security strategy with the right capabilities in place today.”