Microsoft Restricts Chinese Company Access To Cyber Early Warning System

Microsoft limits the access of some Chinese companies to their cybersecurity early warning systems. (photo; dock. pexels)

JAKARTA - Microsoft announced on Wednesday, August 20, that it has restricted the access of some Chinese companies to their cybersecurity early warning systems. This was done, following speculation that Beijing was involved in a hacking campaign against the SharePoint server widely used by Microsoft.

The restrictions came after a massive hacking attack on Microsoft's SharePoint server last month, some of which Microsoft and other parties accused Beijing of doing so.

This raised suspicions among several cybersecurity experts that there was a leak in the Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP), which Microsoft uses to help security vendors around the world, including in China, learn cyber threats before the information is publicly known, so they can better protect the system from hackers.

Beijing has denied involvement in the SharePoint hack.

Microsoft has notified members of the MAPP program of the SharePoint vulnerability on June 24, July 3, and July 7. Microsoft stated that it first observed exploit attempts on July 7, when this incident led some experts to suspect that the most likely scenario for a sudden spike in hacking attempts was that MAPP members were roguely abusing the information.

In a statement, Microsoft said that some Chinese companies would no longer accept a "proof of concept", which mimics original malicious software operations. The concept proof code can help cybersecurity professionals quickly strengthen their systems, but can also be misused by hackers to gain an edge over defense.

Microsoft stated that they realized that the information provided to their partners could be exploited. "Therefore we are taking steps both known and confidential to prevent abuse. We continue to review participants and suspend or remove them if we find that they violate contracts with us, which includes a ban on participating in offensive attacks," Microsoft said.

Microsoft declined to disclose their investigation status regarding this hack or provide details about which companies have limited access.