(Washington) China, Canada, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have been accused of hacking Microsoft Exchange servers, which is very rare, an expert who interviewed La Press reported.
General condemnation
On Monday, China formally accused Canada, the United States, the European Union, NATO and the United Kingdom of illegally hacking about 400,000 Microsoft Exchange email servers used by numerous governments and private companies around the world. In particular, the group accuses Beijing of appointing a group of hackers known as Hafnium to infiltrate. “The move has put thousands of Canadian companies at risk, and even if Microsoft has taken the right steps, in some cases it will continue,” Secretary of State Mark Corneo said in a joint statement on Monday. Minister of Public Defense Bill Blair and Minister of National Defense, Harjeet Sajjan. “Canada firmly believes in the Ministry of Defense (MSE) [de la Chine] Responsible for the widespread compromise of Microsoft Exchange servers. ”
No retaliation
Several observers noted on Monday that no punitive measures had been announced against Beijing. However, the infiltration of Microsoft’s servers was discovered and reported in March, with spy material aimed at attacking, for example, Marine Corps researcher Brandon Valeriano of the University of Virginia and cybersecurity expert in removing power transmission equipment or other infrastructure. “You did not respond to spying with attacking military operations,” he said. We also know that sanctions do not have any effect on behavior, as they do not injure or kill people, and we are not sure if it goes beyond that. No one wants data being stolen, of course, but this is something all states do. ”
“Rather weird”
Brandon Valeriano notes that such a united front for condemning computer hacking is not unprecedented, but that it is “rather different.” “When an individual country comes forward and says they are the victims of theft, it is difficult to know who is guilty and what happened here, because it is the expectation of one country. It is a single country. Since Joe Biden came to power in January, the United States has been more willing to work with allies, “he said.” ”
Elections at the crossroads of foreign governments
The Canadian government’s cybersecurity agency also released a statement last Friday outlining some of the threats posed by foreign actors to the next federal election campaign, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to unleash in the coming weeks. The report, filed by the Communications Security Agency (CST), blamed China, Russia and Iran for the majority of online attacks and threats against democratic processes at home and elsewhere in the country. World since 2015. CSE believes that Canada is currently not a big target and that the growing number of actors have the tools, ability and understanding of the Canadian political landscape to take action in the future. ‘They are motivated by a strategic motive’.
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