Microsoft has become ensnared in probes surrounding the recently disclosed colossal U.S. government hack, with media reports and company messages focusing on Office 365, Azure Active Directory and a key domain name.
Two key victims in the massive nation-state hacking campaign reportedly had their Microsoft Office 365 accounts broken into. The Russian intelligence service hackers for months monitored staff emails sent via Office 365 at the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) after breaking into the NTIA’s office software, Reuters reported Sunday.
The hackers are “highly sophisticated” and were able to trick the Microsoft platform’s authentication controls, according to Reuters, citing a person familiar with the incident. The Commerce Department said that one of its bureaus had been breached, but didn’t respond to an inquiry about the role of Office 365 in the attack.