Russian hackers breach Microsoft’s core systems

Microsoft announced on Friday that Russian state-backed hackers, Midnight Blizzard, accessed its core software systems. Hackers stole data from corporate email to breach internal systems.

The breach follows similar attacks on a tech company, Hewlett Packard.

Detected in January, the attack exposed Microsoft’s source code repositories and internal systems. Source code is the backbone of software and is highly prized for its insight into program functionality.

The hacking started in November, with Microsoft thwarting access to email accounts by January 13. The intensity of the breach escalated in February, with a surge in password spray attacks.

Microsoft assures no customer-facing systems were compromised.

Experts attribute the hackers to Kremlin intelligence, which was behind the 2020 SolarWinds breach targeting US agencies.

Meanwhile, Russia has denied any involvement.