BARCELONA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 26: A logo lights up outside the Microsoft booth on Day 2 of the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2019 on February 26, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images)
In Writing
UPDATED AT 14:00 PT – Saturday, March 6, 2021
Microsoft announced that 20,000 American organizations have been involved in a recent hack. On Friday, a U.S. official said Microsoft had discovered a breach in its exchange server, which works with Microsoft Outlook to ensure device updates are synchronized.
According to security experts, Chinese hackers are behind the latest security breach, but the Chinese government has denied these claims. This occurred when hackers stole information from infectious disease investigators, law firms, defense contractors and higher education institutes.
Microsoft said they are working with government agencies and security companies to resolve the issue.
Authorities noted that the recent hacking is completely separate from the SolarWinds hacking discovered late last year, attributed to Russian hackers.
During a press conference, White House press secretary Jen Psaki warned that the latest violation could have a far-reaching impact.
“First of all, this is an active threat and, as the National Security Adviser tweeted last night, everyone running these servers, governments, private sector, academics, must act now to correct “Them,” Psaki said. “We are concerned that there will be a large number of casualties and we are working with our partners to understand the scope of this.”
We are closely tracking Microsoft’s emergency patch for hitherto unknown vulnerabilities in Exchange Server software and reports of possible compromises from think tanks and U.S.-based industrial defense entities. We encourage network owners to make the patch as soon as possible: https://t.co/Q2K4DYWQud
– Jake Sullivan (@ JakeSullivan46) March 5, 2021
This occurred when the Security and Cybersecurity Agency ordered emergency measures to be taken by those affected by the non-compliance. The government agency stated that customers who believe they were not engaged should still apply “Microsoft patches” as a precaution.
However, the patches are not removed from the possible back doors of the exchange software, allowing the attacks to continue.
Patching and mitigation are not a solution if servers have already been compromised. It is essential that any organization with a vulnerable server take immediate action to determine if they were already targeted. https://t.co/HYKF2lA7sn
– National Security Council (@WHNSC) March 6, 2021
Reports indicate that thousands more customers may be affected by security breaches worldwide.