US and European government agencies, including the State Department, have been penetrated by a Chinese cyber espionage team, according to Microsoft and government authorities. This is part of a wider campaign of espionage that has affected more than two dozen government agencies across Europe and the US. This is the second time recently that government officials have conceded a China-originating cyberstrike on US governmental infrastructure. The danger was quickly suppressed shortly after it was initially noted, yet data implies that the hackers had access to government systems since at least May 2023.
U.S. and Western European government agencies, including the State Department, had Microsoft-powered email accounts hacked by Chinese intelligence in a "significant" breach, as reported by Microsoft and U.S. national security officials Wednesday. Sen. Mark Warner, chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence, expressed concern about the "cyber collection capabilities" of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The State Department verified it was impacted by the breach and is closely monitoring the situation.
The hacking group, dubbed "Storm-0558" by Microsoft, acquired access to the email accounts and also compromised accounts linked to the agencies. The software company's cyber security team took immediate action to mitigate the issue, which was detected in June 2023, while the hackers had already been present since May.
Commenting on this sophisticated breach, Mandiant's Chief Technical Officer Charles Carmakal stated that “each time the technique was used, it increased the chances of the threat actor getting caught".
The National Security Council, FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an alert, revealing the initial report of the intrusion was filed by one executive-branch agency. Microsoft is the main supplier of Exchange software to public- and private-sector customers and has taken measures to increase its security, especially following an attack against Covington and Burling in 2020.
U.S. national security officials have long cautioned against the risks posed by Chinese espionage efforts, with Jen Easterly, the country's top cyber security official, calling the threat "epoch-defining". This latest hack only serves to underscore the urgency of the issue.
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