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. .
From there, the hackers were able
to “pick and choose” companies
they wanted to attack further. .
According to Smith, more than 40 Microsoft customers
were “significantly impacted” by the hack. .
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. .
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. .
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. .
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