Data Security

Thousands of Microsoft customer accounts compromised due to corporate surveillance and data theft

According to network security specialists, thousands of cyberattacks compromised the information security of more than 10k Microsoft customers last year. Most of these malicious activities were reportedly carried out from countries such as North Korea, Iran and Russia.  

Microsoft’s corporate vice president for
customer trust and security, Tom Burt, mentioned on the company’s official blog
that “about 84% of the victims of these attacks are Microsoft’s business
customers,” so the remaining 16% are individuals who use some of the
company’s software solutions.

While Microsoft does not know whether these
attacks are commonly motivated, they do accept that the scale at which attacks
are taking place, in addition to the methods used by hackers, should alert
authorities in various countries, as network security experts believe that
these hacker groups have the capacity and resources to compromise security at a
considerable level.

In the U.S. alone, about 700 civilian
organizations interested in strengthening democracy using the Microsoft
solution called Account
Guard
were victims of cyberattacks allegedly sponsored by foreign
governments. In addition, according to figures collected by security firms
around the world, about 90% of cyberattacks against civil or political
organizations target US-based groups.

Network security specialists at the
International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS) believe these figures to be a
clear indicator that the security of the 2020 US election could be compromised.
On the other hand, President Donald Trump recently stated that the U.S. has
what it takes to keep the next election process safe from any foreign intervention
attempt.

Along with China, the three countries mentioned
above are the main U.S. adversaries in what is known as cyber warfare. Whether
for intelligence tasks, corporate espionage, surveillance or as a way of
influencing an electoral process, the hacker groups sponsored by these
governments are constantly evolving to bypass U.S. inhabitants, private
companies and government institutions’ protection measures.

The Kremlin’s influence has already been proven
in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, so President Trump’s administration
will not want a campaign of intervention to be re-run in his country.

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