China: Claims of Microsoft hack are “malicious”
Chinese officials have hit back at claims that they were behind a global hack of Microsoft’s email exchange.
The US, UK and their Western allies had together accused China as being the driving force behind a hack of the software giant’s email platform earlier this year.
Some 30,000 organisations across the globe discovered their confidential discussions had been breached by a group of hackers.
The group are now commonly known as ‘Hafnium’ and was found by Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Centre to be operating out of China.
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Moreover, the group was found by Western intelligence services to be state-sponsored.
But the Chinese Embassy in Wellington called the accusations “groundless and irresponsible” after New Zealand joined the group of countries pointing the finger at China.
“Making accusations without [proof] is malicious.”
It is believed that Hafnium exploited advanced knowledge of Microsoft’s plan to patch the vulnerability through sharing it with fellow China-based groups.
Western security services fear the hack marks a transition from targeted espionage campaigns toward smash-and-grab rampages.
Chinese cyber behaviour adds to mounting tensions between China and the US over issues ranging from policies in Hong Kong and Xinjiang to the origins of Covid-19.
The Chinese embassy in Australia also hit back, boldly naming Washington as “the world champion of malicious cyber-attacks.”
Read more: US, UK and allies accuse China of global ‘cyber sabotage’ including Microsoft hacks