Microsoft cyberattack hits 100 organisations, security firms say
Two of the organisations that helped uncover the attack announced their findings on Monday.
On Saturday, Microsoft issued an alert about 'active attacks' on self-hosted SharePoint servers, which are widely used by organisations to share documents and collaborate within others. SharePoint instances run off of Microsoft servers were unaffected.
Dubbed a 'zero-day' because it leverages a previously undisclosed digital weakness, the hacks allow spies to penetrate vulnerable servers and potentially drop a backdoor to secure continuous access to victim organisations.
Vaisha Bernard, the chief hacker at Eye Security, a Netherlands-based cybersecurity firm which discovered the hacking campaign targeting one of its clients on Friday, said that an internet scan carried out with the Shadowserver Foundation had uncovered nearly 100 victims altogether – and that was before the technique behind the hack was widely known.
'It's unambiguous,' Bernard said. 'Who knows what other adversaries have done since to place other backdoors.'
He declined to identify the affected organisations, saying that the relevant national authorities had been notified.
The Shadowserver Foundation confirmed the 100 figure and said that most of those affected were in the United States and Germany and that the victims included government organisations.
Another researcher said that, so far, the spying appeared to be the work of a single hacker or set of hackers.
'It's possible that this will quickly change,' said Rafe Pilling, director of threat intelligence at Sophos, a British cybersecurity firm.
A Microsoft spokesperson said in an emailed statement that it had 'provided security updates and encourages customers to install them'.
It was not clear who was behind the ongoing hack. The FBI said on Sunday it was aware of the attacks and was working closely with its federal and private-sector partners, but offered no other details. Britain's National Cyber Security Centre said in a statement that it was aware of 'a limited number' of targets in the United Kingdom. A researcher tracking the hacks said that the campaign appeared initially aimed at a narrow set of government-related organisations.
Potential targets
The pool of potential targets remains vast. According to data from Shodan, a search engine that helps to identify internet-linked equipment, more than 8,000 servers online could theoretically have already been compromised by hackers.
Those servers include major industrial firms, banks, auditors, healthcare companies and several US state-level and international government entities.
'The SharePoint incident appears to have created a broad level of compromise across a range of servers globally,' said Daniel Card of British cybersecurity consultancy, PwnDefend.
'Taking an assumed breach approach is wise, and it's also important to understand that just applying the patch isn't all that is required here.'
On Wall Street, Microsoft's stock is about even with the market open as of 3pm in New York (19:00 GMT), up by only 0.06 percent, and has gone up more than 1.5 percent over the last five days of trading.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
8 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
US and EU agree on 15 percent tariffs to avert trade war
The United States and European Union have reached a sweeping trade agreement, setting a 15 percent tariff on most goods, averting a major transatlantic trade war that could have rattled global markets. The announcement came after a private meeting on Sunday between US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. The deal comes just days before Washington was due to impose 30 percent tariffs on EU imports. 'It was a very interesting negotiation. I think it's going to be great for both parties,' Trump told reporters. He added that it was 'a good deal for everybody… a giant deal with lots of countries'. Von der Leyen welcomed the deal, saying it would 'bring stability; it will bring predictability that's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic'. Trump claimed the EU committed to buying about $750bn worth of US energy, increasing investment in the United States by another $600bn and placing a large order for military equipment. Both leaders confirmed that the agreed tariff rate of 15 percent would apply broadly to automobiles and other goods. 'We have the opening up of all of the European countries,' Trump said. Von der Leyen echoed that, noting that the 15 percent rate was 'across the board, all inclusive' and that the European market was effectively now open. The talks followed months of tense back-and-forth with Trump, who has long accused the EU of unfair trade practices. Just before negotiations began, he called the existing arrangements 'a very one-sided transaction; very unfair to the United States'. Von der Leyen pointed to the combined economic might of the two powers, describing their trade volume as the world's largest, encompassing 'hundreds of millions of people and trillions of dollars'. She acknowledged Trump's 'tough' reputation as a negotiator, to which he replied: 'But fair.' Trade conflict averted Earlier this month, negotiations appeared close to collapse when Trump threatened to proceed with the 30 percent tariff unless the EU matched the 15 percent terms he recently struck with Japan. Asked if he would accept anything lower, Trump flatly said, 'No'. Had no agreement been reached, Brussels had prepared a long list of retaliatory tariffs targeting everything from beef and beer to Boeing aircraft and car parts. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the US-EU deal was a positive move that helped avoid a trade war and a serious blow to the auto sector. 'This agreement has succeeded in averting a trade conflict that would have hit the export-orientated German economy hard,' he said in a statement. 'This applies in particular to the automotive industry, where the current tariffs of 27.5 percent will be almost halved to 15 percent.' Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said it was 'positive' that a trade deal had been reached; however, she needed to see the details, Italian news agency ANSA reported. Trump and United Kingdom Prime Minister Kier Starmer are expected to meet on Monday, with trade also on the agenda. While a separate US–UK trade framework was unveiled in May, Trump insists the broader agreement is already concluded, though the White House admits some elements remain unfinished. Trump will travel to Aberdeen on Tuesday to help open a third golf course under the family name. He and his sons are expected to cut the ribbon themselves.
