The recent CISA report has revealed serious weaknesses in the cybersecurity of Microsoft, resulting in a massive data breach last year.
According to CISA, the breach of the Exchange Microsoft email service by the STORM-0558 group linked to China could have been prevented. However, inadequate security measures and culture within the company contributed to the compromise of accounts belonging to high-ranking US officials.
The report sheds light on the root causes of the breach. The system, developed in the early 2000s without automatic key updates, allowed the use of an outdated key from 2016, granting access to corporate email accounts.
Compared to other cloud services, Microsoft is criticized for lagging in key updates and slow response time following the attack.
Despite speculation about the key being publicly available, Microsoft was unable to confirm this or any of the other 46 hypotheses regarding the motive behind the attack.
The study points to a departure from the security-first principles set forth by Bill Gates in 2002, emphasizing that Microsoft must reevaluate its approach.
The CISA report underscores the need for Microsoft’s top leadership to prioritize a secure future. Last year’s breach highlights the importance of ongoing vigilance and proactive measures in cybersecurity to safeguard data on a global scale.