Chinese hackers successfully breached Microsoft’s email platform, compromising 60,000 emails from the U.S. State Department.
Moreover, these Chinese hackers, who managed to breach Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) email platform this year, reportedly seized tens of thousands of emails from U.S. State Department accounts. This information was provided by a Senate staffer to Reuters on Wednesday.
The staffer, who attended a briefing conducted by State Department IT officials, passed on that these officials briefed lawmakers about the theft of 60,000 emails from 10 State Department accounts. Among the victims, nine were focused on East Asia and the Pacific, while one specialized in European affairs, as per the details shared via email by the anonymous staffer. It’s worth noting that Senator Eric Schmitt employs the staffer.
In July, American officials and Microsoft disclosed that Chinese state-linked hackers, beginning in May, had infiltrated email accounts at about 25 organizations, including the U.S. Commerce and State Departments. However, the complete extent of the breach remains uncertain.
Furthermore, the United States’ accusations, pinning the breach on China, have further strained the already tense relationship between the two nations, with Beijing vehemently denying the charges. Additionally, the individuals at the State Department, whose accounts were compromised, primarily focused on Indo-Pacific diplomacy efforts. Moreover, during the Wednesday briefing, officials disclosed that the hackers successfully acquired a comprehensive list of all the department’s emails.
This significant breach has shifted the spotlight towards Microsoft’s substantial role in providing IT services to the U.S. government. In response, the State Department has taken action by initiating a shift towards “hybrid” environments, engaging multiple vendor companies, and intensifying the implementation of multi-factor authentication as part of its measures to strengthen system security, as conveyed by the officials during the briefing.
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