Hotmail, MSN and Outlook emails exposed to hackers for months, Microsoft reveals

Criminals bypassed the tech giant's cyber security measures by abusing a customer support portal

Anthony Cuthbertson
Monday 15 April 2019 15:26 BST
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Microsoft initially denied that hackers were able to read emails from Outlook accounts
Microsoft initially denied that hackers were able to read emails from Outlook accounts

Hackers had access to Hotmail, MSN and Outlook emails from a large number of accounts for two months, Microsoft has revealed.

The technology giant confirmed that email accounts of non-corporate users were breached, with the contents of around 6 per cent of emails exposed by cyber criminals exploiting a customer support portal.

According to an email sent to the majority of affected users and then posted online, the firm said a Microsoft support agent's credentials were compromised, potentially allowing unauthorised access to some account information.

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