Microsoft Accuse SolarWinds Hackers for Latest USAID Cyber Attack

• Microsoft Corp MSFT has blamed the Russian SolarWinds Corp SWI hackers, Nobelium, for compromising the United States Agency For International Development’s (USAID) mass email system Constant Contact to violate the accounts of over 150 global government agencies, human rights groups and NGOs, the Financial Times reports.
• It was the same group behind manipulating SolarWinds software to break into the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments, Pentagon, and several Fortune 500 companies.
• Nobelium allegedly emailed over 3,000 accounts over 150 government agencies, think tanks, consultancies, and non-governmental organizations posing as the USAID under the latest attack, Reuters reports.
• The attack, which mainly focused on the U.S., encompassed at least 24 countries. At least 25% of the victims were involved in international development, humanitarian, and human rights work.
• Microsoft said the attacks seemed like an extension of multiple efforts to target intelligence and foreign policy government agencies.
• Russia refuted the SolarWinds cyberattack allegations this month.
• Microsoft said it was in the process of notifying all of its victimized customers. It also did not have any evidence regarding any Microsoft product or service vulnerability.
• Constant Contact told Financial times it was aware that the “account credentials of one of their customers” were compromised, and it was “an isolated incident.”
• The Joe Biden government recently prioritized cybersecurity funding following the multiple hacks.
• Price action: MSFT shares traded higher by 0.41% at $250.32 in the premarket session on the last check Friday.

Editor’s Note: Microsoft’s statement to Financial Times was erroneously attributed to Constant Contact. It has been rectified in the third last bullet.