Russian hackers who broke into systems and spied on staff inboxes earlier this year also stole emails from customers , the tech giant said on Thursday, about six months after the breach was first disclosed.
See also: Russian accused of cyberattacks in Ukraine
The revelation underscores the scope of the breach as Microsoft faces increasing regulatory scrutiny over the security of its software and systems against foreign threats. An alleged Chinese hacking that separately breached Microsoft last year stole thousands of U.S. government emails.
The Russian government never responded to Microsoft's hacking allegations, but Microsoft said the hackers targeted cybersecurity researchers who were investigating the actions of Russian hackers.
Microsoft said it was also sharing the compromised emails with its customers, but did not say how many customers were affected, nor how many emails may have been stolen by the Russian hackers.
See also: Russian Nobelium hackers target French diplomatic entities
"We are committed to sharing information with our customers as our investigation continues," a Microsoft spokesperson said.
In January, the world's largest software vendor said that Midnight Blizzard had access to "a very small percentage" of the company's corporate email accounts. Four months later, it said those hackers were still trying to break in, alarming many of its security colleagues and customers who questioned why Microsoft's systems remained vulnerable.
These intrusions, and the Chinese intrusion last year, led to a congressional hearing earlier this month, where Microsoft President Brad Smith said the company was working on reviewing its security practices.
See also: Russian hackers target Ukraine with XWorm RAT Malware
Hacker spies, like the Russians who spied on emails, use their specialized knowledge of computer science and security to gain access to sensitive data and information without permission. They often work for government agencies, corporations, or even independently, to secretly extract information from computer systems and networks. Their actions may include penetrating networks, decrypting secret communications, and intercepting data. Although their activity may be illegal and unethical, their skills are often highly valued in the cybersecurity field.
Source: indianexpress
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