Russian-based hackers continue to target U.S. companies, says Microsoft

• Russian hackers have targeted more than 140 technology companies since May

• Hackers have carried out 22,868 attacks between July 1 and October 19

The Russian-based hackers behind the cyberattack on SolarWinds Corp and many other companies continue to target technology companies in recent months, said Microsoft Corp in a blog post.

The hacker group, Nobelium, has targeted more than 140 technology companies since May, says Microsoft, out of which as many as 14 have been compromised. 

Unsophisticated techniques such as phishing or simply guessing user passwords were used for the attack.

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“This recent activity is another indicator that Russia is trying to gain long-term, systematic access to a variety of points in the technology supply chain,” said Tom Burt, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for customer security and trust.

The group behind SolarWinds’ cyberattack has carried out 22,868 attacks targeting 609 companies between July 1 and October 19 of this year, said Microsoft.

SolarWinds’ attack

The attack at SolarWinds, which is considered as one of the worst cyberattack in U.S., helped the hackers to target at nine federal agencies and 100 private companies. 

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Experts argue that the SolarWinds incident was concerning as it sets an example of how an attack on one company can be used to attack others.

The Biden administration had put pressure on Russia since the attacks and had warned of serious action from U.S. if such activities are not stopped.

SolarWinds is not sure of how the breach was executed but said that the initial point of entry could have been the same as observed by Microsoft.

Picture Credits: Reuters