Russian hackers targeting US campaigns, political parties & 200 organisations —Microsoft

American tech giant, Microsoft, has claimed that Russian hackers attempted to hack into the computer systems of more than 200 organisations including political parties and consultants.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Microsoft said that the hacking attempt appears to be part of a broader increase in the targeting of United States political campaigns and related groups.

“What we’ve seen is consistent with previous attack patterns that not only target candidates and campaign staffers, but also those who they consult on key issues,” Tom Burt, a Microsoft vice president, said in a blog post.

“Most of the infiltration attempts by Russian, Chinese and Iranian agents were halted by Microsoft security software and the targets notified,” he said.

Microsoft further noted that Chinese state-backed hackers have targeted “high-profile individuals associated with the election”, including people associated with the Biden campaign.

“China is largely an espionage threat, however, while Russia steals data and weaponises it,” the company said.