Share this @internewscast.com

Microsoft is still struggling to keep out the Russian cyberspies that gained high-level access to the company late last year, the company announced Friday.

Those hackers have in recent weeks gained access to some key company secrets, including digital vaults where the company keeps source code for some of its programs, the company said in a blog post.

Microsoft said the hackers are members of a group that the cybersecurity industry and U.S. and U.K. government agencies widely associated with Russia’s SVR intelligence agency, which is roughly analogous with the U.S. National Security Agency. The U.S. has said the SVR was responsible for the SolarWinds hacking campaign of 2020, one of the most expansive and successful cyberespionage campaigns against the U.S. government discovered to date.

A spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The extent of valuable information that the hackers took is unclear, and a Microsoft spokesperson declined to share more information. But the ongoing hacking campaign is particularly noteworthy because Microsoft plays a crucial role in the U.S. Federal government systems and the company’s artificial intelligence research is some of the most advanced in the world.

Adam Meyers, the senior vice president for counteradversary operations at the cybersecurity company Crowdstrike, said that the type of valuable government information that Microsoft holds could be ripe for Russian influence operations aimed at destabilizing the country’s targets.

“What is significant here is that Microsoft has a tremendous amount of data of the United States government and other governments,” Meyers said. 

“If you think about the Russia angle, their goal is to try to drive a wedge in NATO, members of the European Union, in the United States to try and cause dissension and chaos and confusion,” he said.

Microsoft announced in January that it had discovered an ongoing hacking campaign that began in November. To gain access, the hackers relied on a crude technique, known as password spraying, of repeatedly trying username and password combinations in order to break into an account that had significant administrative authority.

The hackers were able to quickly gain access to the email accounts of some key Microsoft employees, including senior corporate leadership, legal teams and those who researched foreign cyberspies like the SVR, the company said at the time.

Since then, the problem has only grown more severe, the company said. Password spraying increased by tenfold from February to March, Microsoft said, and it appears that the hackers have been able to use what they initially learned to discover other weaknesses in the company’s systems.

In an emailed statement, a senior official at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Eric Goldstein, said the agency “remains closely engaged with Microsoft to understand this intrusion campaign and provide all necessary assistance to impacted organizations, including Microsoft customers.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Wild photos show firefighters battling massive 5-alarm fire at historic NYC church

Stunning Photos Capture Heroic Firefighters Tackling Devastating 5-Alarm Blaze at Iconic NYC Church

Striking images have emerged of firefighters valiantly combating an intense 5-alarm blaze…
Forensic genealogy unmasks cold case suspect as strangler, sexual predator decades later: officials

Breakthrough in Cold Case: Forensic Genealogy Identifies Decades-Old Strangler and Sexual Predator

Decades after DNA evidence emerged in two chilling Massachusetts cases—a murder in…
Hiker stumbles on human skull in iconic desert as mystery grows and detectives open homicide probe

Human Skull Discovery in Iconic Desert Sparks Homicide Investigation: Mystery Deepens as Detectives Probe

A chilling find in the isolated deserts of Southern California has initiated…
Rep. Max Miller's divorce from Sen. Bernie Moreno's daughter gets ugly

Rep. Max Miller’s Divorce from Sen. Bernie Moreno’s Daughter Intensifies

WASHINGTON — Ohio Representative Max Miller is embroiled in a contentious custody…
Elite school teacher known as 'Mr Wonderful' accused of heinous crimes against students

Esteemed Educator ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Faces Serious Allegations of Crimes Against Students

A former educator at a private institution, once known by the moniker…
ICE nabs illegal aliens convicted of child sex crimes and meth trafficking in nationwide enforcement sweep

ICE Cracks Down: Nationwide Sweep Captures Convicted Child Predators and Meth Traffickers

In a concerted effort aligning with National Crime Victims Week, U.S. Immigration…
City manager 'begged' fired Cincinnati police chief for more officers on street as crime skyrocketed

City Manager Urgently Requested Additional Officers from Dismissed Cincinnati Police Chief Amid Rising Crime Rates

Cincinnati’s former police chief, Teresa Theetge, who previously faced a lawsuit from…
The Kremlin’s war on censorship looks a lot like trigger warnings in NYC, dissident Russian director says

Russian Director Compares Kremlin’s Censorship Tactics to NYC’s Trigger Warnings

Fleeing Russia in pursuit of freedom, a prominent director found himself ensnared…
Mexican Mafia turned American neighborhoods into ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ with murders, kidnappings, drugs: feds

Federal Authorities Report Mexican Mafia’s Role in Transforming U.S. Neighborhoods with Crime and Drugs

In a significant crackdown on organized crime, federal authorities announced Thursday the…
Scathing audit performed on West Suburban Medical Center, shuttered Oak Park, Illinois hospital thousands relied on

Critical Audit Uncovers Issues at West Suburban Medical Center, Former Lifeline for Oak Park, IL Residents

OAK PARK, Ill. — Late Tuesday afternoon, the ABC7 I-Team uncovered that…
Trump threatens to 'finish it up militarily' if Iran refuses to make a deal

Trump Warns of Military Action if Iran Talks Fail

On Thursday afternoon, President Trump announced his intention to resume military strikes…
Oklahoma tornado barrels through Enid, damaging homes and shutting down roads

Tornado Strikes Enid, Oklahoma: Homes Damaged and Roads Closed

On Thursday, a devastating tornado tore through Oklahoma, ripping the roofs off…