According to The Washington Post, the attack has affected several U.S. government agencies, major energy and telecommunications companies operating in Asia, as well as a number of universities.
Hackers exploited a previously unknown technical vulnerability in Microsoft’s widely used SharePoint software to carry out the attack. Experts say this type of security flaw had not been detected before, and system owners were unaware of it. Currently, the governments of Canada, Australia, and the United States are investigating the matter.
The attack only impacted on-premises servers owned by companies. Microsoft has released a security update for only one version of the software. Other versions remain vulnerable and at risk.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time Microsoft has faced serious criticism in the field of cybersecurity. Last year, the company was criticized for allowing Chinese hackers to access the email communications of U.S. officials.
Experts warn that such attacks are not just technical issues but pose a real threat to national information security.
