U.S. Cybersecurity Agency: Russian Hackers Exploited Microsoft to Access Government Emails

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of the United States announced on Thursday that state-affiliated Russian hackers exploited Microsoft's email system to gain access to communications between officials and the technology company. According to Reuters, this hacking operation led to a new directive from the U.S. Cybersecurity watchdog, stating that hackers infiltrated officials' computers using shared authentication information through email, targeting an unspecified number of government organizations. This revelation, which raised significant alarms, was disclosed last week in a report from the U.S. Cybersecurity Review Board, which stated that a separate hacking operation attributed to China was preventable and blamed Microsoft for 'cybersecurity flaws' and 'lack of transparency.' Although the Cybersecurity Agency refrained from naming the entities targeted by this hacking operation, Microsoft stated in an email that it is 'working with its customers' to mitigate the impacts of this incident. The American company Microsoft had previously reported discovering Russia's attempts to hack the computer systems of political groups in the United States in the months leading up to the midterm elections. According to U.S. media, this American tech giant identified a group linked to the Russian government that created fake websites to target two think tanks associated with the conservative political spectrum in the U.S.