Microsoft has reported that hackers based in China have gotten access to the email accounts of about 25 organizations, including governmental organizations.
According to BBC, The software giant has not specified the locations of the government organizations.
The secretary of commerce, Gina Raimondo, was reportedly one of those affected by the breach.
According to a US Department of Commerce spokesperson, “Microsoft notified the Department of a compromise to Microsoft’s Office 365 system, and the Department took immediate action to respond.”
They continued, “We are keeping an eye on our systems and will act quickly if any additional activity is found.”
The State Department was reportedly also a target of the hackers, according to US media.
China’s embassy in London informed Reuters that the allegations were “disinformation” and referred to the US government as “the world’s biggest hacking empire and global cyber thief.”
Microsoft however claimed that the Chinese hacking collective Storm-0558 had gained access to email accounts by creating fake digital authentication tokens that the system requires. Typically, the tokens are used to confirm a person’s identification.
Storm-0558 focuses on espionage, data theft, and credential access, the company added, and “primarily targets government agencies in Western Europe.”
According to the company’s research, the breaches started around the middle of May, and it has now “mitigated the attack and has contacted impacted customers.”
Microsoft and Western intelligence agencies said in May that Chinese hackers had attacked vital equipment on American military sites in Guam using “stealthy” malware.
“One of the largest known cyber espionage campaigns against the US,” according to experts.
Beijing referred to the Microsoft study as “disinformation” and “highly unprofessional”.
Regardless of the facts or context, China constantly denies involvement in hacking operations.
