Want to get notified if your Microsoft account is subjected to state-sponsored hacking? According to the official Microsoft Blog, the Redmond tech giant has taken the additional step to keep user’s personal information secure.
In a blog post, Microsoft announced it will notify users if there is evidence of state-sponsored hacking of their account. It now joins Google, Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo in stepping up security on user accounts.
We already notify users if we believe their accounts have been targeted or compromised by a third party, and we provide guidance on measures users can take to keep their accounts secure. We’re taking this additional step of specifically letting you know if we have evidence that the attacker may be “state-sponsored” because it is likely that the attack could be more sophisticated or more sustained than attacks from cybercriminals and others. These notifications do not mean that Microsoft’s own systems have in any way been compromised.
If you receive one of these notifications it doesn’t necessarily mean that your account has been compromised, but it does mean we have evidence your account has been targeted, and it’s very important you take additional measures to keep your account secure. You should also make sure your computer and other devices don’t not have viruses or malware installed, and that all your software is up to date.
While the details of attack will not be revealed, the user can take appropriate security mechanism to secure their account. You can find details of protecting your account here.
State-sponsored Internet espionage has hit the headlines over the past few years. Wikileaks revelations, FBI’s hacking of Facebook, Google and Twitter accounts attracted worldwide criticism. Cyberattacks on Critical IT infrastructure of countries like UK, Germany and India were traced to IP addresses in China and Russia.
Cybersecurity is a critical part of a country’s defense strategy. There was a question on why non-stealth F15 and F16 went undetected during Israel’s raid on Syria. US too has an Air Force Cyber Command which will “provide combat-ready forces to conduct sustained combat operations through the electromagnetic spectrum.”
Users storing and sharing personal information is a major source of analytics and advertising revenue to many of the top tech companies. It is important for these companies not to lose user’s trust in information security.