According to Microsoft, hackers have gained access to the Outlook e-mail accounts of around 25 organizations. The targets included government institutions in Western Europe and the United States. According to Microsoft, the hackers acted from China.
According to the US company Microsoft, hackers operating from China have gained access to e-mail accounts with connections to government agencies in Western Europe.
In a blog post, the company wrote that the group, identified as “Storm-0558,” specializes in espionage and data theft, for example. A total of 25 organizations including government agencies as well as the e-mail accounts of individuals with connections to the affected organizations were affected by the hacking attack.
Microsoft informed all affected organizations directly. The US group left open which institutions or governments are involved.
Microsoft assumes espionage
The attack went unnoticed for about a month, until customers complained to Microsoft about unusual email activity. One assumes that it is an attack with the aim of espionage to gain intelligence information, said Microsoft security chief Charlie Bell.
According to Microsoft, cyber espionage began in May. The hackers forged authentication codes in order to be able to access Outlook e-mail accounts on the Internet. Apparently, emails from the US government were also affected. Its national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told ABC that the United States discovered the attacks on US government accounts fairly quickly and prevented further intrusion.
The responsible authorities immediately contacted Microsoft to find the vulnerability in its cloud service. “Non-secret systems are affected,” Sullivan said, without giving details. investigations were ongoing.
China denies allegations
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, rejected the allegations and spoke of “disinformation” intended to distract from US hacking attacks on China. The government in Beijing has repeatedly denied hacking and espionage activities in the past.