A sophisticated attack on Microsoft’s widely used business email software is morphing into a global cybersecurity crisis, as hackers race to infect as many victims as possible before companies can secure their computer systems, Bloomberg has reported.
The attack, which Microsoft said started with a Chinese government backed hacking group, has so far claimed at least 60,000 known victims globally, including the European banking authority.
The attack drew the concern of the United States National Security officials, in part because the hackers were able to hit so many victims so quickly.
Victims identified so far include banks and electricity providers, as well as senior citizen homes and an ice cream company, according to Huntress, a Ellicott City, Maryland-based firm that monitors the security of customers, in a blog post Friday.
Researchers say in the final phases of the attack, the hackers appeared to have automated the process, scooping up tens of thousands of new victims around the world in a matter of days.
