SolarWinds Broke into Microsoft's Source Code

As Microsoft continues to investigate the massive SolarWinds attack, the company revealed Thursday that hackers were able to access some of its source code.

Source code is the underlying set of instructions that run a piece of software or operating system, which is typically among a technology company’s most closely guarded secrets.

In an update from its Security Response Center, Microsoft stated that hackers were able to view source code in a number of source code repositories, but that the hacked account granting such access didn’t have permission to modify any code or systems. It is not clear how much or what parts of repositories the hackers were able to access.

Microsoft noted that “a very sophisticated nation-state actor” was the culprit, moreover, the US government and cybersecurity officials have implicated Russia as the architects of the overall SolarWinds attack.

In a previous statement, a Microsoft spokesman stated that the security employees had been working around the clock and that “when there is actionable information to share, they have published and shared it.”.

The attack exposed an extensive list of sensitive organizations.