An internal investigation at Microsoft has determined that hackers were able to view Microsoft’s source code, the building blocks and instructions written for applications and computer programs. However, Microsoft “found no evidence of access to production services or customer data,” while the ongoing investigation “has also found no indications that our systems were used to attack others.” According to Microsoft, the source code could not be altered, and viewing the source code does not present elevated risk.
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The malicious SolarWind applications within Microsoft were quickly isolated and removed, however the attack raises questions about the security of customer data and privacy. Microsoft has ensured that customer data has not been breached, and a security protocol has been put in place for the viewing of source code. According to Microsoft’s security update, it does not rely on the “secrecy of source code” to maintain the security of its products, and its threat models “assume that attackers have knowledge of source code.”
Although Microsoft has security measures put in place regarding its source code, Notre Dame information technology professor and former National Security Agency official Mike Chapple believes that hackers were targeting Microsoft products to find security vulnerabilities to gain access to Microsoft users. Chapple also warns if information gets in the wrong hands, the next SolarWind-like breach may possibly happen to Microsoft products.
However, it seems Microsoft has been prepared, as the company has planned for attacks with layers of defense and the protections in place with an “assume breach philosophy.” Microsoft is among thousands of organizations targeted by the security breach, but the technology giant has a ton of private user data, especially with the rise of the video conferencing app Microsoft Teams, which is used by many companies.
Technology and digital media has been always prone to hackers, but the attack on United States government agencies and organizations has been one of the biggest in history. Many times, hackers operate on a much smaller scale, accessing accounts, using cheats in video games, and targeting source code. Earlier in the year, Ubisoft was even subject to hackers releasing the source code of Watch Dogs: Legion. Microsoft’s source code being targeted could lead to a very dangerous situation, but according to Microsoft, security measures prevent any damaging actions. Microsoft’s internal investigation is still ongoing, and hopefully concludes with no user data or private information being accessed by hackers.
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Source: Microsoft, CNN
