Microsoft Says China-Based Cyber Actor Gained Access To Government Email Accounts

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th July, 2023) A cyber actor based in China managed to access the email accounts of 25 organizations, including government agencies, Executive Vice President of microsoft Security Charlie Bell said in a statement.

"Today, we are publishing details of activity by a China-based actor Microsoft is tracking as Storm-0558 that gained access to email accounts affecting approximately 25 organizations including government agencies as well as related consumer accounts of individuals likely associated with these organizations," the statement said on Tuesday.

Microsoft notified impacted customers ahead of the release of public details of the incident, the statement said.

Microsoft mitigated an attack from Storm-0558, which primarily targeted government agencies in Western Europe, with a focus on espionage, data theft and credential access, Microsoft Security Response Center said in a statement.

Microsoft began its probe after reports of anomalous mail activity in June, the statement said. The investigation revealed that Storm-0558 gained access to email accounts beginning in May using forged authentication tokens, the statement said.

Microsoft has completed mitigation of the attack for all users, having successfully blocked access using forged tokens, the statement said.

Microsoft is working with the US Department of Homeland Security and other Federal government entities to protect impacted customers and address the issue, the statement said.

Microsoft continues to investigate and monitor Storm-0558 activity, the statement added.