Cyber Crime
Russian Government-Backed Hackers Have Infiltrated Microsoft’s Email System – CISA Report
Washington: The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released an emergency directive revealing that Russian government-backed hackers have infiltrated Microsoft’s email system. This breach allowed them to steal important emails between U.S. officials and Microsoft. The directive, issued on April 2, highlights the serious security threat as hackers used stolen authentication details to attempt further intrusions into Microsoft’s systems, affecting several government agencies.
The Breach has been dubbed ‘Midnight Blizzard’ by Microsoft
Following the revelation of the breach, dubbed “Midnight Blizzard” by Microsoft, there has been widespread concern in the cybersecurity community. This incident is part of a series of cybersecurity challenges faced by Microsoft, with a separate, preventable hack attributed to Chinese hackers also reported recently.
“We are working with our customers to help them investigate and mitigate. This includes working with CISA on an emergency directive to provide guidance to government agencies,” Microsoft stated in response to the ongoing issues.
The Russian Embassy in Washington, often accused of sponsoring such hacking campaigns, has not responded to requests for comments. CISA also suggested that non-governmental organizations might be affected and has urged all Microsoft customers to reach out to the company for more information on potential impacts to their systems.