Al Jazeera
17 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
US-EU trade talks: Will the EU chief clinch a deal with Trump?
United States President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold crunch talks with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland after weeks of intense trade talks between the two sides as Brussels aims to ink a deal with Washington to avoid a transatlantic trade war. Von der Leyen, the European Commission president, will meet with the US president at his Turnberry golf club in Scotland on Sunday. European ministers are hoping the meeting will result in a deal to avoid the 30 percent tariffs that Trump has threatened on EU goods. According to people involved in the talks, European negotiators are aiming for tariffs to be set at 15 percent. Trump told reporters on Friday that the bloc 'want[s] to make a deal very badly'. On July 12, Trump threatened to impose the 30 percent tariffs if no agreement could be secured by his deadline, which expires on Friday. That would come on top of the 25 percent tariffs on cars and car parts and 50 percent levies on steel and aluminium already in place. The EU, Washington's biggest trading partner, has been a frequent target of Trump's escalating trade rhetoric with the president accusing the bloc of 'ripping off' the US. In 2024, EU exports to the US totalled 532 billion euros ($603bn). Pharmaceuticals, car parts and industrial chemicals were among the largest exports, according to EU data. Will the Trump-von der Leyen meeting achieve a breakthrough and end the uncertainty in transatlantic trade ties? What are the main differences between the two sides? The US president told reporters at Turnberry on Friday that there are '20 sticking points'. When asked what they were, he said: 'Well, I don't want to tell you what the sticking points are.' At the same time, he described von der Leyen as a 'highly respected woman' and predicted their meeting on Sunday would be 'good', rating the chances of a deal as '50-50'. On the European side, it is understood that a growing number of EU countries are calling for Brussels to push ahead with an already prepared retaliatory tariffs package on 90 billion euros ($109bn) of US goods, including car parts and bourbon, if talks break down. The two sides, which traded 1.6 trillion euros ($1.8 trillion) in goods and services in 2023, have been negotiating since April 9 when Trump paused what he calls his 'reciprocal' tariffs, which he placed on nearly all countries. During that time, the US has been charging a flat 10 percent levy on all EU products as well as 25 percent on cars and 50 percent on steel and aluminium. This month, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said: 'We have to protect the EU economy, and we need to go for these rebalancing measures.' Still, the bloc is understood to be rife with disagreement over trade policies with the US. While Germany has urged a quick deal to safeguard its industries, other EU members, particularly France, have insisted EU negotiators must not cave in to an asymmetrical deal that favours the US. On Saturday, von der Leyen spokesperson Paula Pinho said: 'Intensive negotiations at technical and political [level] have been ongoing between the EU and US. Leaders will now take stock and consider the scope for a balanced outcome that provides stability and predictability for businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.' What have the US and EU traded with each other? In 2024, the US-EU goods trade reached nearly $1 trillion, making the EU the single largest trading partner of the US. In total, the US bought $235.6bn more in goods than it sold to the 27 countries that make up the EU. On the other hand, the US earned a surplus on services trade with the EU. The US mainly bought pharmaceutical products from the EU as well as mechanical appliances, cars and other nonrailway vehicles – totalling roughly $606bn. The US exported fuel, pharmaceutical products, machinery and aircraft to the EU to the tune of $370bn. Why have they struggled to ink a deal so far? Like all the nations the US runs a trade deficit with, Trump has long accused the EU of swindling his country and is determined that Brussels adopt measures to lower its goods trade surplus with the US. Washington has repeatedly raised concerns over Europe's value-added tax as well as its regulations on food exports and IT services. Trump has argued that these controls act as nontariff trade barriers. Indeed, Sefcovic recently told the Financial Times that he wants to reduce the US-EU trade deficit by buying more US gas, weapons and farm products. And while European leaders want the lowest tariffs possible, they 'also want to be respected as the partners that we are', French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday. On July 14, meanwhile, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels that 'we should prepare to be ready to use all the tools'. He added: 'If you want peace, you have to prepare for war.' Negotiators in Scotland are hoping it doesn't come to that. This month, Oxford Economics, an economic forecasting consultancy, estimated that a 30 percent tariff could push the EU 'to the edge of recession'. Countermeasures from the EU would also hit certain US industries hard. European tariffs could reduce US farmers' and auto workers' incomes, which are key Trump constituencies.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
With Trump go-ahead, Skydance and Paramount to complete merger in August
