The US says China is to blame for a massive Microsoft Exchange cyberattack

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Starting in January of this year, Microsoft Exchange software, which helps manage email and calendar programs, was breached. Now, the US, the UK, European Union, NATO, Japan, and Australia have come together to condemn China for the attacks.

Hackers working with the Chinese Ministry of State Security used its access to extort US businesses, according to the report from NBC News. It is believed that some of the hacks were “conventional” spying operations from China with others being used to deploy ransomware attacks.

In a statement from the European Council, it is noted “The compromise and exploitation of the Microsoft Exchange server undermined the security and integrity of thousands of computers and networks worldwide, including in the member states and EU institutions.”

It also seems that some of the ransomware attacks may have been from other hacking groups, who were made aware of the vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange after the company announced the hack back in March of this year.

At present, it is not clear how many of these Microsoft Exchange ransomware attacks have been successful and how many companies were targeted.

In an email, Tom Burt, Microsoft’s vice president for customer security and trust, noted that “Attributions like these will help the international community ensure those behind indiscriminate attacks are held accountable. Transparency is critical if we’re to combat the rising cyberattacks we see across the planet against individuals, organizations and nations.”

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