A breach in Microsoft's email software had affected more than 20,000 U.S. companies. Their information was assessed by a backdoor that was installed in the recently fixed Microsoft's email software. Businesses in Asia and Europe have also been compromised.
According to an official, the breach has far more reaching consequences than the SolarWinds attack that was hacked by Chinese hackers late last year. Microsoft's breach has allowed the information of credit unions, small businesses, and town governments vulnerable to viewing by hackers.
Microsoft is working with the US Federal government to manage the attack
Microsoft is currently trying to mitigate the attacks, but they haven't been able to stop the hacks from occurring. The tech company which had first claimed that the security breach was “limited and targeted attacks,” later released a statement saying that it was currently working with US officials and security experts to resolve the issue.
Microsoft, with the aid of state officials, is trying to notify customers about the breach. According to data, only 10% of the devices that were affected by the back have installed the "patch" offered by Microsoft.
It's currently the priority of both Microsoft and federal agents to guide the affected victims on how to solve the issue.
White House press secretary said the attack had the potential to cause problems
In a statement released by the White House press secretary Jen Psaki, she described the hack as “significant,” and that it could cause huge problems in the future.
She added that the US government believes that many people were affected by the hack. The customers that are vulnerable to the breach are those that used the web-based version of outlook instead of the cloud-based version.
The hack has been blamed by Microsoft on the Chinese hackers that were responsible for the attack on federal government agencies last year. The Chinese government has repeatedly refuted claims that it was responsible for the attack.