Russian Hackers Break into Microsoft’s Core Systems
Morrissey Technology – Russian hackers gained access to some of Microsoft’s core software systems in a hack last January. According to Microsoft, there are more extensive and serious anomalies in Microsoft systems that were previously unknown. The company believes hackers in recent weeks used information stolen from Microsoft’s email system.
“(Hackers accessed) multiple source code repositories and the company’s internal systems,” Microsoft told the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Source code is often coveted by companies – and the spies who try to break into it. This is because there is a secret software program that makes it work. Hackers who have access to the source code can use it for advanced attacks on other systems.
Microsoft first disclosed the hack in January, days before another major technology company, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, said the same hacker had broken into its cloud-based email system.
It is not yet known exactly what the purpose and extent of the hackers were to infiltrate the core system. But experts say the hacking group was responsible for collecting intelligence data and was affiliated with the Kremlin.
This hacker group is said to be the figure behind the breach of several United States agency email systems that was revealed in 2020. The hackers controlled the system for months to unclassified email accounts belonging to the Ministry of Homeland Security and Justice.
US officials linked the hacking group to Russia’s foreign intelligence service. However, the Kremlin denied involvement in the operation. In the years since the 2020 hack, Russian hackers have continued to break into widely used technology companies as part of their espionage campaigns.
In the activity described Friday, the hackers allegedly used information stolen from Microsoft “to assemble a picture of areas to attack and improve its ability to do so,” the company said in a blog post accompanying the SEC filing FOR4D.
“To date we have found no evidence that Microsoft-hosted customer-facing systems have been compromised,” Microsoft said.
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