The Beadon administration and its allies formally accused China earlier this year of mass-hacking Microsoft Exchange Server, prompting the FBI to intervene out of concern that the intervention could wreak havoc. The mass hacking campaign targeted Microsoft Exchange’s email servers with four previously unpublished vulnerabilities hackers called Microsoft – which Microsoft already called a group of China-backed hackers – hafnium to address thousands of emails to companies. The United States.
Microsoft has released patches to address vulnerabilities, but the patches have not removed any backdoor code behind hackers that can be re-used for easy access to the hacked server. This prompted the FBI to secure a first-of-its-kind court order to effectively hack the remaining hundreds of U.S.-based servers to remove backdoor code.
Computer response teams around the world have reacted similarly to attempts to inform organizations in their countries that they have been attacked. In a statement released Monday, the Biden administration said the attack by hackers backed by China’s state defense ministry had “cost significant remedies for most private sector victims.”
“We raise our concerns about this incident and the widespread malicious cyber activities with senior PRC government officials [in the People’s Republic of China], making it clear that the PRC’s actions threaten the security, confidence, and stability of cyberspace,” the statement said. The National Security Agency has also released details of the attack to help network defenders identify possible avenues of compromise.
Several allies, including those in the United States and NATO members, also supported the Biden administration in its investigation. In a statement, the U.S. government blamed Beijing for the “broad pattern” of hacking. The Chinese government has repeatedly denied claims of state-sponsored or sponsored hacking.
The Biden administration has blamed China’s state defense ministry for dealing with criminal hackers “for passive activities such as ransom attacks for their own benefit.” The government said Chinese-backed hackers had demanded millions of dollars in ransom against the hacked companies.
Last year, the judiciary charged two Chinese spies for their role in a global hacking campaign that saw prosecutors accuse hackers of operating for personal gain. Although the United States has publicly accused the Kremlin of trying to stop transmigration gangs from securing the port from within Russia’s borders, the United States has not previously accused Beijing of carrying out ransom attacks or involvement.
