ESET Microsoft Exchangehowell Neill Technology…
ESET Microsoft Exchangehowell Neill Technology.
How China’s attack on Microsoft escalated into a “reckless” hacking spree
A Chinese state-sponsored hacking group has been targeting Microsoft for years, but a recent attack has been deemed “reckless” by the company.
The group, known as Hafnium, has been targeting Microsoft Exchange servers since at least January, and has been successful in compromising over 30,000 servers in the US. Microsoft has now issued a critical security update to patch the flaw, and is urging all customers to install it as soon as possible.
The company has also accused Hafnium of carrying out a “reckless and indiscriminate” campaign, and has vowed to take “appropriate legal and technical action” to protect its customers. Hafnium is a well-known Chinese state-sponsored hacking group that has been active since at least 2013.
The group is believed to be behind a number of high-profile attacks, including the 2014 Sony Pictures hack, and the 2016 attack on the US Office of Personnel Management. Hafnium’s recent attack on Microsoft Exchange servers was first discovered by security firm Volexity, which observed the group exploiting a previously unknown flaw in Microsoft’s email software.
ESET Microsoft Exchangehowell Neill Technology.
The flaw, which has been given the name CVE-2021-26855, exists in the way that Microsoft Exchange handles web requests, and can be exploited to gain access to a server without a password. Once a server has been compromised, the attacker can then install a backdoor, allowing them to gain full control of the system. Hafnium has been using this flaw to target US-based Exchange servers, and has been successful in compromising over 30,000 servers.
Microsoft has now released a security update to patch the flaw, and is urging all customers to install it as soon as possible. The company has also accused Hafnium of carrying out a “reckless and indiscriminate” campaign, and has vowed to take “appropriate legal and technical action” to protect its customers.
ESET Microsoft Exchangehowell Neill Technology.
