TECH NEWS – The Redmond-based tech giant accuses a Chinese, state-sponsored group of hackers of carrying out an attack, but the Chinese Embassy denies it.
Cyberattacks have become alarmingly common, especially those targeting large companies and exploiting their security weaknesses. Microsoft claims that Chinese state-backed attackers found a breach and infiltrated SharePoint document management software as part of a global cyberattack campaign. The company said the spy campaign mainly targeted companies and government agencies, as well as their sensitive infrastructure. The Chinese Embassy has strongly denied the allegations, calling them baseless. However, Microsoft insists that its customers were active targets and is currently releasing security patches to mitigate the threat.
Several U.S.-based tech companies have blamed Chinese hackers for exploiting vulnerabilities. On Tuesday, Microsoft disclosed its findings in a blog post, blaming two Chinese government-backed groups, Linen Typhoon and Violent Typhoon, for exploiting a security flaw in the company’s on-premises SharePoint systems rather than in the cloud-based service. Another hacking group, Storm-2603, was also named for its alleged involvement in the exploit. Microsoft added that the named threat actors were involved in ransomware attacks.
Microsoft discovered a zero-day vulnerability in self-managed SharePoint servers. Attackers could bypass authentication, take over user IDs, and trick the system into believing they were authorized users. The cloud-based version of Microsoft’s SharePoint was not affected, and the attacks began on July 7, before the vulnerability was made public. Microsoft has warned its users that several actors are trying to exploit the flaw. Google’s chief technology officer confirmed that at least one of the actors responsible had Chinese connections and that several hacking groups were trying to gain access through the vulnerability. Microsoft assesses that threat actors will likely continue to exploit the vulnerability.
The Chinese embassy responded immediately, bluntly denying the allegations and calling them baseless. They stressed their opposition to cybercrime and expressed China’s strong stance against cyberattacks and cybercrime in all forms. However, they also expressed their strong opposition to smearing others without solid evidence. Whether Chinese hacking groups are involved cannot be stated with absolute certainty.
Nevertheless, Microsoft has issued urgent patches. The company is also issuing additional security patches to strengthen its systems and protect against further vulnerability exploits.
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