hackers from China
Microsoft reports major attack on email accounts
07/12/2023 8:26 p.m
In order to collect secret information, Chinese hackers are said to have gained access to the mail accounts of Western government agencies. According to Microsoft, the accounts of 25 organizations are affected, including the US State Department. The incident is still under investigation.
According to the software giant Microsoft, hackers from China have penetrated the e-mail accounts of several Western government institutions. The China-based actor, whom Microsoft calls Storm-0558, has gained access to the email accounts of 25 organizations, including government agencies, the company said on Tuesday evening (local time). “We believe this adversary is focused on espionage – as well as gaining access to email systems to gather intelligence.”
The US State Department was apparently also the target of the attacks, even if Microsoft did not explicitly list the ministry. However, a State Department spokesman said in Washington that the ministry had identified “unusual activity” and then “took immediate steps to secure our systems.” The State Department in Washington declined to provide any further information, citing its “cyber security policy.” “The incident is still under investigation,” the spokesman said.
The Washington Post newspaper reported that the hacked email accounts had no security ratings. Accounts of the US Department of Defense, secret services or the country’s armed forces were allegedly not affected. US President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, told ABC television that the hack was discovered “quite quickly”. “We were able to prevent further breaches.”
According to Microsoft, Storm-0558 primarily targets “government agencies in Western Europe,” focusing on espionage, data theft and credentials. The software company said it launched an investigation into “unusual email activity” on June 16 and subsequently took steps to stop the hacker attack.