An alert from Microsoft was sent to one of cybersecurity specialist Steven Adair’s customers in late June, informing them that one of their employees who dealt with human rights problems had had their email account stolen.
The client inquired as to whether Adair could solve the mystery. Adair, who formerly worked in cyber defense for the US space agency NASA before founding his own company, Volexity, started an inquiry right after but ran into a brick block.
Microsoft Draws Scrutiny In The Wake Of Hacks
The adept cyber spies that Microsoft MSFT.O this week accused of stealing emails from high-ranking US officials, including staff of the State Department and Gina Raimondo, were the same ones that broke into his client’s emails.
Microsoft claimed that the intrusions didn’t operate by seizing control of machines or collecting passwords, but rather by exploiting a still-unknown security flaw with the company’s well-known online email service.
Adair had no way to determine what had occurred since his customer, who he declined to name, was not paying Microsoft for its top-tier security package. As a result, extensive forensic data was not available.
Following the breach and growing unease with the software giant’s security procedures in government circles, Adair is now advocating for Microsoft to offer the additional data to its clients at no cost.
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Responsibility and Defenses Following Hacking Incident
US Senator Ron Wyden argued that Microsoft should provide complete forensic capabilities to all of its users rather than charging for premium features that are vital to prevent hacking, comparing it to selling a car and then adding extra costs for seatbelts and airbags.
Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment on Wyden’s observation, Adair’s experience, or other criticisms of its security right away.
Microsoft stated that responsibility begins with us and that it was always self-evaluating, learning from incidents, and fortifying its defenses in a blog post that detailed the hack late on Tuesday.
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