Hackers Could Read MSN, Outlook, Hotmail Emails for 6+ Months: Report
The hackers took over a customer support portal—with potentially disastrous results.
Dado Ruvic/Reuters
For at least six months, a hacker or group of hackers had access to the content of some users’ emails on MSN, Hotmail, and Outlook, according to a report Sunday from Motherboard. On Saturday, Microsoft told TechCrunch that hackers had accessed the subject lines of some emails and could identify the recipients. But a source told Motherboard that the hack was actually much more far-reaching and that hackers could access the full content of some emails. Microsoft reportedly confirmed to Motherboard that hackers could read some people’s emails by breaking into a customer support portal. Microsoft claimed only six percent of the customers affected had their emails exposed—but the company wouldn’t specify how many people that was. The hack was reportedly intended to help the perpetrators remove Activation Locks from consumers’ phones, which prevents stolen devices from being factory reset and re-sold.
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