A Hacker Attack on Microsoft Started in November, Only Discovered Last Week

The company, however, refused to disclose the names of the affected executives. It is known that the attackers also obtained emails from employees in the cybersecurity and legal sectors. The exact number of affected accounts is not known, but according to Microsoft, this only represents a "very small percentage" of their over 221,000 employees. The hackers managed to crack the password of an internal test account and gain access to the email system.

According to Microsoft, this was not due to vulnerabilities in their products or services. There is also no evidence that the attackers had access to customer areas, software source codes, or artificial intelligence systems.

The hacker attack has been attributed by Microsoft to a Russian group known as "Midnight Blizzard" and "Nobelium." According to initial investigation results, the intruders first searched for information about the group in the stolen emails. This could indicate that the hackers are seeking more information about Microsoft and their tactics in order to better execute their attacks.

However, it is unclear how the focus of the attackers has changed after receiving this information. Microsoft software is widely used in companies and government agencies worldwide. Depending on what information the hackers have obtained, this attack could have significant consequences.

A similarly severe cyberattack occurred a few years ago when Russian hackers gained access to the systems of dozens of companies and authorities through infected maintenance software from the company SolarWinds.

The incident has had no impact on Microsoft's stock price so far. In pre-market NYSE trading, the stock temporarily rose by 0.45 percent to $400.45.