Hackers in China recently broke into the email accounts of about 25 organizations, including several government agencies, Microsoft said.
At least one of those agencies is in the United States government. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the central federal cybersecurity watchdog, announced on wednesday that “an agency of the Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB)”, which he did not name, first discovered the breach in mid-June.
Microsoft did not name any of the affected countries or agencies, but said the group focuses mainly in hacking Western governments to spy on them. Microsoft said it worked with the Federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to drive out the hackers, indicating that US organizations are among the victims. CISA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The attacks began on May 15 and went unnoticed until June 16. Microsoft announced in a report Tuesday night. The perpetrators primarily targeted access to email accounts and no longer have that access, he said.
Microsoft did not say whether it believes the hacking group is affiliated with the Chinese government.
Unlike those working for Russia or Iran, hackers working for China rarely focus on disrupting their targets, but are generally considered some of the world’s most prolific cyberspies.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Associated Press that any accusation of government involvement was “disinformation.”