The entertainment company Paramount Global is expected to close its $8bn merger agreement with Skydance Media on August 7, a date that marks two weeks after the administration of President Donald Trump gave its approval. On Friday, the two companies announced the final stage of the year-long deal, which was first announced in July 2024. The merger is considered a massive shake-up in the media landscape of the United States, drawing to a close the reign of the powerful Redstone family over the Paramount entertainment empire. But the merger has garnered even more attention in recent weeks for its political backdrop. On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave the green light for the merger to go forward, after a series of moves under Paramount that were widely interpreted as concessions to the Trump administration. The FCC is technically an independent agency of the federal government, but since taking office in January for his second term, President Trump has sought to bring such agencies under his influence, including by appointing loyal allies to their leadership. That put the fate of the Paramount-Skydance merger in question, particularly given Trump's combative relationship with CBS Broadcasting Inc, one of Paramount's premier properties. Conflicts over content Trump has long taken an adversarial approach to the news media, and CBS's flagship news programmes were no exception. Some of those tensions came to a head in the final weeks of the 2024 presidential election, when Trump, a Republican, was facing off against Democratic contender Kamala Harris. The TV news magazine 60 Minutes had a tradition of interviewing each of the major party nominees for the presidency in the lead-up to the vote, and it had invited both Trump and Harris to participate. Harris accepted the invitation, but 60 Minutes said Trump cancelled. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, disputed that characterisation. 'There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in,' Cheung wrote on social media. 'They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.' The back-and-forth escalated when 60 Minutes aired two different cuts from its interview with Harris. One version, which aired on a sister programme Face The Nation, featured more of Harris's answer about her stance towards Israel. The other version, which aired on the 60 Minutes broadcast, was shorter. Trump called the different edits evidence of deceptive reporting tactics and filed a lawsuit against Paramount, CBS's parent company. 'CBS used its national platform on 60 Minutes to cross the line from the exercise of judgment in reporting to deceitful, deceptive manipulation of news,' his court filing alleged. 'That is false,' 60 Minutes responded in a statement to its website. 'When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point. The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment.' While many media experts expected Paramount to prevail on the merits of the case, the company instead sought to negotiate an end to the case. Earlier this month, it agreed to pay $16m to Trump, to go to his future presidential library. Shortly thereafter, another top CBS show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, revealed it had been cancelled, allegedly for financial reasons. But the timing and unexpected nature of the cancellation drew speculation that it might have been an attempt to appease Trump and streamline the merger, given the fact that Colbert frequently lambasted the Republican president on his show. Trump himself posted on Truth Social, 'I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.' The Late Show was consistently the top-rated late-night comedy show, and it had won a Peabody Award and multiple Emmy nods. South Park TV show takes aim Within weeks of both the 60 Minutes lawsuit settlement and the cancellation of The Late Show, the FCC gave its blessing to the merger between Paramount and Skydance. Under the merger, Skydance founder David Ellison, the son of Oracle Corporation CEO Larry Ellison, is expected to helm operations. Upon the merger's approval, Trump's appointee to lead the FCC, Brendan Carr, released a statement echoing some of the president's criticisms of major news outlets. He also hinted that the merger would result in changes to CBS's news output. 'Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly,' he wrote. 'It is time for a change. That is why I welcome Skydance's commitment to make significant changes at the once storied CBS broadcasting network.' 'In particular, Skydance has made written commitments to ensure that the new company's programming embodies a diversity of viewpoints from across the political and ideological spectrum.' To ensure compliance with that commitment, Carr said an ombudsman would be appointed to the media giant for a period of at least two years. Carr added that the merger between Skydance and Paramount would also bar the new mega-company from implementing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, which are designed to create an equal playing field for people regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion or ability. But hours after the FCC granted its approval, the Paramount-owned channel Comedy Central aired an episode of the animated series South Park that mocked President Trump and satirised its parent company's $16m settlement. In one scene, an animated Jesus attempts to warn the show's characters about Trump. 'The guy can do whatever he wants now that someone backed down, OK?' the animated Jesus says. 'You guys saw what happened to CBS? Yeah, well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount! You really want to end up like Colbert?' The Trump administration has since blasted the show as irrelevant.
