Microsoft was targeted by a cyber attack by hackers linked to Russian intelligence

Hackers linked to Russian intelligence services hacked the emails of senior Microsoft executives, according to a court document filed by the American IT giant. According to Microsoft, the author of the cyber attack is “Midnight snowAccording to Washington and London, the group operates in conjunction with Russia’s foreign intelligence services.

“This actor is known to primarily target states, diplomatic institutions, non-governmental organizations and IT service providers in the United States and Europe.“Microsoft described the previous cyber attack in a blog post last August.”They seek to gather intelligence by spying on foreign interests over long periods of time.» Activities ofMidnight snow“, also known as “Nobelium”, according to Microsoft, were discovered in early 2018.

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“Finding a New Balance”

The company’s security team discovered the latest attack on January 12, which triggered defenses that blocked further access by hackers. The attack began last November, when hackers tried passwords on a series of accounts and thus managed to access an old test account, Microsoft explained in a court document. Hackers then used thisThe fulcrum

» To access certain Microsoft employee accounts, including executives and security team members, and recover emails and attachments.

“The investigation suggests that the hackers first targeted the email account for information related to Midnight Blizzard.“, Microsoft said. According to the company, there is no evidence that hackers have accessed Microsoft’s customer accounts, production systems, source code or artificial intelligence software. “Given the reality of well-resourced and state-funded bad actors, we are seeking a new balance between security and business risks.

», underlined Microsoft. “We will work promptly to apply our current security standards to Microsoft’s proprietary legacy systems and internal business processes, even if these changes risk disrupting existing business processes.“