Microsoft Discloses China-Based Hacking Group accessed US Government Mails

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Microsoft recently disclosed in a blog post that a hacking group called Storm-0558, suspected to operate from China, effectively breached email accounts linked to 25 entities, including government agencies in Western Europe.

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Charlie Bell, Microsoft's executive vice president of security, stated in another post that the hacking group appeared to be primarily focused on espionage and gaining intelligence by infiltrating email systems.

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The Washington Post reported that Storm-0558 also breached unclassified email accounts linked to the U.S. government, as confirmed by U.S. officials.

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China responded to the accusations by claiming that Microsoft's statement was a deliberate attempt to divert attention from U.S. cyber activities.

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Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, dismissed the accusation as "disinformation" aimed at deflecting attention from cyberattacks conducted by the U.S. on China.

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Microsoft disclosed that the hackers employed forged authentication tokens to gain unauthorized access to the email accounts and stated that they have addressed the attack and informed affected customers.

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To strengthen defenses against comparable cyberattacks, Microsoft is partnering with multiple organizations, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

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Wang argued that the U.S., being the world's largest hacker empire, engages in significant cyber theft, despite numerous reports by China and other countries exposing cyberattacks perpetrated by the U.S. government.

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U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, currently attending the NATO summit in Lithuania, confirmed that the investigation into the breach is ongoing. 

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Sullivan emphasized that prompt action was taken to detect and prevent further breaches, and updates will be provided to the public as more information becomes available.