Microsoft Rushes to Stop Hackers from Wreaking Global Havoc

Source: Bloomberg News via Yahoo Finance

Hackers exploited a security flaw in common Microsoft Corp. software to breach governments, businesses and other organizations across the globe and steal sensitive information, according to officials and cybersecurity researchers.

Microsoft over the weekend released a patch for the vulnerability in servers of the SharePoint document management software. The company said it was still working to roll out other fixes after warnings that hackers were targeting SharePoint clients, using the flaw to enter file systems and execute code.

The hackers, who so far have not been identified, have already used the flaw to break into the systems of national governments in Europe and the Middle East, and to breach government agencies in states, including Florida, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke on condition that they not be identified discussing the sensitive information.

Florida state representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The hackers also breached the systems of a US-based healthcare provider and targeted a public university in Southeast Asia, according to a report from a cybersecurity firm reviewed by Bloomberg News. The report doesn’t identify either entity by name, but says the hackers have attempted to breach SharePoint servers in countries including Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The firm asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the information.

Read more: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-server-software-comes-under-060851051.html