Ron Wyden Accuses Microsoft Of Negligence In Recent Cybersecurity Breach

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has called on the Justice Department to hold Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) accountable for what he describes as “negligent cybersecurity practices.”

What Happened: In a letter sent on Thursday to the heads of the Justice Department, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Federal Trade Commission, Wyden accused Microsoft of withholding key details about a recent hack.

These practices, he alleges, enabled Chinese espionage hackers to steal hundreds of thousands of emails from cloud customers, including officials in the US Departments of State and Commerce.

He claims the company has avoided admitting that its infrastructure, including the Azure Active Directory, was breached. The breach reportedly allowed China-based hacking outfit Storm-0558 to compromise accounts belonging to 25 organizations.

See Also: Trump Pleads With Congress As Potential Indictment Over Capitol Riot Looms: ‘Please Investigate’

Why It Matters: Wyden’s remarks echo those of other critics who have accused Microsoft of downplaying the extent of the breach. The senator also drew parallels between Microsoft’s handling of this incident and the company’s response to the SolarWinds supply chain attack, which saw Kremlin hackers infect 18,000 customers of the network management software maker.

Wyden has called on US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly, and Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to hold Microsoft accountable for the breach.

Read Next: Donald Trump Isn’t Happy With Senate Republicans For Not Denouncing The President: ‘Biden Is The Most Corrupt President’

Editor's Note: Artificial intelligence was used as a secondary aid in writing this story.