Nobelium Cyber Attack on Microsoft Leadership

In a blog post by Microsoft's Security Response Center, it was explained that late November witnessed Nobelium infiltrating a non-production test tenant account. From there, they exploited the account's permissions to access a small percentage of Microsoft corporate email accounts. Notably, the affected accounts included members of the senior leadership team, as well as employees working in cybersecurity, legal, and other functions. During the breach, the hackers managed to extract some emails and attached documents.

Targeting Microsoft's Leadership

Among the individuals impacted by this cyber attack were Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood and President Brad Smith. Both of them regularly meet with Chief Executive Satya Nadella.

No Breach of Customer Data or Proprietary Systems

Microsoft promptly reassured that Nobelium's activities did not result in the compromise of any customer data, production systems, or proprietary source code. This implies that the hackers' efforts were focused primarily on gaining intelligence rather than causing direct harm.

Familiar Threat Actor

Nobelium, also known as APT29 or Cozy Bear, is a notorious hacking group with a history of targeting high-profile institutions. In addition to previous attempts to breach the U.S. Defense Department's systems, Nobelium successfully infiltrated the Democratic National Committee's systems in 2016.

Compliance with New Cybersecurity Regulations

Microsoft's disclosure aligns with the new requirements imposed on organizations to promptly report incidents related to cybersecurity. By transparently sharing this incident, Microsoft plays its role in promoting greater awareness and accountability in the digital landscape.