Microsoft Reports Russian Hackers Breached Senior Executives’ Emails

Microsoft revealed on Friday that a Russian state-sponsored group successfully breached its corporate systems on January 12, accessing some emails and documents from staff accounts. The hacking group, known as Nobelium or Midnight Blizzard in the cybersecurity industry, utilized a “password spray attack” starting in November 2023 to exploit a Microsoft platform. This technique involves using the same password across multiple accounts to infiltrate a company’s systems.

The breach allowed the Russian group to gain access to a “very small percentage” of Microsoft corporate email accounts, including those of senior leadership team members and employees in cybersecurity, legal, and other departments, according to Microsoft. The company’s threat research team, which regularly investigates nation-state hackers like Midnight Blizzard, found that the hackers initially targeted email accounts containing information about the Russian hacking group.

Microsoft promptly conducted an investigation into the incident and took measures to disrupt the malicious activity, preventing the threat actor’s continued access to its systems. As of now, the Russian Embassy in Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not provided immediate comments on the matter.