Microsoft Corp’s Flaws being used by Different Groups of Hackers

At least ten different hacking groups are using some recently discovered flaws in Microsoft Corp’s mail server software. A cybersecurity company ESET revealed this news in a blog post on Wednesday. These hackers are trying to break into targets across the globe.

The exploitation has led to the urgency of the warnings issued by European and United States Authorities about the weakness found in Microsoft’s Exchange Software. The widely used mail and the calendaring solution have security holes. These holes leave the door open to industrial-scale cyber espionage.

Malicious actors can steal emails virtually at will from vulnerable servers or move inside the network. Last week, Reuters reported that many organizations have already been compromised, and new victims are being made public every day. On Wednesday, Norway’s parliament announced that data had been extracted in a breach linked to Microsoft flaws.

Even Germany’s cybersecurity watchdog agency said two federal authorities were affected by the hack. They declined to identify those authorities. Microsoft has issued fixes, however, the sluggish pace of many customer’s updates means that these are partially open to hackers of all stripes. Any back door access left on the machine cannot be removed with these patches.

Also, some of the back doors on compromised machines have easily guessable passwords. This allows the newcomers to take them over. The company declined to comment on the pace of customer updates. They had emphasized the importance of patching all affected systems immediately during previous announcements.

Experts are concerned about the prospect of ransom-seeking cybercriminals, although the hacking appears to focus on cyber espionage.