Microsoft recently faced a serious cybersecurity breach when Russian nation-state hackers, known as Midnight Blizzard or APT29, accessed the company’s source code repository. Although the hackers obtained read-only access, they did not have the capability to alter or manipulate the code. This incident was disclosed during a closed-door meeting with German parliament’s technology oversight committee, following a public announcement by Microsoft in March about the breach.
During the meeting, Microsoft officials, including the company’s German national security and IT compliance officer Ralf Wigand and other legal department representatives, reassured German lawmakers that the intrusion was limited to viewing the code without the ability to make any changes. This breach has been a part of a broader scrutiny faced by Microsoft over several high-profile security failures, prompting critical reviews of its security protocols and measures.
The discussion with German lawmakers is particularly significant given Germany’s heavy reliance on Microsoft products for government operations. The hearing aimed to assess the extent of the hack and to understand any potential threats the breach could pose to the German government’s operations and security. Concerns were amplified by the ongoing geopolitical tensions in Europe and the critical nature of securing government communications and infrastructure.
In response to the breach, Microsoft has committed to establishing regular communications with the German committee and the Federal Office for Information Security, known as BSI, to ensure ongoing vigilance and security enhancements. This incident underscores the critical need for multinational cooperation in cybersecurity and the importance of robust security cultures within major tech companies to prevent similar breaches in the future.
