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MICROSOFT WILL NOW tell users if they’ve been the target of a “state-sponsored” attack after details of such an incident, carried out by Chinese hackers back in 2011, was revealed.
The company already notifies users if their Outlook or OneDrive account has been targeted but will now notified them whenever their accounts are being targeted by government hackers.
It follows the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Google and Yahoo who have also introduced similar policies.
“We’re taking this additional step of specifically letting you know if we have evidence that the attacker may be ‘state-sponsored’ because it is likely that the attack could be more sophisticated or more sustained than attacks from cybercriminals and others,” said Scott Charney in a post. “These notifications do not mean that Microsoft’s own systems have in any way been compromised”.
It does not plan to share any more details other than a user has been targeted but says that when it has enough evidence to suggest an attack was state-sponsored, it will alert those users targeted.
The policy change comes after Reuters revealed how Chinese authorities hacked into more than a thousand Hotmail (now OutLook) accounts back in 2011.
Some of those targeted included international leaders of China’s Tibetan and Uighur minorities as well as human rights lawyers.
When Microsoft was alerted to the issue by security company Trend Micro, it patched the holes allowing hackers access to those email accounts, but it didn’t tell those affected about the problem or the scope of the issue.
Microsoft later issued a statement saying neither it or the US government could pinpoint the source of the attacks and they didn’t originate from a single country.
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They will probably still be gagged from informing them on US govt hacks under Homeland security laws
I’d like to know why certain shops in Dublin airport don’t pass on the Vat savings in store. The prices they charge is the same as the high street. So I’m guessing those stores are keeping the Government’s Vat concession because it isn’t passed on to the customer.
The shops in the airport are not entirely VAT free. Only on production of a ticket for a flight outside EU. And THEN only if the shop has subscribed to the scheme. They cannot pass on VAT savings if there are none to be had
Did you get lost?
Under EU law retailers can claim back VAT on sales to those leaving the EU but they have to process boarding cards in order to claim it.
Around 20 per cent of passengers who fly through Dublin Airport are travelling to destinations outside the EU. However with the exception of duty-free areas, the savings are not passed directly on to them.
* What about the USA that is mass European spying?
* Or another country on their behalf, acting as a proxy (England, Germany, etc), because the White House wishes to get around their own laws slightly limiting their snooping – so they are now getting others to do it for them?
* What about the USA gagging orders that even those gagged, are not allowed speak exists?
So if you are lucky (or unlucky?), you get told you are being spied on.
We know who it is – but not telling.
We know where it is – but not telling.
We might be doing something – but not telling.
Great stuff. Really useful (not).
Microsoft PR stunt that just fails their users – again.
So if an ISIS cell is being spied upon by the CIA, Microsoft will give ISIS the heads up. Nice of them.
Do our police in Ireland hack people’s accounts? Would Ian Bailey’s be hacked? Are SF/IRA being hacked? I suppose it must be done for security reasons.
The Irish governments computer systems is 10 years behind so I doubt it.
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