Skip to main content

Microsoft Thwarts Chinese Cyber Attack Targeting Governments.


Chinese Cyber Attack

By THN.

Microsoft on Tuesday revealed that it repelled a cyber attack staged by a Chinese nation-state actor targeting two dozen organizations, some of which include government agencies, in a cyber espionage campaign designed to acquire confidential data.

The attacks, which commenced on May 15, 2023, entailed access to email accounts affecting approximately 25 entities and a small number of related individual consumer accounts.

The tech giant attributed the campaign to Storm-0558, describing it as a nation-state activity group based out of China that primarily singles out government agencies in Western Europe.

"They focus on espionage, data theft, and credential access," Microsoft said. "They are also known to use custom malware that Microsoft tracks as Cigril and Bling, for credential access."


The breach is said to have been detected a month later on June 16, 2023, after an unidentified customer reported the anomalous email activity to the company.

Microsoft said it notified all targeted or compromised organizations directly via their tenant admins. It did not name the organizations and agencies affected and the number of accounts that may have been hacked.

However, according to the Washington Post, the attackers also broke into a number of unclassified U.S. email accounts.

The access to customer email accounts, per Redmond, was facilitated through Outlook Web Access in Exchange Online (OWA) and Outlook.com by forging authentication tokens.

"The actor used an acquired  MSA key to forge tokens to access OWA and Outlook.com," it explained. "MSA (consumer) keys and Azure AD (enterprise) keys are issued and managed from separate systems and should only be valid for their respective systems."

"The actor exploited a token validation issue to impersonate Azure AD users and gain access to enterprise mail."

There is no evidence that the threat actor used Azure AD keys or any other MSA keys to carry out the attacks. Microsoft has since blocked the usage of tokens signed with the acquired MSA key in OWA to mitigate the attack.

"This type of espionage-motivated adversary seeks to abuse credentials and gain access to data residing in sensitive systems," Charlie Bell, executive vice president of Microsoft Security, said.

The disclosure comes more than a month after Microsoft exposed critical infrastructure attacks mounted by a Chinese adversarial collective called Volt Typhoon (aka Bronze Silhouette or Vanguard Panda) targeting the U.S.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Wedded Ayivu West MP Lematia John Fights Over Another Woman.

  📸: Hon Lematia John. By URN. Police in Arua district are investigating a case of assault and threatening violence involving the Member of Parliament for Ayivu West Constituency John Lematia and James Ariko, a DSTV technician in Arua city. Drama ensued on Easter Sunday 31-3-2024 at Dream Land Hotel located at Kuluva trading center along Arua-Nebbi highway in Arua district when the legislator and the technician engaged in a fight reportedly over a woman identified as Faith Eyotaru 25, a relationship officer at Victoria University Kampala. The scuffle started after Ayivu West Mp John Lematia went to swim at Dreamland Hotel with Faith Eyotaru only to find Ariko, who had gone to the same hotel earlier. However, upon seeing the duo coming out of the vehicle, Ariko confronted Lematia with both men claiming to be having a relationship with the lady. It took the intervention of the staff at the hotel who intervened and separated the fight between the men. Josephine Angucia, the West Nile re

41-Years-Old Man Digs His Own Grave in Maracha District.

Story by Osuta Yusuf.  Maracha District.  📸: The grave been dug by Mr Opiga Michael, a victim of frustration. Photo taken by Osuta Yusuf , on Wednesday 11-September-2024. The residents of Ebapi village, Baria Parish in Nyadri Sub-county, Maracha east constituency, Maracha District are in shock after a 41 year old man started digging his own grave. The man, identified as Mr Opiga Michael, who seems to be frustrated over some challenges in life, started digging his own grave on Tuesday 10-September-2024 until he was stopped by the elders in Nyaria clan. 📸: Opiga Michael, the Victim of Frustration. Photo by Osuta Yusuf , Information is Power. While speaking to our reporter on Wednesday evening 11-September-2024, Mr Opiga Michael, said, his main plan  was to commit suicide after finishing digging the grave for burying himself, explained that, he feels frustrated, abandoned and hated by his own clan people, whom he accused of piling lies against him and some even a

Escaped Murder Suspect Finally Arrested in Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital, Yumbe District.

Story by Osuta Yusuf. 19-November-2024. 📸: Eyotre Kennedy handcuffed on bed while receiving medication this morning at Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital in Yumbe District. Eyotre Kennedy originating from Etoko village, Nyoroo Parish, Nyadri Sub-county in Maracha District who has for many years been terrorizing residents in his village, has finally been arrested this Monday morning 19-November-2024 while receiving treatment at Yumbe Regional Referral Hospital in Yumbe District following injuries he sustained from Theft mission on Saturday night 16-November-2024 in Owapi village, Azapi parish in Odupi Sub-county, Terego East Constituency in Terego District. Click here on the link  https://informationispowah.blogspot.com/2024/11/fugitive-who-chopped-3-people-killed.html   to read the story on his Theft of Goats in Terego. Upon getting cut on the finger and leg by the Mob as he attempted to fight and overpower owner of the goats he attempted to steal on Saturday night 16-11-202