Make it on Outlook.com: exposed for months addresses and e-mail objects

Microsoft has started sending notifications to some users of the Outlook.com service informing them that one or more hackers have accessed their accounts . The Redmond company has discovered that the credentials of an account belonging to a company serviceman had been compromised, thus giving unauthorized access to some data of some accounts between 1st January 2019 and 28th March 2019 .

The note released by Microsoft states that the attackers were able to access e-mail addresses, folder names, e-mail objects and that they did not have access to e-mail contents or attachments. At the time of writing, it is not clear how many users are involved: "Our data indicates that some information may have been seen regarding the account (but not the content of the e-mails), but Microsoft has no indication of the reasons for the hack or how the data could be used, " writes the company.

The credentials or other personal information of the users have not ended up in the hands of the attackers, however for purely precautionary reasons Microsoft advises the users involved to restore their passwords : "Microsoft apologizes for any inconvenience caused by this problem", reads one more once the note. "We assure you that Microsoft takes data protection very seriously and has involved its internal security and privacy teams in the investigation of the case and its resolution, as well as further strengthening the systems and processes to prevent such relapses ".

The Outlook.com security incident comes a few weeks after the admission of guilt by a researcher who had violated Nintendo and Microsoft servers. Redmond's European development servers have been compromised for weeks at the beginning of 2017, allowing attackers to release preview versions of Windows ahead of official dates. In the case of Outlook.com, Microsoft confirmed to the international press that it "solved the problem" , stating that it "involved a limited number of consumer users".