Microsoft Says Over 40 Organizations Were Targeted by Suspected Russian Intelligence Hack

Microsoft Says Over 40 Organizations Were Targeted by Suspected Russian Intelligence Hack

Microsoft Says Over 40 Organizations Were Targeted by Suspected Russian Intelligence Hack.

On Thursday, Microsoft president Brad Smith spoke out about the latest cyber breach.

Smith said that more than 17,000 customers installed the malware-infected third-party software sold by SolarWinds.

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From there, the hackers were able to “pick and choose” companies they wanted to attack further.

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According to Smith, more than 40 Microsoft customers were “significantly impacted” by the hack.

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Microsoft has identified and has been working this week to notify more than 40 customers that the attackers targeted more precisely and compromised through additional and sophisticated measures, Brad Smith, via statement.

80 percent of the affected Microsoft customers are in the United States, with the remaining victims in seven other countries.

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Smith said, "it's a certainty that the number and location of victims will keep growing.".

Initially, the attack was believed to have been mainly targeted at government agencies.

While 18 percent of the victims are in the government sector, 44 percent are in the information technology sector.

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This includes software firms, IT services and equipment providers.

An additional 18 percent are in think tanks and non-government organizations, and 9 percent are in the government contractor sector.

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The attack unfortunately represents a broad and successful espionage-based assault on both the confidential information of the U.S. Government and the tech tools used by firms to protect them, Brad Smith, via statement