Microsoft said late Tuesday a known group that primarily focuses on hacking Western governments to spy on them had successfully breached some accounts.
By Kevin Collier
Hackers in China recently broke into the email accounts of around 25 organizations, including multiple government agencies, Microsoft said.
At least one of those agencies is in the U.S. government. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the central federal cybersecurity watchdog, announced Wednesday that “a Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agency,” which it did not name, first discovered the breach in mid-June.
Microsoft did not name any of the affected countries or agencies, but said that the group primarily focuses on hacking western governments to spy on them. Microsoft said it worked with the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to kick the hackers out, indicating U.S. organizations are among the victims.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he and other committe members are “closely monitoring what appears to be a significant cybersecurity breach by Chinese intelligence.”
“It’s clear that the PRC is steadily improving its cyber collection capabilities directed against the U.S. and our allies,” Warner added. “Close coordination between the U.S. government and the private sector will be critical to countering this threat.”
The hacks started May 15 and went undetected until June 16, Microsoft announced in a report Tuesday evening. The perpetrators were primarily focused on access to email accounts and no longer have that access, it said.
Microsoft did not say whether it believes the hacker group is affiliated with China’s government.
Unlike those working for Russia or Iran, hackers working for China rarely focus on disrupting their targets, but they are generally regarded as some of the most prolific cyberspies in the world.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told The Associated Press that any accusation of government involvement was “disinformation.”
