Technology – Hackers with ties to Russia broke into the email accounts of Microsoft executives

Microsoft is the target of hackers Photo: Agence France-Presse

According to Microsoft, hackers with connections to Russia's foreign intelligence service have breached the email accounts of key managers at the US software giant.

According to Microsoft, hackers with connections to Russia's foreign intelligence service have breached the email accounts of key managers at the US software company. Microsoft said on Friday that hackers were able to access emails and attachments from managers and cybersecurity employees. However, there is currently no indication that customer accounts, production systems, source codes, or AI systems are affected.

Microsoft said the hacking group Midnight Blizzard, also known as Nobelium, was responsible for the attack. The hackers tried a password on several Microsoft accounts from November 2023 onwards, eventually succeeding using an old test account.

This would allow hackers to break into other email accounts. Microsoft's security team discovered the attack on January 12 and it was subsequently stopped.

The software company said the investigation showed that the hacker group initially searched for information about itself in email accounts. According to Microsoft, Midnight Blizzard primarily targets governments, diplomatic offices, NGOs, and IT service providers in the USA and Europe.

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