Russian Government-backed Hackers Used Microsoft Access To Steal Company Emails

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has raised concerns regarding Russian government-backed hackers exploiting vulnerabilities within Microsoft's email system. According to an emergency directive issued by the agency on Thursday, these hackers have targeted correspondence between officials and the tech giant.

The directive, dated April 2, highlights the exploitation of authentication details shared via email to gain unauthorized access to Microsoft customer systems, including those belonging to government agencies.

This warning comes in the wake of Microsoft's announcement in March about ongoing struggles with the hackers, referred to as "Midnight Blizzard." The cybersecurity industry was put on alert following this disclosure. Additionally, a recent report from the U.S. Cyber Safety Review Board attributed a separate hack, attributed to China, to cybersecurity lapses on Microsoft's part and a perceived lack of transparency.

While CISA refrained from disclosing the names of affected agencies, Microsoft stated its collaboration with customers to investigate and mitigate the issue, including cooperation with CISA on an emergency directive aimed at guiding government agencies. The Russian Embassy in Washington has yet to respond to inquiries about the matter.

CISA also cautioned that non-governmental organizations might have been targeted as well, emphasizing the potential impact on other entities beyond government agencies. They encouraged affected parties to reach out to Microsoft for further assistance and details.